Australian Hyrox athlete apologises after winning Beijing race despite soiling herself
World record holder Joanna Wietrzyk has publicly apologised for continuing and winning a Hyrox event in Beijing despite an intestinal accident during the race, and says she will give up the points she earned.
Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk, a Hyrox world record holder, posted an apology on Instagram addressing what happened during Saturday's competition in Beijing. Footage showing her performing demanding exercises and using shared equipment while faecal matter ran down her legs spread widely online after it emerged she had gone on to win the race.
In a statement posted on Thursday night, Wietrzyk apologised to the people of China, her fellow competitors, spectators and the Hyrox organisers. She said she had felt completely fit and healthy at the start of the race and had no reason to expect any illness.
Reflecting on the incident, she said she regretted not stepping off the track and acknowledged she should have made a different choice. She took responsibility for her decision to continue and expressed deep regret for the disruption and discomfort it caused others.
Forfeiting the points
Wietrzyk announced she has retroactively withdrawn from the race and forfeited the points she earned. She said she recognised the impact her actions had beyond herself and was genuinely sorry to everyone affected, adding that she is learning from the experience, including the importance of knowing when to step away and remembering there is more to life than racing.
Hyrox, launched in Germany in 2017, has grown into a popular international fitness competition and debuted in mainland China in late 2024. Each race requires competitors to alternate between running a kilometre and completing exercises at shared high-intensity stations, including rowing, sled pushes, burpee jumps, medicine ball throws and sandbag-carrying lunges.
Wietrzyk closed her statement by thanking those who had supported her as both an athlete and a person, and said she plans to take time away to recover, reflect and focus on herself and her family.
