Hyrox's Joanna Wietrzyk admits she 'put other people at risk' as she prepares for Hamburg comeback

Highlights

• Australian Hyrox athlete Joanna Wietrzyk, 24, has told the BBC she "put other people at risk" by finishing the Beijing race after soiling herself, but that the online backlash was "traumatic"
• She says she had a bacterial infection from food poisoning, and felt "really, really good" before the race
• Hyrox has since changed its rulebook so that race directors can remove athletes if blood, vomit, urine or faeces pose a welfare or contamination risk
• She returns to racing in Hamburg on Friday, in the opening round of the 2026-27 Elite Series

Joanna Wietrzyk has admitted she made the wrong decision by carrying on racing in Beijing after soiling herself, in her first interview since the incident, but said the scale of the online abuse she received was something she never expected.

The world-record holder spoke exclusively to the BBC ahead of her return to competition in Hamburg. As Eastern Eye reported when the row first broke, her win in Beijing was later forfeited.

What did Joanna Wietrzyk tell the BBC?

"It was my decision to continue racing so I take full responsibility for that," she said. Challenged on why she kept going, she said: "I didn't really think about those around me." In hindsight, she added, it was "the wrong decision" and she was "truly sorry for everyone that I did affect". "Obviously I did put other people at risk," she said.

She said she had a bacterial infection from food poisoning, but went into the race "feeling fresh, feeling really, really good". Roughly halfway through, she said, "everything did transpire". At that moment, she explained, "as a very competitive person" her only focus was racing. No one encouraged her to stop, she said.

What happened at Hyrox Beijing?

On Saturday 12 September, Wietrzyk won the women's solo Elite 15 race at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, in 1:01:23, after suffering a bout of diarrhoea part-way round. Images of her continuing to race were shared widely online, prompting criticism of why officials had let her carry on. Hyrox races are held mainly indoors on shared equipment.

Hyrox China later acknowledged that its rulebook contained no provision to penalise an athlete in those circumstances, according to Newsweek, citing the South China Morning Post. Officials had relied on experience from previous races, it said, and called it a sign of "deficiencies in the establishment of competition rules".

Has Hyrox changed its rules?

Yes. On Monday 14 September, Hyrox updated its online rulebook to say a race director may withdraw an athlete if their "blood, vomit, urine, or faeces pose a welfare or contamination risk" to themselves or other racers. Hyrox World said contamination procedures already existed but acknowledged confusion over how they were applied in Beijing.

Co-founder Moritz Fürste also apologised, saying "Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race". Hyrox China has reportedly refunded some competitors their entry fees. A Beijing athlete who works in public health told Sixth Tone her main worry was that an infection could spread quickly on shared equipment.

How did Wietrzyk's response change?

It changed a lot. Her first reaction was a defiant Instagram post, now deleted, saying "Go hard or go home" and "a win is a win". She told the BBC she regrets it, saying she was in "flight or fight mode" while seeking hospital treatment. On 17 September, she apologised to the people of China, her fellow competitors, spectators and organisers, and said she would retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points.

"I needed those days to reflect on it and process it," she told the BBC, when asked whether the apology was too late. On the mindset of elite athletes, she said they are "so hyper-vigilant on winning". "There is more to life… than just racing and just winning," she said.

Why does she call the backlash traumatic?

She described a "mentally and emotionally taxing period", and said her family had received threats. Hyrox said it would permanently ban anyone identified as sending abuse or threats to her. She said she had tried to "isolate herself from the world", but "can't do that forever", and that it had been "very eye-opening" to see what social media does to a 24-year-old who was "just out there racing".

"Yes, I did make the wrong decision but I don't believe I should have received such backlash," she said. "At the end of the day I'm only human."

Not everyone sees it only through her eyes. One competitor, Joe Ho, wrote under Hyrox's statement that the paying participants who raced after her also deserved to be heard. Newsweek also reports that the sportswear brand Puma appears to have removed its "Joanna Wietrzyk x PUMA" collection from its online store.

When does Joanna Wietrzyk return to racing?

On Friday 30 October, in Hamburg, where Hyrox was founded in 2017. The race opens the 2026-27 Hyrox Elite Series and is her first since Beijing. She said she was "nervous". "I don't want it to become my identity," she said. Before the race, she also posted a video message saying she was "truly, truly so sorry" to everyone affected.

What is Hyrox, and why does it matter in Britain?

Hyrox combines eight 1km runs with eight workout stations, including a sled push, burpee jumps, rowing and sandbag lunges. The first race in Hamburg in 2017 had about 650 participants. More than 175,000 took part in the 2023-24 season, and its co-founder has set a target of more than a million entries for 2025-26. It is hugely popular in Britain, where tickets for races sell out quickly, and has Olympic ambitions, announcing a partnership with World Triathlon, according to the BBC.

How the story has unfolded