Why are people angry at Hyrox? Fitness competition vows to 'change rules' after athlete soils herself

Warning: Graphic details ahead

If there's one thing about sport, is that it brings out everyone's competitive spirit - even if it means letting nature take its course to retain a record.

That's exactly what's caused outrage both online and in the fitness communities this week, after a Hyrox competition in Beijing saw one athlete do exactly that, and carry on like nothing had happened.

Joanna Wietrzyk is the women's world record holder, and appeared largely unbothered as fecal matter ran down her legs and onto the equipment being used by other athletes, sparking major health and safety concerns, and sending the incident viral online.

Hyrox China said the area was decontaminated after the race finished.

For those unfamiliar, Hyrox is a global fitness circuit that sees participants bounce between eight functional workout stations divided up by eight 1km runs - and has become somewhat of a cult for athletes.

Initially, the German fitness company put out a social media message warning against sending Wietrzyk abuse online.

An official statement said: “As our sport continues to evolve, we are encountering new and increasingly complex situations that challenge us and where additional clarity is needed. This happened this weekend in China.

“We ask our athletes to push themselves to the highest levels. At times, they will go beyond what even we thought was possible. That courage, resilience and refusal to give in are precisely what makes elite athletes so extraordinary.

"Our role is to give them the right framework and the right boundaries within which they can compete, perform and express themselves at their very best.”

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The statement added: "Frustration should never be directed towards the athletes themselves. They are the people who put themselves on the line.

"There is no place in our community for threats of violence or encouragement to harm an athlete… Any person identified as engaging in this behaviour – whether through comments, direct messages or social media – will be permanently banned from all Hyrox events."

For some, however, it didn't address the root of the problem: That athletes could go to any length they wanted to in order to win.

"Completely unfair for any participants behind her!", one person wrote, demanding her disqualification.

"Unbelievable that this even needs a rule. If you lose control of your bowels and contaminate the course, YOUR RACE IS OVER. You stop. You withdraw. Period. That’s not a rule. That’s basic human decency", another added, while a third chimed in: "Threatening people instead of apologising is absolutely wild."

Prior to the weekend’s incident, official event rules already penalised athletes for littering on the course, or spitting or clearing their nose on the floor - but there was nothing around incidents such as this.

Now, Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste, has put out his own statement, vowing that there will be "rulebook changes immediately" as a result.

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,” Fürste said, adding: “As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again.”

Wietrzyk, however, responded with a now-deleted Instagram Story reportedly reading: "Go hard or go home … a win is a win. In all seriousness, thank you for all the support. I’ll be back soon x."

Indy100 has contacted Hyrox and Joanna Wietrzyk for comment

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