Hyrox apologises for allowing race to continue after athlete soils herself
After publishing: 1 headline quietly rewritten, 1 description edited2 changes
- The Guardian Worldseen 18 Sept, 05:00description edited
what the description said, before and after
Joanna Wietrzyk ‘regrets’ decision to keep racing She forfeits points from her win in the Beijing race Get our new political email , free app or daily news podcast The Australian athlete who caused a storm by winning a Hyrox event in China despite soiling herself during the race has apologised to the “people of China” and rival athletes in a statement online. Posting on Instagram, Joanna Wietrzyk said she offered a “sincere apology” to the “people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators...Joanna Wietrzyk ‘regrets’ decision to keep racing She forfeits points from her win in the Beijing race The Australian athlete who caused a storm by winning a Hyrox event in China despite soiling herself during the race has apologised to the “people of China” and rival athletes in a statement online. Posting on Instagram, Joanna Wietrzyk offered a “sincere apology” to the “people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators and the Hyrox organizers for what happened during the race in...
- newsweek.comseen 22 Oct, 14:12headline rewritten
Joanna Wietrzyk Forfeits Hyrox Victory After BacklashHyrox athlete breaks silence with apology following fecal incident
After the peak, new reports halved every 30 hours.
What it is about
Who published it, and when
+ 1 more outlet · 10 reports left out of the cascade - too little in common with the story to place
How it spread - 31 original reports, 3 reprints
Mon, 14 September 2026
3 reports- BBC News World05:18
Some raised concerns around hygiene while others praised the competitor's resolve to finish the race and push through adversity.
- ABC News (Australia)07:59
Video of an Australian woman who completed and won an endurance event in China after soiling herself has sparked debate about sport hygiene standards.
- El Mundo (Spain)17:15first to report
Joanna Wietrzyk, actual campeona del mundo en su categoría, sufrió una incontinencia estomacal repentina el sábado mientras competía, pero finalizó la carrera y logró el primer lugar. Leer
Tue, 15 September 2026
14 reports- Le Figaro (France)00:41
Des photos et vidéo publiées sur les réseaux sociaux chinois ont montré l’Australienne Joanna Wietrzyk avec les jambes et les chaussures souillées, continuant l’épreuve jusqu’au bout.
- ABC News (Australia)01:29
The apology comes after different arms of the organisation tried to explain how the situation was managed after the competition went viral online.
- kfoxtv.com02:10
Organizers of a high-endurance fitness race, the Hyrox, said they will review their procedures after the world champion of the event soiled herself on Saturday.
3 reprints
- kval.com15 Sept, 02:10their copy
- local21news.com15 Sept, 02:10their copy
- bakersfieldnow.com15 Sept, 02:10their copy
- Channel News Asia04:28
- El Mundo (Spain)06:03Hyrox cambia las reglas después de que una atleta se hiciera sus necesidades durante una competición
"Hyrox cometió un error al no reaccionar inmediatamente durante la carrera", afirmó en un comunicado Moritz Fuerste, cofundador alemán de esta popular competición híbrida de fitness Leer
- Index.hr (Croatia)08:16
HYROX se ispričao i mijenja pravila nakon što je sportašica pobijedila u Pekingu unatoč tome što se uneredila tijekom utrke, što je pokrenulo raspravu o higijenskim standardima.
- Libération (France)08:16
Les réseaux sociaux montrent l’Australienne Joanna Wietrzyk jambes et chaussures souillées sur l’épreuve qui combine course à pied sur tapis et épreuves de musculation et de cardio. Sa victoire samedi 12 septembre a suscité une polémique sur le risque sanitaire.
- newsweek.com10:01
Chris Bayens defended the athlete and the decision-makers during the race after Joanna Wietrzyk's incontinence incident.
- theglobeandmail.com10:42
Women’s world record holder Joanna Wietrzyk continued and won the race in Beijing
- dailymail.com10:55
Invented in Germany nine years ago, Hyrox is one of the world's fastest growing high-intensity sports - but some say the fitness racing events encourage a 'win at any cost' mentality.
- Il Fatto Quotidiano (Italy)13:08
Si sente male durante la gara di Hyrox per un attacco di diarrea, non trattiene le scariche durante la prova, sporca tutto e vince. È la surreale cronaca di una competizione di alto livello andata in scena a Pechino tra atleti top dell’Hyrox, la disciplina che propone un mix tra corsa – 8 km in […] L'articolo Ha un attacco di diarrea durante l’Hyrox, non si ferma, sporca tutto e vince: polemica su Joanna Wietrzyk. L’organizzatore: “Cambieremo le regole” proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano .
