Australian HYROX athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has apologised for continuing to compete after suffering sudden bowel incontinence during a race in Beijing, acknowledging that she should have stepped off the course.
Wietrzyk, who initially won the women’s Pro event, has also retroactively withdrawn from the competition and forfeited the points she earned, following days of intense criticism over her decision to continue racing while visibly soiled.
The incident occurred during the HYROX Beijing competition on September 12, 2026. Videos of Wietrzyk continuing through the course quickly spread online, prompting questions about athlete welfare, hygiene and the responsibility of race officials overseeing a competition where athletes use shared equipment.
Wietrzyk addressed the controversy in an Instagram statement on September 17, five days after the race.
“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.
The athlete explained that she had felt healthy before the competition and had not expected the medical episode.
“I felt completely fit and healthy at the start of the race, with no reason to expect any illness,” she said.
However, she acknowledged that continuing after the incident was a decision she now regrets.
“Looking back, I regret the decision to not have stepped off the track. I recognize that I should have made a different choice,” Wietrzyk said. “I take responsibility for my decision to continue and am deeply sorry for the discomfort and disruption it caused.”
She also recognised that the consequences extended beyond her own race.
“I know my actions had an impact beyond myself, and I am genuinely sorry to everyone who was affected,” she added.
Wietrzyk finished the race in 1:01:23, taking first place in her category despite the incident. After the footage spread online, however, the result became the subject of intense debate.
“On reflection, I have decided to retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points I earned,” she said.
She also said the experience had changed her perspective on competition.
“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,” Wietrzyk said.
She ended her statement by thanking people who had supported her during the backlash and said she would take time away from the spotlight to recover and reflect.
The incident quickly became a major talking point online after videos showed Wietrzyk continuing through HYROX’s demanding stations despite the accident.
HYROX combines one-kilometre runs with functional fitness stations, including rowing, sled pushes, burpee broad jumps and weighted lunges. Athletes move through shared competition areas and equipment, making hygiene a central concern in the reaction to the incident.
Criticism focused particularly on why Wietrzyk was allowed to continue and why officials did not remove her from the course.
The controversy also intensified after Wietrzyk posted a photograph from what appeared to be a hospital bed following the incident with a now-deleted post carried the caption, “Go hard or go home … a win is a win.”
The backlash was not limited to anonymous social-media users. Some members of the HYROX community also questioned the event’s handling of the situation.
Chris Hersh, writing on a HYROX community Facebook page, criticised the organisers while urging people not to target Wietrzyk personally.
“Blast HYROX. Blast the race director,” Hersh wrote.
“But please leave the athlete alone or have a tiny bit of empathy for someone that really just was in a horrible situation and got zero assistance from anyone in a high pressure, make a decision on the fly scenario.”
HYROX later accepted responsibility for its handling of the incident.
Co-founder Moritz Fürste apologised to people affected by the situation and acknowledged that organisers should have intervened.
“HYROX made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race,” Fürste said.
“In the end it is my job to foresee these potential incidents — and I did not.”
He said the organisation had begun revising its event procedures and rulebook to prevent similar situations.
HYROX subsequently introduced a rule allowing a race director to withdraw a competitor on medical grounds if the athlete’s blood, vomit, urine or faeces poses a welfare or contamination risk to the athlete or other competitors.
HYROX China also took steps to address competitors who raced after the incident.
The organisation offered full entry-fee refunds to athletes affected by the incident, including competitors who started before 2:40pm but had not finished by that time and athletes in heats running between 2:40pm and 8:40pm. More than 1,000 subsequent participants were reported to have encountered the course and equipment after Wietrzyk’s race.
HYROX China also said the competition area was cleaned after the event and relevant equipment was removed. The venue floor was also scheduled for replacement.
The organisation further moved to protect Wietrzyk from personal abuse, stressing that criticism of the incident should not become harassment of the athlete.
With both the athlete and organiser acknowledging shortcomings, Wietrzyk has now stepped back from the Beijing result and said she plans to spend time away from the public attention.
“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,” she said.
“It means more to me than I can properly express right now. I will be taking some time to recover, reflect and look after myself and my family away from the noise.”
