HYROX admits mistake, changes rules after Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk was allowed to finish despite bowel incontinence

Global indoor fitness competition HYROX has issued an apology after Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk was allowed to continue competing in a Beijing race despite suffering a bowel-control incident during the event and visibly soiling herself. Joanna Wietrzyk, a HYROX world-record holder, continued through the demanding indoor fitness race on September 12 and eventually won the women's Pro event. Videos and photos from the HYROX quickly went viral showing her continuing through demanding exercises and using communal equipment, with faecal matter visibly running down her legs. The incident raised questions about hygiene, athlete safety and why officials did not stop the race immediately. The controversy has now prompted HYROX to change its rules and procedures.

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HYROX admits it made a mistake

HYROX co-founder Moritz Fürste apologised to people affected by the incident and accepted responsibility for the organisation's handling of the situation. “Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race. In the end it is my job to foresee these potential incidents – and I did not,” Fürste said. He also confirmed that the organisation had made immediate changes to its rulebook. “As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again.” HYROX World said its existing medical and bio-contaminant procedures became unclear because protocols for elite competition and mass participation were not properly distinguished in this situation.

HYROX China said the affected area and track were isolated and thoroughly disinfected after the incident. “After the incident, the organising committee immediately closed off and isolated the affected area and track, and completed comprehensive disinfection,” organisers said.

HYROX China said that the affected equipment was removed, waste was disposed of under local standards and venue flooring was replaced as part of the cleanup.

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What happened to Joanna Wietrzyk during the HYROX race?

Joanna Wietrzyk was competing at the HYROX event in Beijing when she suffered sudden faecal incontinence during the race. Footage circulating online appeared to show her continuing through several stations, including exercises that required athletes to use shared mats and equipment. She eventually completed the race and won her division with a reported time of 1:01:23. The incident quickly became a hot topic of discussion on Chinese social media and within the HYROX community, with much of the discussion focused on the potential contamination of shared equipment and the response from event officials.

Joe Ho, a male competitor in Beijing, said that fellow athletes — who generally pay a fee to take part in Hyrox races — had been failed. “For people who were exposed to that situation, there could be genuine physical and psychological consequences,” Ho wrote in an Instagram post.

“I paid Hyrox to provide a professionally organised and safe event. So while I understand the athlete perspective, ultimately my contract and expectation is with Hyrox. “If the organisation accepts that something went wrong, why not offer affected participants refunds, credits, or some meaningful form of compensation?”

Wietrzyk later shared a selfie from what appeared to be a hospital bed in an Instagram Story, although the post was subsequently deleted. The message read: “Go hard or go home … a win is a win. In all seriousness, thank you for all the support. I’ll be back soon x.”

While the organisation acknowledged that competitors had legitimate concerns about what happened, HYROX also urged people not to target Wietrzyk personally. The organisation said anyone sending threats of violence or encouraging harm against an athlete would be permanently banned from HYROX events.

It is not uncommon for athletes to soil themselves while competing in high endurance sports, particularly marathons. British athlete Paula Radcliffe won the 2005 London marathon after suffering from “runner’s diarrhoea” and having to stop at the 22-mile mark to relieve herself, in full view of cameras.