Hyrox champion admits mistake after race‑day accident in Beijing
Australian record‑holder Joanna Wietrzyk says she continued competing despite a bout of diarrhoea that left her soiled on the course.
Australian Hyrox athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has publicly accepted blame for continuing a race after a sudden bout of diarrhoea left her soiled on the course in Beijing last month.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, the 24‑year‑old said, “It was my decision to continue racing so I take full responsibility for that.” She added that she “didn’t really think about those around me” and called her choice “the wrong decision,” expressing remorse for anyone she affected.
Wietrzyk described the episode and the ensuing online backlash as “traumatic” and revealed she had contemplated quitting a sport in which she holds a world record.
Hyrox events combine a kilometre of running with fitness stations such as sled pushes, burpee jumps, indoor rowing and sand‑bag lunges. Since its 2017 launch in Hamburg, the format has spread worldwide.
According to Wietrzyk, a bacterial infection from food poisoning triggered the diarrhoea roughly halfway through the Beijing race, and images of faecal matter on her body were widely shared online. When asked whether officials should have stopped her, she said no one encouraged her to do so at the time.
Hyrox co‑founder Moritz Fürste issued an apology, acknowledging that the organisation made a mistake not to react immediately during the race. New regulations now give race directors authority to remove athletes if vomit, urine or faeces pose a contamination risk or threaten welfare, especially in indoor venues with shared equipment.
After initially posting a defiant message on Instagram—later deleted—Wietrzyk apologised in the week following the Beijing event, announced she would forfeit the win and retroactively withdraw from the race.
She is slated to compete in Hamburg on Friday, admitting she feels “nervous” about her return and hoping the high‑profile incident will not become her identity.
“I don’t want it to become my identity,” she said, concluding that she aims to move beyond the episode as she prepares for her next competition.
