Sport4 min(s) read
HYROX athlete who soiled herself issues statement explaining why she refused to quit
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Joanna Wietrzyk has broken her silence on the Beijing incident, issuing a personal statement in which she apologises to 'the people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators and the HYROX organizers'.
The Australian athlete, who holds the women's Hyrox world record, suffered bowel incontinence during the elite race on Saturday and continued competing.
She won, but the footage went viral across Chinese social media and has since been reported globally.
Her statement is the first time she has spoken publicly since the incident.
What she said
"I felt completely fit and healthy at the start of the race, with no reason to expect any illness," she wrote.
"Looking back, I regret the decision to not have stepped off the track. I recognize that I should have made a different choice."
She said she takes full responsibility for the decision to continue.
"I know my actions had an impact beyond myself, and I am genuinely sorry to everyone who was affected."
The key line, and the one that will be quoted most widely, is her acknowledgment that the competitive instinct overrode her judgment.
"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."
The withdrawal
Wietrzyk announced she has decided to retroactively withdraw from the Beijing race and forfeit the points she earned from winning it.
This is significant.
In elite Hyrox, points accumulate across the season and determine qualification for the World Championships.
By forfeiting a win, she is voluntarily damaging her own competitive standing.
It also resolves one of the more uncomfortable questions that had been hanging over the story.
The athlete who finished second had spoken publicly about her frustration at losing to someone who should have been stopped by officials. With the withdrawal, that result now changes.
Why officials didn't stop her
Hyrox China confirmed on Monday that the global rulebook contains no provisions for what to do when an athlete suffers incontinence during a race.
Officials on the ground had no authority to intervene, pause the race, or disqualify her.
Hyrox China has since submitted a rule revision proposal to global headquarters covering course management, on-site intervention, event suspension, and result determination in cases involving 'extreme physical distress or public health risks'.
A male competitor has since called out what he described as a 'double standard' after claiming he was disqualified for a toilet-related incident at a previous event while Wietrzyk was allowed to continue and win.
The wider fallout
The story has generated more coverage than any Hyrox event in the sport's history.
Wietrzyk's coach spoke publicly about the incident earlier this week.
A woman who competed alongside her revealed that Hyrox organisers have taken action behind the scenes.
The story of an Olympic athlete who defecated mid-race resurfaced as people debated whether incontinence during extreme competition is more common than anyone admits.
Wietrzyk was admitted to hospital after the race and made what was described as an 'unexpected move' from her hospital bed in the days that followed.
What happens next
Wietrzyk said she is stepping away from competition and public life for the time being.
"I will be taking some time to recover, reflect and look after myself and my family away from the noise."
She thanked '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'.
She said it 'means more to me than I can properly express right now'.
The athlete apologised directly, acknowledged the impact on other people, forfeited the result and named the thing that kept her running when she should have stopped - the competitor in her would not let her quit, even when everything else was telling her to.
Whether that earns sympathy or further criticism will be up to everyone else.