Australian Hyrox athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has apologised for her behaviour after accidentally soiling herself during a competition in Beijing in September, as she prepares to return to the sport.
The 24-year-old world record holder told the BBC she had made the wrong decision by continuing to race after suffering food poisoning-induced diarrhoea halfway through the event. She blamed her determination to win and took full accountability, stating it had been her decision to continue racing.
Apology and accountability
Wietrzyk acknowledged that by continuing to race she did not really think about those around her, putting other racers at risk. She said she was truly sorry for everyone that she did affect.
She explained that she only started feeling ill halfway through the race and described feeling fresh in the hours before. In a since-deleted social media post, she initially defended her decision, saying a win is a win and go hard or go home.
Backlash and brand impact
Photos and videos of the accident went viral online, and the athlete received severe backlash. The incident also caused her to lose some of her brand deals.
She has since conceded that she did not really account for what the public would have seen that situation as. Calling the experience traumatic, she admitted that at one point she had considered walking away from the sport.
Return and new rules
Wietrzyk, the current solo world record holder, was scheduled to race again on Friday in Hamburg, Germany. She described feeling nervous about the race, telling the BBC she did not want it to become her identity.
Since the incident, Hyrox has introduced new rules allowing athletes to be removed if their faeces, vomit, or urine pose a risk to the welfare of themselves or other racers. Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste also admitted an error in judgment for not removing Wietrzyk from the race.
After the dramatic online response, Hyrox criticised the sending of threats to the athlete, saying anyone participating in abuse would be banned from events in the future. The organisation also said it fully intended to support Wietrzyk, discussing the sometimes toxic nature of social media.
