Puma Removes Sponsored Athlete's Collection After Onslaught of 'Poo-ma' Jokes

Global sports brand Puma has removed a sponsored clothing range featuring Australian HYROX athlete Joanna Wietrzyk from its online store amid a wave of online mockery following an incident where she soiled herself during a competition. The "Joanna Wietrzyk x PUMA" collection has been purged from Puma's global online shopfront, with social media users trolling collaborative posts with comments such as "Poo-ma pants."

Initially, Wietrzyk-branded shoes and apparel were still visible on Puma's German website, but these were later removed. While metadata for her collection may still appear in Google searches, clicking the links leads to an error page stating that products were not found. The range is reportedly still available on the website but no longer associated with Wietrzyk's name.

The 24-year-old athlete competed in Beijing for the HYROX event, where she continued racing despite faeces flowing down her legs. Her decision to finish the competition, which she won, sparked criticism of the event organizers for allowing her to continue. HYROX co-founder Moritz Fürste has since pledged to implement rule changes.

Wietrzyk, who is a HYROX ambassador for Puma Training, had previously described her collaboration with the brand as "a dream come true." She had featured prominently in promotional material for Puma's new PWRMODE training collection, which was released in July.

Following the incident, Wietrzyk posted on social media, "a win is a win," but this post has since been deleted. She has reportedly disabled comments on her personal social media accounts due to the trolling.

Her coach, Chris Bayens, defended Wietrzyk, urging the public and the HYROX community to cease the "hatred and personal attacks." He emphasized the importance of athletes' mental health and stated that the situation was extraordinary and unprepared for by any involved. Bayens added that decisions made during competition under pressure should not be judged solely through the clarity of hindsight.

HYROX organizers have apologized for allowing Wietrzyk to complete the race and have committed to implementing immediate rule changes. Previously, official rules addressed minor infractions like littering, but lacked provisions for faecal matter incidents. Affected areas and race lanes were reportedly closed, isolated, and disinfected following the event.