The HYROX athlete who soiled herself mid-race before going on to win has opened up on unwittingly becoming the centre of a global story and finally admitted she was wrong to put rivals at risk.
Joanna Wietrzyk, a 24-year-old Australian endurance competitor, performed while suffering bowel incontinence caused by food poisoning while using equipment shared with other competitors at the race in Beijing last month.
Footage at the time showed the HYROX world record holder running, doing burpees and carrying heavy bags with excrement running down her leg.
While organisers apologised at the time, the athlete herself opted not to show remorse, until making a U-turn and apologising on Thursday.
Wietrzyk says she has experienced a ‘traumatic’ backlash following the incident and suffered personal abuse but accepted she should not have continued racing.
She told the BBC: ‘It was a very sudden experience. It wasn’t until about halfway through the race where everything did transpire.
Joanna Wietrzyk apologised for continuing to race after soiling herself at a HYROX event
Wietrzyk posted an image to Instagram from her hospital bed after the race – but her victory has sparked backlash and it took two months for any show of contrition
‘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. Obviously I did put other people at risk.’
She added: ‘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.’
Wietrzyk did not offer contrition after the event, posting on Instagram from her hospital bed: ‘Go hard or go home they say… a win is a win. In all seriousness, thank you all for the support. I’ll be back soon.’
HYROX bosses apologised and pledged to implement immediate rule changes but the athlete herself took longer.
When questioned over why she took more than a month to then say sorry and whether it was an attempt to rehabilitate her image, she said: ‘I needed those days to reflect on it and process it.’
In an Instagram video shared on Thursday, Wietrzyk said: ‘So I’ve had some time to reflect over the past six to eight weeks of everything that happened in Beijing.
‘And, I just want to say that I’m truly, truly so sorry to everyone that I affected, whether they were spectators or participants out on that race floor for my decision to choose to continue to race.’
The Melbourne athlete won the women’s HYROX Pro event in Beijing in 1:01:23, but footage of her continuing through the course prompted questions about why officials had allowed her to remain in the race.
Images showed faecal matter running down her legs as she competed at stations involving communal equipment.
Joanna Wietrzyk apologised for continuing to race after soiling herself at a HYROX event
The incident placed organisers under scrutiny, with fellow competitors raising concerns about hygiene, contamination and the speed of the response.
HYROX said affected lanes were isolated, contaminated equipment was removed and cleaning and carpet replacement took place overnight before competition resumed.
Wietrzyk faced personal abuse, prompting HYROX to warn that people directing abuse or threats of violence towards her would be banned from future events.
Her coach, Chris Bayens, defended her against attacks while acknowledging that decisions made during the event could be reviewed.
‘Decisions were made under competition conditions by an athlete, judges and officials, all responding to a situation none of them could reasonably have prepared for,’ he wrote on Instagram.
‘It is very easy to construct the perfect response once the moment has passed. Hindsight gives people time, information and distance that simply did not exist for those actually living it.’
Australian fitness star Wietrzyk won her event despite suffering bowel incontinence
Bayens urged people to distinguish scrutiny of the incident from attacks on the athlete.
‘Sport occasionally produces moments that are imperfect and deeply human,’ he said. ‘Discussion is legitimate. The hatred and personal attacks that have followed are not.’
HYROX combines eight one-kilometre runs with eight workout stations, including sled pushes, rowing, sandbag lunges and medicine ball throws.
Wietrzyk’s next scheduled appearance is in the opening race of the 2026-27 HYROX Elite Series in Hamburg on Friday, October 30.
