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HYROX athlete was 'penalized over incident at the exact same track' as woman who soiled herself during race
A HYROX athlete has claimed that she was "penalized" over an incident at the exact same track where a woman soiled herself during a race.
The allegation has added another layer to the controversy surrounding the event on Saturday (September 12), after Joanna Wietrzyk continued competing despite suffering severe diarrhea during the women's Pro race.
The Australian athlete went on to win in 1:01:23, finishing ahead of current HYROX World Champion Alyssa McElheny.
Under HYROX regulations, athletes are banned from using water for active cooling because it can be a slip hazard for other competitors.
Littering, spitting, or blowing one's nose onto the floor can also result in a two-minute penalty.
However, a report has alleged that one competitor received a two-minute penalty after "splashing" water on herself during the Beijing race.
Her claim, which has not been verified, has raised questions about why she was allegedly penalized while Wietrzyk was allowed to continue racing.
Competitors claim they encountered contaminated course
Questions have also emerged over what happened to the affected race area after the horrific incident.
One participant who competed the following day told the South China Morning Post: "Think about how disgusting it is, especially when we use the exact same track."
Several competitors have also shared their own accounts online, although their claims have not been confirmed.
One athlete alleged that he had been only two people behind Wietrzyk and noticed contamination in his lane before many other competitors.
"Yes, I got poop on me," he captioned his post, per a report. "I worked too hard. I was not gonna give up," he added in the accompanying video.
He claimed the incident had "ruined it for all of us" and alleged that two female competitors were disqualified after gagging.
Another post described what allegedly happened to a mixed-doubles team that entered the course roughly an hour after Wietrzyk's race.
They claimed that the team had not been informed about the earlier contamination and later found out they had been allocated the same lane Wietrzyk had used.
The post alleged the lane had been "spot-cleaned" before it was reopened and alleged the competitors were not offered the opportunity to use another lane.
A separate account claimed the smell was still noticeable among some of the final athletes to finish the event.
HYROX says affected areas were sanitized
HYROX issued a statement, saying that the affected equipment was removed, race lanes were sanitized, and sections of carpet were replaced.
Further deep cleaning was also reportedly scheduled before competition resumed the following day.
Footage and images circulating online had already prompted questions about the cleanup.
One social media user shared an image appearing to show affected equipment and wrote: "Completely unfair for any participants behind her! DQ!"
Another alleged: "Apparently the officials would not give a response."
A separate post appeared to show people cleaning the course and raised concerns about volunteers dealing with the aftermath.
"Are you going to DQ her? Are you and Joanna going to apologize to the volunteers who had to clean up her s**t? Or is her s**t golden because she is part of Elite 15 and therefore untouchable?" the user wrote.
"These volunteers were not even paid, yet they had to put themselves at risk and clean up human waste without proper protection while she continued competing. What about their welfare and safety?"
Athlete says incident could have consequences
Joe Ho, who competed at the Beijing event, said those exposed to the incident could face "genuine physical and psychological consequences," per The Guardian.
"I paid HYROX to provide a professionally organized and safe event," Ho said, while adding: "So while I understand the athlete perspective, ultimately my contract and expectation is with HYROX."
The organization has acknowledged the criticism directed at organizers after the event.
"We recognize that this can understandably lead to frustration, questions, and strong views within our community," they said. "Those concerns are legitimate and, as organizers, we must be prepared to hear them, examine what happened, and take responsibility for continuing to improve. And we will."
HYROX co-founder Moritz Fürste has also apologized for the response and said that officials should have acted sooner.
The organization has since updated its rules to allow a Race Director to withdraw an athlete on medical grounds when blood, vomit, urine, or feces pose a welfare or contamination risk to either that athlete or other competitors.
Wietrzyk has not spoken up about the controversy; however, she did appear to briefly reference the situation in an Instagram Story posted from a hospital bed before deleting it.
"Go hard or go home they say ... a win is a win," she wrote.
She added: "In all seriousness, thank you for all the support. I’ll be back soon x."
McElheny, who finished behind Wietrzyk in Beijing, has also since posted about the event but has not addressed the incident.
"Beijing - you were INCREDIBLE. I’ve never experienced such a passionate, kind, loving crowd. Thank you so much for your cheers and hospitality. I’ll be back!" she wrote.
Several people took to the comment section to call McElheny the "real winner".