Would you keep going in a race if something embarrassing happened to you halfway through? Andrew and Anna talk about an Australian athlete who had a bathroom accident during a Hyrox race in Beijing and kept going until she won. They discuss why the story traveled so fast online, what it meant for her sponsors, and whether pushing yourself to your limit is always a good thing. Along the way, you’ll hear expressions like “to have one’s blinkers on,” “a perfect storm,” “blowback,” “plastered all over,” “to spread like wildfire,” and “to lay low.”

Listening to Andrew and Anna share their opinions on a real news story will help you follow how English speakers talk about current events in everyday conversation.

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Link from this episode:

• BBC: “Hyrox athlete apologises for continuing race after soiling herself”

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

• To have one’s blinkers on
• A perfect storm
• Blowback
• To be plastered all over (something)
• To spread like wildfire
• To lay low