An Australian athlete found herself in the middle of a controversy after she continued competing despite soiling herself midway through an event in Beijing, triggering an apology from her and global indoor fitness race organisation Hyrox.
What had happened?
Women's world record holder Joanna Wietrzyk soiled herself during a race in Beijing on Saturday but was allowed to continue and win the race. The incident prompted criticism online, with users questioning why she remained on the track after becoming unwell.
Photos and videos posted online showed the Australian athlete with soiled legs and shoes, continuing to use the mats and equipment at the competition.
Joanna Wietrzyk issues apology
Reacting to the incident and criticism, Wietrzyk issued a statement a personal statement shared on social media, where she offered her “sincere” apology 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. She acknowledged that she should have stopped competing after becoming ill.
{{/usCountry}}The athlete said she felt healthy when she started the competition and had no reason to expect that she would become unwell. She acknowledged that she should have stopped competing after becoming ill.
{{/usCountry}}“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,” 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.
Hyrox apologises
Hyrox, a global indoor fitness race organisation, also apologised to everyone "directly or indirectly" affected by the incident.
"Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race," the former field hockey Olympic champion said in a statement on social media.
"Of course, we started improving event processes, plus making rulebook changes immediately. As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again."
The incident also led to Hyrox changing its rules. They now state that if a "racer's blood, vomit, urine, or faeces poses a welfare or contamination risk to the racer or to other racers, a race director may withdraw the racer from the race on medical grounds,” AFP reported.
Hyrox, launched in Germany in 2018 and now held worldwide, is an indoor fitness race with a mixture of treadmill running and strength exercises, such as lunges and rowing.
Its popularity has exploded in China in recent years.