[UPDATE] Hyrox Athlete Apologizes For Racing With Diarrhea, Forfeits Beijing Competition She Won: I Know My Actions Had An Impact Beyond Myself, & I Am Genuinely Sorry To Everyone Who Was Affected’

[UPDATE] Hyrox Athlete Apologizes For Racing With Diarrhea, Forfeits Beijing Competition She Won: I Know My Actions Had An Impact Beyond Myself, & I Am Genuinely Sorry To Everyone Who Was Affected’

Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has apologized and forfeited her win at the #Hyrox fitness competition in Beijing after a widely circulated incident in which she continued racing while suffering from diarrhea, soiling herself in the process.

In a statement posted to Instagram Thursday morning, Wietrzyk apologized to the people of #China, her fellow competitors, spectators and Hyrox organizers for what happened during the race, saying “I recognize that I should have made a different choice.” Wietrzyk explained that she had felt completely healthy heading into the race and had no warning signs that she would fall ill. The incident sparked global backlash after images and video showed her competing and using shared fitness equipment while visibly soiled.

In the aftermath, Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste announced Monday that the organization had updated its rulebook to address the situation going forward. While the rules already penalized bodily fluids like spit or nasal mucus on the course, there had been no specific provision for fecal contamination until this incident prompted the change.