HYROX Beijing Athlete Joanna Wietrzyk Apologises And Gives Up Her Win After Controversial Race

Australian HYROX athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has apologised six days after the controversial Beijing race where she continued competing despite suffering sudden bowel incontinence. The 22-year-old admitted she should have left the track and has now retroactively withdrawn from the event, forfeiting the points she earned. She will also take time away to recover and reflect. 

Six Days Later, Joanna Wietrzyk Says She Should Have Stopped

Six days after her HYROX Beijing race became one of the biggest talking points in the fitness community, Joanna Wietrzyk has addressed the controversy herself. The Australian athlete suffered sudden bowel incontinence during the 12 September event but continued racing, eventually finishing first in the women’s Pro 16–24 category. Videos from the competition quickly circulated online and triggered criticism, particularly over hygiene concerns involving other competitors and shared race areas. In her new statement, Wietrzyk explained that she had felt completely fit and healthy when the race began and had no reason to expect that she would suddenly become ill. Looking back, however, she acknowledged that continuing was the wrong decision. She apologised to the people of China, her fellow competitors, spectators and HYROX organisers, while accepting responsibility for the discomfort and disruption caused by her decision.  

She Has Now Withdrawn And Given Up Her Points

Wietrzyk’s apology also came with a significant decision: she is no longer keeping the result from Beijing. The athlete announced that she would retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points earned from the event. In HYROX competition, those points contribute towards athlete rankings, making the decision more than just a symbolic apology.   The move marks a clear change from the immediate aftermath of the race, when Wietrzyk reportedly shared a since-deleted hospital selfie accompanied by the message “a win is a win”.   Her latest statement instead acknowledges that her actions affected people beyond herself and that she should have made a different choice once the incident happened.

“There Is More To Life Than Racing”

Beyond giving up the Beijing result, Wietrzyk said the incident had forced her to reconsider how far an athlete should push simply to finish a competition. She described the experience as something she is learning from, particularly when it comes to recognising when it is right to walk away. The controversy had already prompted HYROX itself to acknowledge mistakes in how officials handled the situation, with co-founder Moritz Fürste admitting the organisation should have reacted immediately. New procedures have since been introduced to address similar situations in future events.   For Wietrzyk, however, the immediate focus will no longer be competition. She said she plans to step away from the noise for a while, recover, reflect and spend time with her family — ending her statement with perhaps the biggest lesson she took from Beijing: sometimes knowing when to stop matters more than finishing the race. 

Key Facts

Who: Australian HYROX athlete Joanna Wietrzyk.

What happened: Wietrzyk suffered sudden bowel incontinence during HYROX Beijing on 12 September but chose to continue racing.

What was the result: She crossed the finish line first in the women’s Pro 16–24 category with a time of 1:01:23.

What has changed: Wietrzyk has now retroactively withdrawn from the Beijing race and forfeited the points she earned.

What did she admit: She said she regretted not stepping off the track and accepted responsibility for her decision to continue.

What happens next: Wietrzyk said she will take some time away to recover, reflect and spend time with her family.

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Primary source: Joanna Wietrzyk’s personal statement on Instagram.

Source report: The Vocket, published 18 September 2026.

Additional verification: ABC News Australia independently reported Wietrzyk’s apology and retroactive withdrawal from the Beijing race.

Athlete: Joanna Wietrzyk, Australia.

Competition: HYROX Beijing.

Date of race: 12 September 2026.

Original result: First in the women’s Pro 16–24 category, finishing in 1:01:23.

Current status: Wietrzyk has retroactively withdrawn from the race and forfeited the points she earned.

HYROX response: The organisation previously apologised for failing to intervene immediately and has since updated its procedures.

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Watch Video : 

HYROX Beijing turned controversial after Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk suffered a bowel-related accident but continued competing all the way to the finish. She eventually won her category, while videos of the incident raised concerns about hygiene because athletes were sharing equipment and competition areas.

By – Tarziman — 04:49PM
An independent writer who enjoys finding interesting angles in everyday stories. He believes even the simplest moments can be worth sharing when they’re told in a clear, relaxed and easy-to-understand way.