Hyrox athlete who soiled herself ‘traumatised’ by backlash

London: An Australian extreme fitness athlete who soiled herself during a race said she was “traumatised” by the backlash to the incident.

Joanna Wietrzyk apologised to her fellow competitors, saying she “didn’t really think about those around me” when she became unwell during the Hyrox event in Beijing in September.

The 24-year-old pushed on to win the event and later said she had suffered a bacterial infection from food poisoning.

Pictures and videos from the competition showed faeces running down Wietrzyk’s legs, on to the mats and communal equipment.

The athlete retroactively withdrew from the race, but organisers faced intense criticism for allowing her to continue despite the potential health risks to other competitors.

They insisted that affected lanes were deep-cleaned and contaminated equipment was removed, but Moritz Fürste, Hyrox’s co-founder, apologised and said the company made a mistake by not reacting immediately.

New rules have been put in place giving organisers the power to remove athletes if their bodily fluids pose a contamination risk.

In an interview with the BBC, Wietrzyk said the backlash she received after the incident was “traumatic”.

“Yes, I did make the wrong decision, but I don’t believe I should have received such backlash and such scrutiny online … At the end of the day, I’m only human,” she said.

She added that it had been a “mentally and emotionally taxing period”, with her family also receiving threats online.

“[It] was very eye-opening for me to see the effect of social media nowadays, especially from someone who’s 24, just out there racing,” she said.

The athlete revealed she planned to return to competition but was “nervous” to do so. “I don’t want it to become my identity,” she said.

Wietrzyk said that despite suffering from food poisoning she went into the race “feeling fresh, feeling really, really good”.

“It was a very sudden experience,” she said.

She had completed two runs and the SkiErg, a machine that simulates skiing, and was midway through the burpee broad jumps exercise when she became unwell.

“It wasn’t until about halfway through the race where everything did transpire ... In that moment, right then and there, as a very competitive person … and an elite athlete that I am, my only focus is on racing,” she said.

“Obviously I did put other people at risk,” she admitted.

“It was my decision to continue racing, so I take full responsibility for that. I didn’t really think about those around me … The decision that I made in hindsight was the wrong decision, and I’m truly sorry for everyone that I did affect.”

Some athletes at the event were refunded their entry fees. In a Hyrox event, participants alternate between running a kilometre and doing high-intensity fitness exercises using shared equipment.

Wietrzyk, from Melbourne, holds the world record in the women’s solo event and was invited to compete in the elite group of the 16-24 age category. She won in Beijing with a time of 1hr 1min 23sec.