Hyrox Apologises and Changes Rules After Australian Champion Wins While Soiling Herself

Hyrox, the global indoor fitness competition, has apologised and pledged immediate rule changes after Australian world record holder Joanna Wietrzyk won the Beijing Pro Women’s race on September 12 while experiencing bowel incontinence. Wietrzyk completed the 1-hour-1-minute-23-second race and continued using shared equipment despite visible contamination, triggering viral backlash and questions about event safety protocols.

What happened at the Beijing race

On September 12, Wietrzyk experienced sudden bowel incontinence halfway through the Hyrox Beijing Pro Women’s race. Videos posted online showed her continuing to compete through demanding exercises including burpees, rowing, sandbag lunges and wall balls, with visible faecal matter on her legs, shorts and socks. She crossed the finish line first with a time of 1:01:23. Because Hyrox races use shared indoor equipment and surfaces, the contamination posed a sanitation risk to other competitors and volunteers.

Hyrox admits failure and apologises

Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste issued an apology on Instagram on September 14, stating the organisation 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,” Fürste wrote. He confirmed that affected lanes were isolated for deep cleaning overnight, contaminated equipment was removed and venue carpet was replaced before competition resumed on September 13.

New rules and ongoing debate

Hyrox has implemented rulebook changes immediately to prevent similar incidents. Prior rules already penalised athletes for littering, spitting or clearing their nose on the course, but contained no protocol for faecal matter. The organisation said the line between elite-racing procedures and mass-participation rules had become unclear. Meanwhile, some observers noted that bowel incontinence is common in endurance athletics, and some defended Wietrzyk’s determination. Her since-deleted Instagram post read, “Go hard or go home. A win is a win.”

Who is Joanna Wietrzyk

Wietrzyk, 22, is one of the most dominant female athletes in Hyrox. She was the first Australian woman to qualify for the Hyrox Elite 15 pro category. In 2025 she finished second at the Hyrox World Championships. In 2026 she won all four Elite 15 Majors and set a new women’s Solo Pro record of 54 minutes 25 seconds at the Warsaw Major.

Final Thoughts

The incident exposed gaps in Hyrox’s health protocols for elite and mass-participation races. While Wietrzyk’s determination drew some support, the sanitation risk to other athletes and staff made the decision to allow her to continue indefensible. Hyrox’s immediate rule changes signal the organisation is taking the criticism seriously.

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