Joanna Wietrzyk has finally addressed the HYROX controversy that exploded after she continued racing despite suffering fecal incontinence during the Beijing event on September 12.
The Australian athlete apologized to her fellow competitors, spectators and organizers and admitted she should have stepped off the course.
Her statement came as the backlash intensified. A renowned sports brand had also reportedly removed Wietrzyk’s name from her branded clothing range.
“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 said.
Joanna Wietrzyk addressed the controversy after soiling herself during HYROX race
On September 17, Wietrzyk apologized to the people of China, her fellow competitors, spectators, and HYROX organizers in an Instagram post.
She explained that she had felt completely healthy when the competition started and had no reason to expect that she would become ill.
“Looking back, I regret the decision not to have stepped off the track.”
She then took responsibility for her decision instead of defending it.
Wietrzyk also acknowledged that her decision affected people beyond herself.
“I know my actions had an impact beyond myself, and I am genuinely sorry to everyone who was affected.”
She said she had learned from the experience and wanted to remember that life was more than racing, and that athletes also needed to know when it was time to walk away.
Elsewhere in her statement, Wietrzyk said she would be “withdrawing from the race and forfeiting the points she earned.”
She ended by thanking people who had supported her and saying she would take time to recover, reflect, and focus on herself and her family away from the online noise.
That apology was a sharp change from her earlier response, when she posted a picture from what appeared to be a hospital bed with the caption, “A win is a win.” She later deleted that post.
The backlash became so severe that the sports brand removed her name from its clothing range
According to the Daily Mail, PUMA had removed the “Joanna Wietrzyk x PUMA” clothing range from its global website.
The collection had previously been promoted as part of Wietrzyk’s partnership with the sportswear company. The athlete had previously described the collaboration as a “dream come true.”
“I’ve raced in PUMA shoes since the beginning. To have them support me in my journey now is truly incredible. If I told my younger self, she’d be gobsmacked.”
The range included performance clothing such as sports bras, shorts, and tank tops. PUMA had also featured Wietrzyk in promotional material for its PWRMODE training collection.
Sources said references to Wietrzyk were removed from the company’s website, although the collection could still be found separately without her name.
It was not clear when the removal happened, and neither PUMA nor Wietrzyk had publicly explained the move at the time of the report.
The development came after social media users began making jokes about the sponsorship, including references to “P*o-ma pants.”
Wietrzyk’s HYROX incident also put the event’s officials under heavy pressure
HYROX combines running with exercises such as burpees, lunges, sled work, and wall balls. Competitors move through shared workout stations throughout the race.
During the event, Wietrzyk suffered sudden fecal incontinence but continued competing.
Images and videos later circulated online showing her completing the course despite visible fecal matter on her legs. She went on to finish first in the women’s Pro race.
That decision became the center of the controversy.
Others were angry because she continued using equipment and racing areas that other competitors also had to use.
One commenter called the decision “disgusting” and “selfish,” while another said she had shown an impressive willingness to push through discomfort.
The controversy became so severe that HYROX co-founder Moritz Fürste apologized and accepted responsibility for the way the situation was handled, as reported by Bored Panda.
“HYROX made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race.”
He added, “In the end it is my job to foresee these potential incidents — and I did not.”
HYROX said it began changing its event procedures and rulebook after the incident. The updated rules now allow a Race Director to withdraw an athlete if blood, vomit, urine or feces creates a welfare or contamination risk to the athlete or other competitors.
Before the change, HYROX rules already covered things such as spitting, littering and creating slip hazards, but did not specifically address fecal contamination.
HYROX also warned people not to turn their anger into threats against Wietrzyk, saying anyone making threats of violence could be permanently banned from its events.
Wietrzyk’s coach, Chris Bayens, also spoke out as the criticism grew
Bayens argued that people were judging the athlete with information they had only gained after the race.
He described the situation as an “extraordinary set of circumstances” that developed quickly and was difficult for the athlete, judges, and officials to process in real time.
“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.”
He continued, “Those decisions can be reviewed, and lessons can be taken from them. But judging someone’s intent, character or morality through the clarity of hindsight is neither fair nor honest.”
He ended with a message about the level of criticism directed at Wietrzyk.
“Discussion is legitimate. The hatred and personal attacks that have followed are not.”
“Maybe she can get a Huggies sponsorship,” wrote one netizen
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