‘I take responsibility’: Joanna Wietrzyk breaks silence after HYROX Beijing incident as Australian athlete apologizes over race decision | International Sports News
Australian HYROX athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has apologized after continuing to compete and winning her division at a Beijing race despite suffering an involuntary bowel movement during the event. The 24-year-old athlete later said she regretted not leaving the track and has now decided to withdraw from the race retroactively and give up the points she earned. HYROX has also changed its rules following the incident and criticism of how it was handled.
Joanna Wietrzyk withdraws from HYROX Beijing race after apology
Wietrzyk competed in the women’s 16-to-24 Pro division at HYROX Beijing on September 12. She finished with a time of 1:01:23, which put her at the top of her division. However, what happened during the race quickly became the main focus after footage from the event spread online.Wietrzyk said she felt healthy before the race and had no warning that something was wrong. During the competition, she experienced an involuntary bowel movement but continued running and completing the workout stations. She later admitted that she should have stopped instead.“I want to offer my sincere apology to the people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators and the HYROX organizers for what happened during the race in Beijing,” Wietrzyk said in a statement.She also accepted responsibility for continuing after the incident. “Looking back, I regret the decision to not have stepped off the track,” she said.The decision also meant giving up the result she had earned. Wietrzyk said she had chosen to “retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points I earned.” She added that she plans to take some time away from the noise surrounding the incident and focus on recovering and spending time with her family.
HYROX changes rules after Joanna Wietrzyk Beijing controversy
The incident also put attention on how HYROX officials handled the race. HYROX co-founder Moritz Fürste apologized after the event and said organizers should have stepped in immediately instead of allowing Wietrzyk to continue.HYROX has since added clearer rules for situations involving bodily fluids during competition. The updated rules allow a race director to remove an athlete if blood, vomit, urine or feces creates a welfare or contamination risk for the athlete or other competitors. The change means officials now have a clear way to stop a race when a similar situation happens.HYROX is an indoor fitness competition that combines running with demanding exercises at workout stations. Athletes move through eight sections, making hygiene and shared equipment an important part of the event.For Wietrzyk, the incident has now changed the result of a race she initially won. Her decision to give up the points came after she publicly acknowledged that continuing was the wrong choice. She also thanked people who supported her and said the experience had reminded her that there is more to life than racing.