- Der Spiegel (Germany)13:56
Bei einem Fitnessrennen in China kämpft die Australierin Joanna Wietrzyk mit ihrem Körper – macht aber weiter. Konkurrenten schlagen Alarm. Wie kann man Sportlerinnen vor sich und anderen schützen?
- France Info (France)15:10
Les organisateurs d'une épreuve chinoise ont présenté leurs excuses, lundi, à la suite de l'incident et se sont engagés à ce "que de telles situations ne se reproduisent" plus.
- El Mundo (Spain)20:40
De Lineker a Radcliffe, pasando por Diniz y la polémica de esta semana en Pekín, una sucesión de deportistas demuestra que el intestino tiene sus propias reglas Leer
Wed, 16 September 2026
1 report- Channel News Asia06:26
Fans jokingly told Wu that they hoped he hadn't used any of the soiled stations.
Thu, 17 September 2026
7 reports- newsweek.com12:45edited after publishing
previously
Joanna Wietrzyk Forfeits Hyrox Victory After Backlash - tportal (Croatia)13:47
Australska sportska zvijezda Joanna Wietrzyk pobijedila je na HYROX natjecanju u Pekingu nakon što je usred utrke doživjela jednu od najneugodnijih situacija koje sportaš može zamisliti.
- BBC News World15:05
Joanna Wietrzyk has also forfeited her win in the fitness competition after competing last week.
- ABC News (Australia)15:32
The athlete who had a bout of faecal incontinence during a HYROX competition has issued a public apology and retroactively withdrawn from the race, handing back points earned in the event.
- Der Spiegel (Germany)16:44
Bei einem Fitnesswettkampf in China kämpfte Joanna Wietrzyk mit ihrem Körper. Fotos zeigen die Athletin, wie ihr Fäkalien am Bein herablaufen, trotzdem gewann sie. Nun kündigt die Extremsportlerin Konsequenzen an.
- Index.hr (Croatia)17:44
SVJETSKA prvakinja u Hyroxu, Joanna Wietrzyk, ispričala se i retroaktivno povukla iz utrke u Pekingu.
- The Guardian World18:30edited after publishing
Joanna Wietrzyk ‘regrets’ decision to keep racing She forfeits points from her win in the Beijing race The Australian athlete who caused a storm by winning a Hyrox event in China despite soiling herself during the race has apologised to the “people of China” and rival athletes in a statement online. Posting on Instagram, Joanna Wietrzyk offered a “sincere apology” to the “people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators and the Hyrox organizers for what happened during the race in...
Fri, 18 September 2026
5 reports- Channel News Asia02:56
Joanna Wietrzyk said she decided to "retroactively withdraw from the race" and forfeit the points she earned.
- indiatimes.com03:13
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Joanna Wietrzyk (@joannawietrzyk)
- El Mundo (Spain)05:49
Pese a estar manchada con sus propios excrementeos, siguió utilizando las colchonetas y el equipo que también usaron las demás atletas, loque ha generado un gran debate por los posibles riesgos para la salud que podía generar a las demás competidoras Leer
- Il Fatto Quotidiano (Italy)14:02
Il caso Joanna Wietrzyk, per Eugenio Bianchi, non può essere ridotto soltanto alla scelta dell’atleta australiana di continuare la gara di HYROX a Pechino nonostante la grave emergenza intestinale. Wietrzyk si è poi scusata, rinunciando a vittoria e punti. Ma l’atleta Elite italiano, intervistato da Fanpage.it, allarga il discorso alla pressione della prestazione, ai limiti […] L'articolo “Non puoi non renderti conto che stai praticamente seminando roba in giro per tutta la gara”: Bianchi su...
- Channel News Asia22:00
A fast-growing global franchise needs rules designed not just to protect the integrity of competition, but also the overall experience of entrants, says Juliana Liu for Bloomberg Opinion.
Sun, 27 September 2026
1 report- Libération (France)05:00
Le cas de l’Australienne Joanna Wietrzyk, qui a suscité une polémique après avoir poursuivi samedi 12 septembre sa compétition d’Hyrox malgré sa diarrhée, n’est pas une première dans le milieu sportif professionnel mais aussi amateur.