Athlete Joanna Wietrzyk apologises for continuing HYROX race after soiling herself

Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has apologised for continuing to compete in a HYROX competition in China having soiled herself. 

Ms Wietrzyk experienced the medical episode during the contest last weekend in Beijing, and went on to win, but has now retroactively withdrawn from the race and handed back all points earned.  

The incident went viral on social media, with videos of her continuing the race shared widely. 

HYROX, a popular fitness competition launched in Germany in 2017, sees competitors combine running with multiple workout station challenges, including sandbag lunges, burpees, sled pushes and rowing using shared equipment.

The athletics brand, which came under fire over health and safety standards, has since apologised for "not reacting immediately" over the incident. 

Ms Wietrzyk, who has faced questions over her decision to continue, has now issued a social media statement. 

"I want to offer my sincere apology to the people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators and the HYROX organisers for what happened during the race in Beijing," she said in a post on Instagram. 

"I felt completely fit and healthy at the start of the race, with no reason to expect any illness,

"Looking back, I regret the decision to not have stepped off the track. I recognise that I should have made a different choice."

In the statement, Ms Wietrzyk said she had chosen to retroactively withdraw from the race and hand back the points she earned from competing.

Within the HYROX elite framework, athletes accumulate ranking points based on their placement and finishing time, the points contribute to national and global ranking systems.

"I know my actions had an impact beyond myself, and I am genuinely sorry to everyone who was affected," she said. 

"I am learning from this experience and will carry those lessons with me, including remembering that there is more to life than racing and knowing when it is right to step away. 

"On reflection, I have decided to retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points I earned.

Rules changed after backlash

The incident attracted intense critcism of HYROX's health and safety standards.

HYROX co-founder Moritz Fürste had earlier taken to Instagram "to all who were directly or indirectly involved".

"HYROX made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race," he added in a statement on Instagram.

"In the end it is my job to foresee these potential incidents — and I did not."

He said that new event procedures and rules were being drawn up to "prevent situations like this from happening again".

The rules now state that if a "racer's blood, vomit, urine, or faeces poses a welfare or contamination risk to the racer or to other racers, a Race Director may withdraw the racer from the race on medical grounds".

Before the rule change, competitors were penalised for littering, spitting, or clearing their nostrils onto the race course, which some online described as a double standard.