Australian fitness star Joanna Wietrzyk has apologised for continuing to race after soiling herself during a HYROX event in Beijing, admitting the fallout has been 'very hard' and 'very confronting'.
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fallout → apologise → Beijing
The world record holder sparked international debate after completing and winning the September event despite suffering bowel incontinence while using equipment shared with other competitors.
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holder → spark → competitors
Now, ahead of her return to competition in Germany, Wietrzyk has addressed the incident in an Instagram video and expressed regret over her decision to keep going.
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Wietrzyk → address → decision
'So I've had some time to reflect over the past six to eight weeks of everything that happened in Beijing,' she said.
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she → have → Beijing
'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.'
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they → say → decision
Wietrzyk said the time away had allowed her to consider what happened.
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what → say → ?
Joanna Wietrzyk has apologised for continuing to race after soiling herself at a Hyrox event in Beijing
Wietrzyk thanked supporters who had contacted her personally or reached out through her team
'
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who → apologise → team
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.'
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I → have → it
Her sponsor has obviously forgiven her, if her outfit is anything to go by.
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outfit → forgive → her
Wietrzyk delivered her apology wearing a cream puffer jacket over a matching Puma hoodie, with her hair pulled back.
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hair → deliver → hoodie
She paired the outfit with black trousers and held a miniature white Puma handbag, keeping the sportswear brand's logo clearly in view as she addressed the camera in Hamburg.
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she → pair → Hamburg
The Melbourne athlete won the women's Hyrox Pro event in Beijing in 1:01:23, but footage of her continuing through the course prompted questions about why officials had allowed her to remain in the race.
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her → win → race
Images showed faecal matter running down her legs as she competed at stations involving communal equipment.
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she → show → equipment
The incident placed organisers under scrutiny, with fellow competitors raising concerns about hygiene, contamination and the speed of the response.
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competitors → place → response
Wietrzyk also faced personal abuse, prompting Hyrox to warn that people directing abuse or threats of violence towards her would be banned from future events.
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people → face → events
The Australian is preparing to return to competition in Hamburg’s Elite 15 women’s race
In her latest video, the Australian thanked those who had supported her through the aftermath.
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who → prepare → aftermath
'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,' she said.
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she → say → weeks
'It's been a very hard situation to navigate for me and very confronting as well.'
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It → navigate → me
She said messages sent directly to her and through her team had meant more than she could express.
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she → say → more
The apology comes before Wietrzyk's scheduled appearance in the opening race of the 2026-27 Hyrox Elite Series in Hamburg on Friday, October 30.
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apology → come → Friday
The women's field includes defending champion Alyssa McElhany and Lauren Weeks, with competitors chasing points towards qualification for the 2027 world championships.
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competitors → include → championships
'I'm here in Hamburg now, so I'm racing a couple days time in the elite 15,' Wietrzyk said.
'
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Wietrzyk → race → 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.'
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I → go → you
Wietrzyk said she was ‘super excited’ to get back on the race floor and do what she loves
Her latest comments follow a now-deleted Instagram story posted after Beijing, showing her attached to an IV drip.
'Go hard or go home … a win is a win.
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win → say → drip
I'll be back soon x,' that post read.
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post → read → ?
Hyrox subsequently acknowledged that its response during the race had fallen short.
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response → acknowledge → race
Co-founder Moritz Fürste apologised to those affected and accepted responsibility for failing to anticipate the situation.
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Fürste → apologise → situation
'Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race,' he said.
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he → make → race
'In the end it is my job to foresee these potential incidents – and I did not.'
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I → foresee → incidents
Organisers announced immediate rule and procedure changes.
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Organisers → announce → changes
They also said affected lanes were isolated, contaminated equipment was removed and cleaning and carpet replacement took place overnight before competition resumed.
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competition → say → place
Wietrzyk's coach, Chris Bayens, defended her against personal attacks while acknowledging that decisions made during the event could be reviewed.
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decisions → defend → event
'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,' he wrote on Instagram.
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he → make → Instagram
'It is very easy to construct the perfect response once the moment has passed.
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moment → construct → response
Hindsight gives people time, information and distance that simply did not exist for those actually living it.
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that → give → it
Bayens urged people to distinguish scrutiny of the incident from attacks on the athlete.
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Bayens → urge → athlete
'Sport occasionally produces moments that are imperfect and deeply human,' he said.
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he → produce → moments
The hatred and personal attacks that have followed are not.'
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that → follow → ?
Hyrox combines eight one-kilometre runs with eight workout stations, including sled pushes, rowing, sandbag lunges and medicine ball throws.
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Hyrox → combine → pushes
Wietrzyk established her women's solo world record of 54:25 in Warsaw in April.
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Wietrzyk → establish → April
The Aporia
