Some in the HYROX community and the general public have reacted with disgust and outrage after an Australian athlete, Joanna Wietrzyk, soiled herself mid-race during the HYROX Beijing event on September 12, but carried on with excrement running down her legs and ended up winning the championship.

The referee didn’t stop the event but just advised other athletes to detour around the bodily fluids that had contaminated the track. Some athletes reportedly slipped on it, pulling out of the race.

Race organisers confirmed they isolated and disinfected the affected area, disposing of equipment and waste in line with regulations. But this seems to have been done a little too late. After the event, they replaced the carpet and ran a full deep-clean of the venue.

It is believed Wietrzyk suffered sudden faecal incontinence mid-race due to intense physical stress.

Afterwards, Wietrzyk posted: A win is a win. She later deleted the Instagram story.

On Monday 14 September, HYROX released an official statement backing Wietrzyk, saying frustration should never be directed towards the athletes themselves.

“We ask our athletes to push themselves to the highest levels. At times, they will go beyond what even we thought was possible. That courage, resilience and refusal to give in are precisely what makes elite athletes so extraordinary. Our role is to give them the right framework and the right boundaries within which they can compete, perform and express themselves at their very best. HYROX has clear biocontamination and medical procedures in place. In this instance, an unforeseen situation arose in which protocols designed for elite competition and mass participation became blurred, creating ambiguity in how they were applied and understood.”

HYROX threatened other athletes that they would be banned from all future events if they were found to be engaging in threats of violence or encouragement to harm any athlete.

“As this has happened this weekend, we want to be very clear and direct: Any person identified as engaging in this behaviour – whether through comments, direct messages or social media – will be permanently banned from all HYROX events. We are currently reviewing and identifying those responsible, and action will be taken.”

According to officially documented rules, competitors could incur a 2-minute penalty for creating “slip hazards” – hence fluids provided at aid stations were designated for drinking only, and not to be used for pouring water over the head or body.

Spitting or clearing of nostrils onto the floor is also strictly prohibited. Each infringement will result in a 2-minute time penalty.

Social media users were quick to point out that penalties can be incurred for the above, and yet, Wietrzyk was not penalised.

Wait… so during HYROX you can’t spit, clear your nose, litter or pour water over your head or body when competing or you get penalised/disqualified but they let an athlete continue and finish after soiling herself? I—

— Sibongile Mafu (@sboshmafu) September 14, 2026

This should result in a hard stop for the competitor because the public health risk is more important than the medal. Hyrox has way too many shared touch points and surfaces to let this continue. https://t.co/IKqfBvcQpy

— Lynette Ntuli (@MsNtuli) September 13, 2026

Hyrox is shitrox now.

Who wants to spend money to compete when you risk having literal shitty competitor.

Also why are only white ppl shitting their pants while exercising?

That is not normal. I never hear any NS men shitting their pants during BMT. https://t.co/nwmI6Se5wh

— Gracie Hartie OnlyF (@graciehartie) September 13, 2026

Later, HYROX co-founder Moritz Furste apologised to all athletes who were directly or indirectly affected by the incident, as well as to those who felt like the event did not handle the situation as they should have.

“HYROX made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race. In the end it is my job to foresee these potential incidents – and I did not.”

He says they have started improving event processes, plus making rulebook changes immediately.

“As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again.”

New rules stipulate that if a racer’s blood, vomit, urine, or faeces poses a welfare or contamination risk to the racer or to other racers, a Race Director may withdraw the racer from the race on medical grounds, in line with HYROX’s medical and hygiene SOPs. Any such withdrawal will be recorded on the leaderboard as Did Not Finish [DNF].

Wietrzyk’s coach has meanwhile called on the public and the HYROX community to stop “the hatred and personal attacks”.

“Decisions were made under competition conditions by an athlete, judges and officials, all responding to a situation none of them could reasonably have prepared for,” he wrote in an Instagram post.

“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. 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. Sport occasionally produces moments that are imperfect and deeply human. Discussion is legitimate. The hatred and personal attacks that have followed are not.”