Australian HYROX athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has apologized for continuing a competition after experiencing incontinence during the event in Beijing on Saturday. Wietrzyk, 24, stated she would forfeit her win and has issued a public apology to fellow competitors, organizers, and spectators.
Wietrzyk released a statement on Thursday, expressing her regret for not withdrawing from the race. "I felt completely fit and healthy at the start of the race, with no reason to expect any illness," she wrote on Instagram. "Looking back, I regret the decision to not have stepped off the track. I recognize that I should have made a different choice."
She added, "I take responsibility for my decision to continue and am deeply sorry for the discomfort and disruption it caused." Wietrzyk reflected on the incident, stating she is "genuinely sorry to everyone who was affected" and that she is "learning from this experience and will carry those lessons with me, including remembering that there is more to life than racing and knowing when it is right to step away."
On reflection, Wietrzyk decided to retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points she earned. She thanked those who have supported her amid the backlash.
"Thank you to those standing by me, both as an athlete and as a person, during this time, and to everyone who has reached out with kindness and support," Wietrzyk wrote. "It means more to me than I can properly express right now. I will be taking some time to recover, reflect and look after myself and my family away from the noise."
The incident prompted Moritz Fürste, a co-founder of HYROX, to issue a statement pledging to implement immediate rule changes for the competition.
