Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has gone viral as she completed an intense HYROX race while actively defecating on herself and equipment. Following the incident, social media condemned the organizers of HYROX — a global, extreme, indoor fitness competition — for allowing the athlete to finish…AND WIN…the race despite her disgusting and dangerous diarrhea disaster. The owner of HYROX apologized and vowed to change the rules.
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Now, things all began in Beijing, China on Saturday (September 12). World record holder Joanna Wietrzyk was competing in the HYROX competition. She was going through all the demanding exercises and using all the communal equipment when fecal matter began visibly running down her legs.
She suffered sudden severe fecal incontinence (accidental bowel movement) due to the extreme physical stress of the event. However, instead of stopping, she continued to compete, completing all the events. As she did, she had fecal matter all over her body and legs, and equipment she touched. Despite the incident, she ended up winning her division in the Women’s Pro race.
The incident quickly surfaced and went viral on social media. As mentioned, it triggered a debate about HYROX’s health and safety standards, as well as athlete responsibility and accountability. HYROX has become an increasingly popular fitness competition since launching in Germany in 2017. Since then, it has hosted competitions across the world. In 2024, it debuted in mainland China.
HYROX Issues Apology After Allowing Australian Athlete Joanna Wietrzyk To Finish Intense Race In China While Actively Defecating On Herself And Equipment
Now, following Wietrzyk’s recent incident during the latest competition in Beijing, she spoke out. While posting to her Instagram Story, she shared a photo of herself recovering in a bed at a medical center. She captioned the post:
“Go hard or go home they say … a win is a win 🥇👑. In all seriousness, thank you for all the support. I’ll be back soon x.”
On Sunday (September 13), the official instagram account for HYROX worldwide, shared an official statement. They claimed they immediately addressed the affected lanes by closing and isolating them. They said all contaminated equipment was removed and the area was disinfected before the venue received a deep cleaning.
“To our community, As our sport continues to evolve we are encountering new and increasingly complex situations that challenge us and where additional clarity is needed. This happened this weekend in China. We ask our athletes to push themselves to the highest levels. At times, they will go beyond what even we thought was possible. That courage, resilience and refusal to give in are precisely what makes elite athletes so extraordinary. Our role is to give them the right framework and the right boundaries within which they can compete, perform and express themselves at their very best. HYROX has clear biocontaminant and medical procedures in place. In this instance, an unforeseen situation arose in which protocols designed for elite competition and mass participation became blurred, creating ambiguity in how they were applied and understood. We recognise that this can understandably lead to frustration, questions and strong views within our community. Those concerns are legitimate and, as organisers, we must be prepared to hear them, examine what happened and take responsibility for continuing to improve. And we will. But there is an important line. Frustration should never be directed towards the athletes themselves. They are the people who put themselves on the line, compete at the highest level and make competition what it is. There is no place in our community for threats of violence or encouragement to harm an athlete. As this has happened this weekend, we want to be very clear and direct: Any person identified as engaging in this behaviour – whether through comments, direct messages or social media – will be permanently banned from all HYROX events. We are currently reviewing and identifying those responsible, and action will be taken. We are proud of what we have built together: a global movement driven by ambition, passion, grit and an extraordinary community of people who care deeply about this sport. We will continue to listen. We will continue to learn. And, above all, we will continue to put the welfare and dignity of the athletes at the centre of what comes next. We move forward together – with passion, with grit and with mutual respect.”
However, HYROX’s statement didn’t necessarily suffice as an apology and social media continued to condemn the company. So, on Monday (September 14), the co-founder of HYROX, Moritz Fürste, addressed the incident and directly apologized.
“I need to address all of you directly concerning the recent events in China. I apologise to all that were directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt like we did not handle the situation like we should have. HYROX made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race. In the end it is my job to foresee these potential incidents – and I did not. Of course, we started improving event processes, plus making rulebook changes immediately. As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again. We learn and try to get better everyday. – Mo.”
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