Now the champion’s coach has also expressed his opinion about this so-called “shitty” situation.
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Social media users and other athletes complained that other participants had to face not only dangerously slippery surfaces but also a potential hazard when feces were smeared on shared equipment.
Although the athlete deleted the Instagram post in which she said: “Give it your all or go home… a win is a win,” she received a wave of hatred, insults, and even death threats.
Her coach Chris Bayens has now publicly defended the athlete and spoke out against online bullying and the flood of criticism on the Instagram platform.
Ch. Bayens described the situation as “extraordinary circumstances that were unforeseen, rapidly changing, and almost impossible to fully comprehend in real time.”
Based on the organizers’ decision to allow the world record holder to continue the competition, the coach said that looking back, everything seems simpler, but at the time the organizers faced a difficult choice.
“It’s very easy to formulate the perfect response when the moment has passed. Those decisions can be reviewed and learned from,” he wrote.
He strongly rebuked the hatred directed at J. Wietrzyk, calling it “disgusting.”
“Judging a person’s intentions, character, or morals through the lens of hindsight is neither fair nor honorable,” he said. “Discussion is legitimate. The hatred and personal attacks that followed are not.”
He added that the mental health of athletes is shaped by the community around them and urged that community to “take a serious look at itself.”
“No one is perfect – not in sports, not on social media, not in real life,” the coach said. “What happened was incredible. The hatred that followed is disgusting.”
J. Wietrzyk has undoubtedly found herself at the center of a storm of criticism.
“Seriously. Disqualify her and rewrite the competition results. A normal person would stop, not mock others. Sorry you’re stressed, dear, but everyone experiences it,” one user wrote on the social network X.
“It should have just been a withdrawal. Very selfish, because other runners literally had to run and slide on her mess,” another commented.
“It not only endangered them but also affected the overall results. I would find it hard to do a crunch looking at a woman who is leaking everywhere…” someone else echoed on the Reddit platform.
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Chinese officials said that workers urgently cordoned off the affected areas, disinfected the environment by the end of the day, removed contaminated equipment, and agreed to replace the carpet after the event, reported the South China Morning Post.
However, the cleaning apparently did not keep up with the mess – participants and spectators reported that feces remained on the equipment and throughout the running track, causing several athletes to fall.
After the uproar, only a few days later did Hyrox finally respond to the situation, issuing a statement about the “increasingly complex situations” arising in their competitions.
“We ask our athletes to push beyond their limits. Sometimes they do more than we thought possible,” they wrote in a later deleted Instagram post.
“It is precisely that courage, resilience, and refusal to give up that make elite athletes so extraordinary. HYROX has clear bio-contamination and medical procedures. In this case, an unforeseen situation arose where protocols designed for competition and mass participation intertwined, creating ambiguity regarding their application and understanding,” the brand said.
“We understand that this may cause reasonable dissatisfaction, questions, and strong opinions within our community. These concerns are legitimate, and as organizers, we must listen to them, investigate what happened, and take responsibility for continuous improvement. And we will do so.”
However, this statement received even more criticism – some speculated that the organizers favored one athlete at the expense of others.
J. Wietrzyk is certainly not the first athlete to soil herself during a competition. Many runners experience the so-called “runner’s trots” because blood flow is redirected from the digestive tract to working muscles, causing intestinal irritation.
Additionally, the situation can be worsened by consuming concentrated sugar, fats, fiber, or certain carbohydrates before the start. It is likely that this happened to J. Wietrzyk, who is believed to have enjoyed street food before the competition day in Beijing.
After this scandal, Hyrox updated the rules: now competition directors have the right to remove an athlete if blood, vomit, urine, or feces pose a danger to themselves or other participants.
Any athlete removed under such circumstances will be recorded as not finishing the distance.
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