Hyrox athlete apologises, regrets not stepping off track after having faecal incontinence - Mothership

She's taking a break to recover and reflect.

Photos from Joanna Wietrzyk's Instagram.

Joanna Wietrzyk, the Australian Hyrox athlete who continued the race in Beijing despite experiencing faecal incontinence, has apologised for what happened.

In an Instagram post, the 24-year-old said she did not expect to fall ill mid-race and regretted not stepping off the track.

She apologised for the discomfort and disruption caused to those affected.

She also announced that she will retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points she earned.

Wietrzyk won the Pro Women division at Hyrox Beijing.

She did not choose to quit the competition and the organisers did not take her off the race either.

Some praised Wietrzyk for her determination, while others felt that she did not think about public hygiene and the impact on participants who would be using the same stained route after her.

It did not help that Wietryzk posted "a win is a win", showing a lack of remorse after the race, and Hyrox defended her in its very first response.

Hyrox's co-founder followed up with an apology to those affected and acknowledged their public hygiene concerns.

Hyrox also reportedly refunded affected participants.

Personal statement: 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.

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 recognize 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.

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.

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.