HYROX athlete Joanna Wietrzyk, who won a race after suffering bowel incontinence mid-event, has admitted she was wrong to continue competing and put fellow participants at risk.
The 24-year-old Australian endurance competitor became the focus of global attention after food poisoning caused her to lose control of her bowels during last month’s HYROX event in Beijing. She continued using equipment shared with other athletes.
Video from the race showed the HYROX world-record holder running, completing burpees and carrying heavy bags while excrement ran down her leg.
Although organisers apologised soon after the incident, Wietrzyk initially did not express regret. On Thursday, however, she apologised and acknowledged that she should have stopped racing.
Wietrzyk said the aftermath had been ‘traumatic’, with personal abuse directed at her, but accepted that her decision created a risk for others.
She told the BBC: ‘It was a very sudden experience. It wasn’t until about halfway through the race that everything happened.
Joanna Wietrzyk apologised for continuing to race after suffering bowel incontinence during a HYROX event
Wietrzyk shared an image from her hospital bed after the race, but her victory prompted backlash and it took two months for her to apologise
‘In that moment, as a highly competitive person and an elite athlete, my only focus was on finishing the race. Obviously, I put other people at risk.’
She added: ‘I did make the wrong decision, but I don’t believe I should have faced that level of backlash and online scrutiny. At the end of the day, I’m only human.’
Wietrzyk did not apologise immediately after the event. Instead, she posted from her hospital bed on Instagram: ‘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 officials apologised and promised immediate changes to the rules, while Wietrzyk took longer to address the incident herself.
Asked why she had waited more than a month to apologise and whether the statement was intended to repair her public image, she said: ‘I needed that time to reflect and process everything.’
In an Instagram video posted on Thursday, Wietrzyk said: ‘I’ve had six to eight weeks to reflect on everything that happened in Beijing.
‘I want to say that I am truly, truly sorry to everyone I affected, whether they were spectators or participants on the race floor, because I chose to continue competing.’
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The Melbourne athlete won the women’s HYROX Pro event in Beijing in 1:01:23. However, footage of her continuing around the course led to questions about why officials had allowed her to remain in the competition.
Images appeared to show faecal matter running down her legs as she took part in stations using communal equipment.
Joanna Wietrzyk apologised for continuing to race after suffering bowel incontinence during a HYROX event
The incident led to intense scrutiny of the organisers, while fellow competitors questioned the hygiene risks, possible contamination and the speed of the response.
HYROX said the affected lanes were isolated, contaminated equipment was removed, and cleaning work and carpet replacement were completed overnight before competition resumed.
Wietrzyk also became the target of personal abuse. HYROX warned that anyone directing abuse or threats of violence at her would be banned from future events.
Her coach, Chris Bayens, defended her against the attacks while accepting that the decisions made during the event could be examined.
‘The decisions were made in competition conditions by an athlete, judges and officials, all responding to a situation none of them could reasonably have been prepared for,’ he wrote on Instagram.
‘It is easy to design the perfect response once the moment has passed. Hindsight provides time, information and distance that simply were not available to the people experiencing it.’
Australian fitness athlete Wietrzyk won her event despite suffering bowel incontinence
Wietrzyk said she was ‘super excited’ to return to the race floor and do what she loves
Bayens said people should separate legitimate questions about the incident from personal attacks on the athlete.
‘Sport sometimes produces moments that are imperfect and deeply human,’ he said. ‘Discussion is legitimate. The hatred and personal attacks that followed are not.’
HYROX consists of eight one-kilometre runs alongside eight workout stations, including sled pushes, rowing, sandbag lunges and medicine-ball throws.
Wietrzyk is next scheduled to compete in the opening race of the 2026-27 HYROX Elite Series in Hamburg on Friday, October 30.
