Australian Hyrox athlete apologises for continuing Beijing race after soiling herself

SINGAPORE: An athlete who continued competing after soiling herself during a Hyrox event in Beijing apologised on Thursday (Sep 17) and retroactively forfeited the points from her win.

Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk sparked an outcry on social media after she continued to use the mats and equipment at the competition on Saturday despite soiling herself.

She completed the event without the organising committee intervening and won the race.

In an Instagram post, Wietrzyk said she felt "completely fit and healthy" at the start of the race and had 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,” she said.

The 23-year-old apologised for the discomfort and disruption she caused, saying the experience had taught her that there is more to life than racing and that she needed to know when to step away.

“On reflection, I have decided to retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points I earned,” she added.

Hyrox, launched in Germany in 2018 and now held worldwide, is an indoor fitness race combining treadmill running with strength exercises, such as lunges and rowing. Its popularity has exploded in China in recent years.

Photos and videos of Wietrzyk competing with excrement on her legs and shoes sparked criticism on social media, with some users raising concerns about hygiene and other competitors using the contaminated equipment after she had touched them.

"Why didn't they consider the health of the other competitors and the public?" said one user on Chinese social media network Weibo.

"A foreign athlete suffered from diarrhoea, soiled the course and won anyway," said another user. "It's pro-foreigner favouritism."

The franchise’s co-founder Moritz Furste apologised for the incident on Monday and said new rules and procedures would be set to prevent similar situations from happening again.

"I apologise to all that were directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt like we did not handle the situation like we should have," he said in a statement.

"Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race.”

In her post, Wietrzyk, who is a professional athlete, said she was taking some time away to recover, reflect and look after herself and her family. 

“Thank you to those standing by me, both as an athlete and as a person, during this time, and to everyone who has reached out with kindness and support. It means more to me than I can properly express right now.”