Hyrox athlete Joanna Wietrzyk sorry for racing on after soiling herself in Beijing
The 24-year-old Australian says she takes full responsibility for continuing the Beijing race and that the backlash, which included threats to her family, was traumatic.
At a glance
- Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk says she takes full responsibility for racing on at a Hyrox event in Beijing after soiling herself.
- Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste apologised, and new rules let race directors remove athletes over contamination or welfare risks.
- Wietrzyk says the backlash was traumatic, that her family received threats and that she considered leaving the sport.
Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has admitted she put other competitors at risk by continuing to race after soiling herself during a Hyrox endurance event in Beijing in September, saying she takes full responsibility for that decision.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC ahead of her return to competition, the 24-year-old said her determination to win the race had clouded her judgement. She said she had not really thought about those around her, that with hindsight her decision was wrong and that she was truly sorry for everyone she affected.
Roughly halfway through the event she suffered a bout of diarrhoea, and images of faecal matter on parts of her body were shared widely online. Asked whether officials should have stopped her, she said no one encouraged her to do so at the time.
Hyrox races are held mainly indoors and use shared equipment. Competitors alternate a kilometre of running with exercises including a sled push, burpee jumps, indoor rowing and lunges while carrying a sandbag. The format was founded in Hamburg in 2017 and is now staged around the world.
Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste has apologised, saying it was a mistake not to react immediately during the race. The organisation has introduced rules giving race directors the power to remove athletes whose vomit, urine or faeces pose a contamination risk or threaten the welfare of themselves or others.
Wietrzyk was initially defiant in a now-deleted Instagram post, but apologised in the week after the Beijing event and said she would forfeit the win and withdraw from the race retroactively. She said she regretted posting the phrases "go hard or go home" and "a win is a win", explaining that she had been in "flight or fight mode" while seeking hospital treatment and had not accounted for how the public would see the situation.
Return to racing in Hamburg
Wietrzyk, who holds a world record, said the incident and the backlash that followed had been traumatic, and that she had considered walking away from the sport. She is due to compete in Hamburg on Friday and said she was nervous about returning, and did not want the episode to become her identity. Asked whether her apology might be seen as damage limitation or as too late, she said she had not expected so much exposure and needed those days to reflect on it and process it.
She said her family had also received threats, and Hyrox said anyone sending abuse or threats to the athlete would be banned from future events. While she received support from some people, she said social media can be a very toxic place and described the period as mentally and emotionally taxing. She said she had tried to isolate herself from the world for a time but could not do that forever, and that her mental resilience could let her inspire others through what she had been through.
Source: BBC World.
Questions and answers
- What happened to Joanna Wietrzyk at the Hyrox race in Beijing?
- She suffered diarrhoea about halfway through the September event and kept racing after soiling herself. Images of faecal matter on parts of her body were then shared widely online.
- What rules has Hyrox introduced since the incident?
- New rules give race directors the power to remove athletes if their vomit, urine or faeces pose a risk of contamination or threaten the welfare of themselves or others.
- When is Joanna Wietrzyk racing again?
- She is due to compete in Hamburg on Friday, her first event since Beijing. She said she was nervous about the return and did not want the incident to define her.
