A Hyrox competitor who soiled herself during a competition in Beijing has apologised for continuing the race, and confirmed that she has retrospectively forfeited her win and the points from the event.
Joanna Wietrzyk took part in Saturday's Hryox Elite 15 event with faeces visible on her leg, as photos and videos of the event from the Chinese capital were widely circulated on social media.
The incident led Hyrox to give race directors the power to withdraw an athlete if blood, vomit, urine or faeces creates a welfare or contamination risk to them or other competitors. Any athlete removed in those circumstances will be recorded as not finishing the race.
Australian athlete Wietrzyk went on to win the women's pro race on Saturday in a time of 1 hour, 1 minute and 23 seconds.
In a statement posted on Instagram, she issued an apology for continuing and that she would withdraw the points earned.
"I want to offer my sincere apology to the people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators and the HYROX organizers for what happened during the race in Beijing," she wrote.
"I felt completely fit and healthy at the start of the race, with no reason to expect any illness. Looking back, I regret the decision to not have stepped off the track.
"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.
"I know my actions had an impact beyond myself, and I am genuinely sorry to everyone who was affected.
"I am learning from this experience and will carry those lessons with me, including remembering that there is more to life than racing and knowing when it is right to step away. On reflection, I have decided to retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points I earned."
Hyrox China said areas affected during Saturday's competition were isolated and disinfected, while contaminated communal equipment and carpets were removed and replaced for racing the next day
Hyrox is a rapidly growing fitness-racing format, founded in Germany in 2017 and has surged in popularity since the pandemic.
It sees competitors alternate between workout stations, including skiing and rowing machines, and eight legs of 1km runs.
