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HYROX athlete Joanna Wietrzyk apologises after race incident: ‘I should have stepped off the track’
Joanna Wietrzyk addressed the controversy after defecating during a HYROX race in Beijing.
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Australian HYROX athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has apologised after defecating during a race in Beijing, but continued competing and went on to win. The incident prompted criticism online, with users questioning why she remained on the track after becoming unwell. Wietrzyk has since said she regrets not stepping away and has decided to forfeit the points she earned.
Joanna Wietrzyk apologises after HYROX race
Wietrzyk addressed the controversy in a personal statement shared on social media, apologising to those affected by what happened during the race.
“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,” she wrote.
The athlete said she felt healthy when she started the competition and had no reason to expect that she would become unwell.
“I felt completely fit and healthy at the start of the race, with no reason to expect any illness,” Wietrzyk said.
However, she acknowledged that she should have stopped competing after becoming ill.
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“Looking back, I regret the decision to not have stepped off the track. I recognise that I should have made a different choice,” she wrote.
Wietrzyk also accepted responsibility for continuing the race and apologised for the impact her decision had on others.
“I take responsibility for my decision to continue and am deeply sorry for the discomfort and disruption it caused,” she said.
The athlete said she had reflected on the incident and decided to withdraw from the race retrospectively. She also announced that she would forfeit the points she earned.
“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,” Wietrzyk wrote.
She ended her statement by thanking people who had supported her and said she would take some time away from the public attention.
“I will be taking some time to recover, reflect and look after myself and my family away from the noise. Love Jo,” she wrote.
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Internet reacts to Joanna Wietrzyk's apology
Wietrzyk's statement received mixed reactions online. Some users defended the athlete, while others felt she should have stopped competing earlier.
One commenter said that as an elite athlete, Wietrzyk had done what she was trained to do by continuing to race, adding that her decision to reflect on the incident was admirable.
Another person said the apology was “a little too little too late”, but added that it was better than nothing. They suggested that Wietrzyk acknowledging that the points were unfair to other athletes would have been a better approach.
Several users, however, offered messages of support.
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“Sending you so much love and strength, Jo,” one person wrote, adding that Wietrzyk was “much more than one race”.
Another commenter said, “We can all make mistakes; that doesn’t make us bad people,” while urging her not to give up on her dreams.
Others encouraged the athlete to move forward, with one writing, “Go Champ! Just move on and nail the next race like what you always did.”
HYROX has also acknowledged that it should have responded differently during the incident and introduced new rules and procedures following the controversy.
