Hyrox Athlete 'Genuinely Sorry' After Soiling Herself During Competition in Beijing

Joanna Wietrzyk, a Hyrox athlete who competed in an indoor fitness event last weekend, has issued an apology for remaining on the track after soiling herself during the competition.

In a statement posted to her Instagram page, Wietrzyk wrote she is "genuinely sorry" to everyone who was affected by the situation and is retroactively withdrawing from the race:

"Personal statement: 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.

"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 is a fitness competition that combines running and functional exercises. Participants will run one kilometer, then do one functional workout and repeat the pattern eight times.

Some of the functional workouts include sled pushes and pulls, burpees, rowing and lunges while carrying sandbags. Athletes typically use shared equipment during competitions.

Wietrzyk took part in a Hyrox event in Beijing on Saturday. Around the midway point, she soiled herself but continued with the competition and went on to win.

Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste issued an apology on Sunday, writing it was a "mistake" not reacting immediately, and new rules and procedures have been put in place to prevent this type of situation from happening in the future.

Hyrox was originally founded in 2017 by Fürste, a three-time Olympic medalist in field hockey, and Christian Toetzke. Its first event was held in Germany in 2018.