WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES
Australian Hyrox athlete Joanna Wietrzy has released a statement to the public after she was allowed to continue, and ultimately win, a race in China after defecating during the event.
The world No.1-ranked women’s singles athlete was competing in the Women’s Pro division in Beijing at the weekend when she soiled herself during the race.
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Despite the embarrassing incident, Wietrzy was permitted to continue and went on to claim victory.
Viral footage showed the 22-year-old competing with faecal matter smeared across her arms and legs, sparking outrage and questions over why organisers would allow the athlete to race in such a state.
On Thursday, a week after the event, she posted a four paragraph statement on Instagram, apologising for the incident.
“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,” the statement began. “I felt completely fit and healthy at the start of the race, with no reason to expect any illness. Looking back, I regret the decision to not have stepped off the track. I recognise that I should have made a different choice. I take responsibility for my decision to continue and am deeply sorry for the discomfort and disruption it caused.”
She explained that she had made the decision to retroactively withdraw from the race.
“I know my actions had an impact beyond myself, and I am genuinely sorry to everyone who was affected. 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. On reflection, I have decided to retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points I earned,” she wrote.“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. 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.”
The controversy intensified after HYROX organisers issued a statement condemning online threats against athletes and warning offenders would be permanently banned from events.
The Aussie athlete was pictured competing with faecal matter smeared across her arms and legs. Credit: Getty, Joanna Wietrzyk HYROX co-founder Mo Furste later apologised, admitting the organisation had made a mistake by not intervening immediately during the race. He said new rules and procedures had since been introduced to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
Launched in Germany in 2017, HYROX exploded into a massive global fitness craze that sees thousands of gym fanatics compete in a closed, indoor circuit race that tests their strength and endurance.
Unlike marathons or obstacle course races, every HYROX course layout and workout is identical worldwide, allowing athletes to compare their exact finish times against a global leaderboard.