9 hours ago
Watch: 'I made the wrong decision,' Hyrox athlete Joanna Wietrzyk tells BBC
An Australian athlete has admitted putting others at risk by continuing to race after soiling herself during an endurance sports event.
Speaking exclusively to the BBC ahead of her return to the sport, Joanna Wietrzyk suggested her determination to win the Hyrox race in Beijing in September had clouded her judgement: "It was my decision to continue racing so I take full responsibility for that."
Challenged over why she carried on, she said: "I didn't really think about those around me… the decision that I made in hindsight was the wrong decision and I'm truly sorry for everyone that I did affect."
The 24-year-old said that the experience and subsequent backlash was "traumatic". She also said she had considered walking away from the sport, in which she holds a world record.
#hyrox #athlete #race
An Australian athlete has admitted putting others at risk by continuing to race after soiling herself during an endurance sports event.
Speaking exclusively to the BBC ahead of her return to the sport, Joanna Wietrzyk suggested her determination to win the Hyrox race in Beijing in September had clouded her judgement: "It was my decision to continue racing so I take full responsibility for that."
Challenged over why she carried on, she said: "I didn't really think about those around me… the decision that I made in hindsight was the wrong decision and I'm truly sorry for everyone that I did affect."
The 24-year-old said that the experience and subsequent backlash was "traumatic". She also said she had considered walking away from the sport, in which she holds a world record.
#hyrox #athlete #race
16 hours ago
An Australian athlete has admitted putting others at risk by continuing to race after soiling herself during an endurance sports event.
Speaking exclusively to the BBC ahead of her return to the sport, Joanna Wietrzyk suggested her determination to win the Hyrox race in Beijing in September had clouded her judgement: "It was my decision to continue racing so I take full responsibility for that."
Challenged over why she carried on, she said: "I didn't really think about those around me… the decision that I made in hindsight was the wrong decision and I'm truly sorry for everyone that I did affect."
Joanna Wietrzyk suggested her determination to win clouded her judgement [BBC]
The 24-year-old said that the experience and subsequent backlash was "traumatic". She also said she had considered walking away from the sport, in which she holds a world record.
#sport
Speaking exclusively to the BBC ahead of her return to the sport, Joanna Wietrzyk suggested her determination to win the Hyrox race in Beijing in September had clouded her judgement: "It was my decision to continue racing so I take full responsibility for that."
Challenged over why she carried on, she said: "I didn't really think about those around me… the decision that I made in hindsight was the wrong decision and I'm truly sorry for everyone that I did affect."
Joanna Wietrzyk suggested her determination to win clouded her judgement [BBC]
The 24-year-old said that the experience and subsequent backlash was "traumatic". She also said she had considered walking away from the sport, in which she holds a world record.
#sport
2 months ago
Hyrox, the popular indoor fitness competition, is adjusting its policies and procedures after a world champion was allowed to continue at a competition in China last weekend despite suffering fecal incontinence.
Joanna Wietrzyk was competing in the age 16-24 elite event in Beijing on Saturday when she suddenly became ill. But despite fecal matter running down her legs, Wietrzyk was allowed to keep competing. The Australian continued on and ended up winning the race in a time of 1:01.23.
But in the days since, Hyrox has received heavy criticism for allowing Wietrzyk to continue competing despite the potential health risks. The company said that, despite having "clear biocontaminant and medical procedures in place," the situation "blurred" protocols and created "ambiguity in how they were applied and understood."
"I apologize to all that were directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt like we did not handle the situation like we should have," Hyrox co-founder Moritz Furste said in a statement. "Hyrox 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.
"Of course, we started improving event processes, plus making rulebook changes immediately. As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again."
#allowed
Joanna Wietrzyk was competing in the age 16-24 elite event in Beijing on Saturday when she suddenly became ill. But despite fecal matter running down her legs, Wietrzyk was allowed to keep competing. The Australian continued on and ended up winning the race in a time of 1:01.23.
But in the days since, Hyrox has received heavy criticism for allowing Wietrzyk to continue competing despite the potential health risks. The company said that, despite having "clear biocontaminant and medical procedures in place," the situation "blurred" protocols and created "ambiguity in how they were applied and understood."
"I apologize to all that were directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt like we did not handle the situation like we should have," Hyrox co-founder Moritz Furste said in a statement. "Hyrox 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.
"Of course, we started improving event processes, plus making rulebook changes immediately. As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again."
#allowed
2 months ago
Hyrox, the global endurance fitness race, is revising its protocols after a top athlete soiled herself and was allowed to continue during a competition in Beijing on Sept. 12.
Photos from the indoor competition show Australian Joanna Wietrzyk, the 22-year-old Hyrox world champion, with fecal matter running down her legs during the age 16-24 elite race. Wietzryk won the race with a time of 1:01:23, besting second-place finisher Alyssa McElheny of the United States by 45 seconds.
The incident sparked online outrage over potential health risks, prompting Hyrox co-founder Moritz Furste to release a statement on Monday, Sept. 14 admitting that race organizers failed by not removing Wietryzk from the competition.
"HYROX made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race," Furste wrote in an Instagram post. "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 rulebook changes immediately. As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again."
USA TODAY Sports reached out to Hyrox, Wietrzyk and her coach for comment on Monday morning and did not immediately hear back.
#immediately
Photos from the indoor competition show Australian Joanna Wietrzyk, the 22-year-old Hyrox world champion, with fecal matter running down her legs during the age 16-24 elite race. Wietzryk won the race with a time of 1:01:23, besting second-place finisher Alyssa McElheny of the United States by 45 seconds.
The incident sparked online outrage over potential health risks, prompting Hyrox co-founder Moritz Furste to release a statement on Monday, Sept. 14 admitting that race organizers failed by not removing Wietryzk from the competition.
"HYROX made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race," Furste wrote in an Instagram post. "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 rulebook changes immediately. As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again."
USA TODAY Sports reached out to Hyrox, Wietrzyk and her coach for comment on Monday morning and did not immediately hear back.
#immediately
