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By Tom Sanders
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A Hyrox athlete who continued to race at an event in China despite suffering bowel incontinence has revealed why she refused to quit competing following widespread criticism.
Joanna Wietrzyk, 24, lost control of her bowels during a Hyrox event in Beijing last month after suffering a bacterial infection caused by food poisoning. Images of her competing were shared widely online, sparking concern for both her and other competitors' health.
Speaking to the BBC ahead of her return to the competition today, the Australian said that she briefly considered walking away from the sport following the incident. She added she hopes the episode will not end up defining her.
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"I don’t want it to become my identity," Wietrzyk told the interviewer.
She said she had gone into the race "feeling fresh, feeling really, really good," and had received no indication she was unwell until around halfway through the event.
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"It was a very sudden experience," Wietrzyk said. "It wasn’t until about halfway through the race where everything did transpire, and I feel really, really bad."
Explaining her decision not to drop out of the race, which she went on to win, Wietrzyk said she had an "elite athlete" mentality and was laser-focused on finishing the event.
"In that moment, right then and there, as a very competitive person…my only focus is on racing. And I started that race with the intention of finishing the race and winning. And when everything did happen during the race, that was still my intention.
"I didn’t really think about those around me, which looking back at the decision that I made in hindsight was the wrong decision."
Despite bullishly declaring that "a win is a win" in a since-deleted Instagram post made after the event, Wietrzyk said her opinion on the matter had changed following weeks of reflection. She added that she had been in "fight or flight" mode at the time of writing.
Wietrzyk later posted a follow-up video forfeiting her victory and prize points, telling the BBC she now sees there "is more to life than just racing and winning."
In a video posted on Instagram this week, the athlete says she is "super excited" to begin racing again, and return to "doing what I love." Wietrzyk is due to compete in Hamburg later today.
Newsweek has reached out to Hyrox and Wietrzyk for further comment and awaits their responses.
Hyrox Rule Changes
After the incident in September, Hyrox reportedly refunded some competitors’ entry fees and introduced a rule change. This gives race organizers the power to disqualify an athlete if blood, vomit, urine or feces are seen to be affecting the integrity of the event.
Organizers acknowledged gaps in the rule book as evidence of "deficiencies in the establishment of competition rules" and apologized for their poor handling of the incident.
"Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race," co-founder Moritz Fürste said in a statement.
"In the end, it is my job to foresee these potential incidents—and I did not.
"Of course, we started improving event processes, plus making rule book changes immediately. As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again."
Hyrox also said that anyone caught sending threats or abuse to Wietrzyk would be banned from attending future events after her identity was shared online.
Incident Reveals Toxicity of Social Media
Reflecting on the torrent of abuse she received, Wietrzyk told the BBC the incident had been a "mentally and emotionally taxing period" that showed social media to be a "toxic place." She also revealed her family received threats.
"Yes, I did make the wrong decision, but I don’t believe I should have received such backlash and such scrutiny online. At the end of the day, I’m only human," Wietrzyk said.
Formed in Germany in 2017, Hyrox is a blend of fitness and racing that sees athletes combine eight 1-km (0.62-mile) runs with eight fitness exercises; these include sled pushes, indoor rowing, and sandbag lunges.
Wietrzyk is the current world-record holder for the solo women’s event.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and James Debens
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