A newlywed bodybuilder died after collapsing on stage at a major UK competition final the day before his 34th birthday.
Mateusz Chmura, 33, of Wakefield, England, was performing his routine at Sunday’s PCA British Finals in Telford when he fell ill during the event, the Physical Culture Association announced with “deep sadness.” Medics treated him on stage amid what organizers called a “deeply distressing” incident before an airlift to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The cause of death remains unclear.
Chmura had entered competitive bodybuilding only recently, finishing second in his debut event just two weeks prior to the British Finals. His death came as he was preparing to celebrate his birthday the following day.
He leaves behind his wife Patrycja Chmura, whom he had married just two months earlier.
Patrycja broke her silence through a lengthy Instagram post to address an unauthorized online fundraiser circulating in her husband’s name. She insisted she had “nothing to do with” the collection effort and issued a direct warning to potential donors.
“I have not authorised anyone to collect money on behalf of me or my family,” she wrote. “I would never want anyone to lose their hard-earned money because they are trying to help us during such a difficult time.”
She added that she was going through “something incredibly painful” and did not have “the words or strength to say much more.”
The PCA British Finals incident marked a second blow to the bodybuilding community in a single week. Marianne von Gierke, 40, a two-time Mr. Olympia competitor, died Wednesday — just four days before Chmura’s collapse. She had finished 13th in the Mr. Olympia women’s physique category two weeks prior, following a 16th-place showing at the 2024 edition of the same prestigious contest.
Von Gierke’s death, coming so soon before Chmura’s, left the competitive bodybuilding world reeling from back-to-back losses of athletes in their athletic prime.
Chmura’s rapid rise in the sport — from first competition to national finals in a fortnight — had marked him as a newcomer to watch in British bodybuilding circles. His second-place finish in his debut suggested a promising trajectory cut short by the Telford incident.
The Physical Culture Association, which governs the PCA British Finals, has not released additional details about the circumstances of Chmura’s onstage collapse or any medical response protocols enacted during the competition.