World3 min(s) read
HYROX athlete who finished race despite soiling herself reveals impact of worldwide outrage as she makes big decision
HYROX star Joanna Wietrzyk, who shot to notoriety after soiling herself during a race in Beijong, has finally addressed the aftermath of the viral incident.
Wietrzyk, who claimed the number one spot, produced a number two display at the Pro event after soiling herself as she competed, leading to backlash as she completed the race covered in feces rather than stopping.
The world record holder and HYROX event organizers were hit with a swathe of scathing condemnation from fellow competitors and the wider public after Wietrzyk continued to compete despite having pooped in the middle of the event.
HYROX athlete issues further statement ahead of next event
Having not appeared at a Pro event since the unfortunate turdy incident, Wietrzyk is preparing for her return in the upcoming event in Hamburg, Germany, on October 30, and has issued a further statement in the lead up.
“So I've had some time to reflect over the past six to eight weeks of everything that happened in Beijing,” Wietrzyk claimed.
“And, I just wanna say that I'm truly, truly so sorry to everyone that I affected, whether they were spectators or participants out on that race floor for my decision to choose to continue to race.
“And having that time to reflect, I've really learned a lot from the situation, and, yeah, I am very, very sorry for it all.”
Footage of Wietrzyk went viral in September after she had visible feces trickling down her leg, yet persisted on the course, eventually winning the event.
In her latest video, posted on her Instagram page, the Australian shared her appreciation for the support she had received from fans, stating: “But I also wanna say thank you to each and every person that has reached out for support and have given me this overwhelming amount of support over the past couple weeks.
“It's been a very hard situation to navigate for me and very confronting as well.”
She then confirmed that she was due to be competing again, saying: “I'm here in Hamburg now, so I'm racing a couple days time in the elite 15.
“So I'm back out there on the race floor, and I'm super excited to go back doing what I love and hopefully see you all out there.”
HYROX organizers apologize
With HYROX organizers left to clean up the mess, co-founder Moritz Fürste, also issued an apology to those impacted, and acknowledged that protocol had fallen short of what was required from those involved.
“Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race,” he admitted.
'In the end it is my job to foresee these potential incidents – and I did not.'
Chris Bayens, Wietrzyk’s coach, condemned the personal attacks the athlete received, saying: “Decisions were made under competition conditions by an athlete, judges and officials, all responding to a situation none of them could reasonably have prepared for.
“It is very easy to construct the perfect response once the moment has passed. Hindsight gives people time, information and distance that simply did not exist for those actually living it.
“Sport occasionally produces moments that are imperfect and deeply human.
“Discussion is legitimate. The hatred and personal attacks that have followed are not.”