HYROX co-founder apologises after Australian continues Beijing race despite soiling herself

A founder of HYROX has apologised after an athlete who suffered sudden faecal incontinence mid-competition was allowed to continue, with the incident sparking rule changes after backlash online.

Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk experienced the medical episode during the competition that she went on to win in Beijing at the weekend.

The incident went viral on Chinese social media, with videos of her competing while visibly soiled shared widely.

HYROX sees competitors combine running with multiple workout station challenges, including sandbag lunges, burpees, sled pushes and rowing using shared equipment.

Following the incident, many online criticised HYROX’s health and safety standards, while some also questioned athlete responsibility.

“Blast HYROX. Blast the race director,” Chris Hersh posted on a HYROX community Facebook page.

“But please leave the athlete alone or have a tiny bit of empathy for someone that really just was in a horrible situation and got zero assistance from anyone in a high pressure, make a decision on the fly scenario.”

HYROX co-founder Moritz Fürste took to Instagram to apologise “to all who were directly or indirectly involved”.

“HYROX made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race,” Fürste said in a statement on Instagram.

“In the end it is my job to foresee these potential incidents — and I did not.”

He said that new event procedures and rules were being drawn up to “prevent situations like this from happening again”.

The rules now state that 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”.

Before the rule change, competitors were penalised for littering, spitting, or clearing their nostrils onto the race course, which some online described as a double standard.

Following the event in Beijing, HYROX World issued a statement saying that “protocols designed for elite competition and mass participation became blurred, creating ambiguity in how they were applied and understood”.

HYROX China said the competition area was cleaned after the competition finished and relevant equipment was removed.

It also said it would replace the floor at the venue to protect future athletes.

Wietrzyk, an elite HYROX athlete, was invited to compete at the Beijing event.

She has been contacted for comment.

The ABC has also contacted HYROX for comment.

HYROX is held in indoor venues, with a consistent race format that lets athletes compete against each other worldwide.

Organisers say it suits both elite athletes and people trying to improve their general fitness.