Obstacle racing ‘makes me feel like a superhero’

A Wiltshire athlete who just took bronze at the Obstacle World Championships says the sport makes her feel like she can “fly like a superhero”.

Mila Stanazi, from Trowbridge, told the BBC that getting her first podium finish at the championships in China last month was “incredible and very surreal”.

The sport of obstacle course racing is set to replace the fifth event in the modern pentathlon – which is currently equestrian – at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

But Stanazi hopes it will become a stand alone Olympic event in the future.

The 27 year-old took bronze at the inaugural UIPM 2025 Obstacle World Championships held at China’s National Olympic Sports Centre in Beijing.

Stanazi competed in the 100m sprint race held at China’s National Olympic Sports Centre in Beijing, which saw athletes race across a course made up of 11 different obstacles similar to what you would see on a Ninja Warrior track.

On BBC Wiltshire’s Sport at Six show, she said it is “very thrilling, it’s like a puzzle you need to try and solve it, but be fast as well”.

Obstacle course racing (OCR) athletes need “incredible grip strength, precision, accuracy” according to Stanazi as well as “a bit of confidence”.

She was introduced to the sport when she was 19 years-old and hopes to become an Olympian if the sport does become its own discipline in the future.

She is currently the fastest female in the sport in the UK, and said she will “keep eating my rice and peas and just hope for the best”.