Footage filmed on Saturday shows Australian Joanna Wietrzyk continuing to perform complex exercises and use shared equipment despite the incident.
Her legs were clearly seen with flowing feces. The footage of the incident quickly spread on social media and sparked discussions about the health and safety standards of “Hyrox” and the responsibility of the athletes themselves.
24-year-old Joanna, a world record holder in the women’s individual “Hyrox” event and at the center of the incident, was invited to participate in the Beijing competition. She posted a selfie in her Instagram story, later deleted, showing her in a hospital bed.
She wrote under the photo: “Either you go all the way, or you go home… Victory is victory. And seriously, thank you all for the support. I will be back soon.”
“Hyrox” is an increasingly popular physical fitness competition discipline, started in Germany in 2017. Currently, competitions are held in various parts of the world. In mainland China, they were held for the first time at the end of 2024, writes “The Guardian”.
In each competition, participants alternately run one kilometer and perform physical fitness exercises at shared high-intensity stations. These include a rowing machine, sled pushing, jump exercises, medicine ball throws, and lunges carrying a sandbag.
Even before this weekend’s incident, official competition rules provided penalties for even minor violations, such as littering on the track, spitting, or nose blowing and content expulsion on the floor. However, there was no specific immediate procedure outlined for dealing with feces incidents.
“Hyrox” co-founder Moritz Fürste apologized in a statement on the social network Instagram to everyone affected by this incident “directly or indirectly”.
“Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the competition. Ultimately, it is my duty to anticipate such possible situations – and this time I did not,” Fürste said.
He added that “Hyrox has immediately changed the rule set”.
“From this moment on, new rules and procedures apply to prevent such situations in the future.”
In statements issued by “Hyrox China” and “Hyrox World,” the organizers confirmed that the affected track lanes were isolated overnight and thoroughly cleaned, contaminated equipment was removed, and the competition venue’s carpet was replaced before the competition resumed the next day.
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“After the incident, the organizing committee immediately closed and isolated the affected zone and part of the track and performed comprehensive disinfection,” said the “Hyrox China” organizers.
“Hyrox World” stated that the organization has clear biological contamination and medical assistance procedures: “Procedures designed for both high-level sport and mass participation became intertwined, making it unclear how they were to be applied and understood.”
Not an unusual phenomenon
Athletes defecating during competitions is not an unusual phenomenon in endurance sports, especially marathons. British athlete Paula Radcliffe won the London Marathon in 2005 despite experiencing so-called “runner’s diarrhea” and having to stop and defecate at the 22-mile mark, all of which was filmed by cameras.
Social media users and other competition participants questioned the organizers’ response and asked why Wietrzyk was allowed to continue and finish the event, although her condition could have posed a risk to the health and safety of other athletes.
Joe Ho, who competed in Beijing, said other athletes – who usually pay an entry fee for the opportunity to participate in “Hyrox” competitions – were disappointed with the organizers.
“For people who faced this situation, it could have had real physical and psychological consequences,” Ho wrote in his Instagram post.
“I paid Hyrox to hold a professionally organized and safe event. Therefore, while I understand the athlete’s perspective, ultimately my agreement and expectations are related to Hyrox.
“If the organization acknowledges that something was done wrong, why not offer affected participants a refund, credit, or some other meaningful compensation?”
After Wietrzyk’s identity was revealed online and insults poured in against her, the organizers warned that anyone sending offensive messages or threats of violence to the athlete will be banned from all future competitions.
