'I am genuinely sorry': HYROX athlete forfeits win after soiling herself mid-race
The HYROX athlete who sparked public outrage for finishing a race despite soiling herself has apologized and forfeited her victory.
In a statement shared late Thursday, Sept. 17, Joanna Wietrzyk offered her "sincere apology to the people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators, and the HYROX organizers for what happened during the race in Beijing."
The Australian athlete said she felt "completely fit and healthy" ahead of the race, "with no reason to expect any illness."
"Looking back, I regret the decision to not have stepped off the track. I recognize that I should have made a different choice. I take responsibility for my decision to continue and am deeply sorry for the discomfort and disruption it caused," she continued. "I know my actions had an impact beyond myself, and I am genuinely sorry to everyone who was affected."
Wietrzyk added that she's learning from what happened 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."
"On reflection, I have decided to retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points I earned," she said.
Wietrzyk expressed her gratitude to those who have extended their kindness and support to her amid the issue. "Thank you to 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 wrote. "It means more to me than I can properly express right now. I will be taking some time to recover, reflect, and look after myself and my family away from the noise."
Mid-race mishap
Wietrzyk experienced incontinence and was seen with feces running down her legs and even getting on her arms during a race event in Beijing on Sept. 12. Despite the mishap, Wietrzyk kept going, leaving bits of fecal matter on the equipment she handled. No race official stepped in, however, and Wietrzyk went on to win the race with a time of 1:01:23, per ESPN.
"Go hard or go home... A win's a win," the Australian athlete later posted on social media, since deleted, with a photo of her hooked up to an IV drip.
Social media followers of the race raised concerns about hygiene, pointing out that other participants had to use the mats, equipment handles, and running tracks contaminated by the waste.
Soon after the incident, Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste issued an apology, saying HYROX "made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race."
HYROX also added a new entry to its rulebook following the public uproar it caused.
"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, in line with Hyrox's medical and hygiene SOPs," read the new rule that falls under "Penalties" in the rulebook for the Singles competition.
Per HYROX, withdrawals under such conditions will be recorded on the leaderboard as "Did Not Finish."
