Every now and then, a story comes along that doesn’t just lift your spirits, it shakes something awake in you. And right now, that story belongs to Rebecca Storm Nagel , a woman from the Hibiscus Coast who is not only defying expectations but redefining what’s possible.

In June 2025, Rebecca competed at the HYROX World Championships in Chicago, one of the toughest global fitness competitions around. It was the first year HYROX officially invited adaptive athletes to the world stage, and Rebecca stepped up as one of them.

💥 Not only did she represent South Africa, she set a new world record in her division: Seated Without Hip Function.
💥 And it was only her second HYROX event. Ever.

Let that sink in. To those unfamiliar with HYROX, it’s a brutal endurance sport that blends functional fitness, running, and raw willpower. Athletes train for months to even qualify. For Rebecca,  who only entered her first HYROX in September 2024, to land on the global stage just months later, and break a world record? That’s not just impressive, it’s historic.

But if you ask her what she’s most proud of, it won’t be the podium.

Instead, she’ll tell you about her real mission: creating a more inclusive world for people with disabilities, starting with travel.

Rebecca’s life changed in 2014 when a devastating car accident left her paraplegic. But she didn’t stop moving forward. Instead, she carved out a new path, from trailblazing half-marathons to CrossFit medals, and now world-record HYROX victories.

Yet, despite her sporting success, Rebecca’s biggest dream is her global online directory of wheelchair-friendly spaces , a trusted platform where disabled travellers can discover accessible restaurants, hotels, activities and attractions around the world.

She has built this space not just as a tech project, but from her lived experience,  and with open arms. She wants to offer advice, share resources, and help businesses become more inclusive by choice, not just by law.

“I want disabled people to travel without fear,” she says.
“Without worrying whether the bathroom works, or if the entrance has stairs, or if the hotel actually means ‘accessible.’ 

✨

Rebecca’s journey is chronicled in the documentary Unstoppable, and if you’ve seen it, you know the title isn’t just a name. It’s a truth.

She made history in 2022 by becoming the first woman to complete a half-marathon trail event unassisted in a wheelchair. She then took 2nd place at the 2024 Adaptive CrossFit Games in Texas. Now she’s a world-record-holding HYROX athlete, and still , she’s just getting started.

And while we cheer for her victories, the real gold is in what she’s building for others.

The platform allows businesses to be listed, verified, and reviewed, not just for accessibility but for the kind of warm, thoughtful, and practical hospitality that truly makes travel inclusive.

 Rebecca remind us what’s possible when passion meets purpose. 

We couldn’t be prouder.

📍 Follow Rebecca’s journey, support her upcoming accessibility platform, and let’s start imagining a world where everybody belongs — and everybody moves forward.