Hyrox athlete who soiled herself in race tells BBC she put others at risk but says backlash was traumatic

ByJessica Parker, Berlin correspondent, Reporting fromHamburg and Simon Atkinson, Australia producer.

Key points

• The competition has exploded in popularity since it was founded in 2017 in Hamburg, in northern Germany, and is now held throughout the world.
• Hyrox's co-founder, Moritz Fürste, has issued an apology saying it had been a mistake not to react immediately during the race.
• Due to compete in Hamburg on Friday, she remarked she was "nervous" concerning her return and hoped that the high-profile incident would not define her.
• After Wietrzyk's identity was shared online, Hyrox remarked anyone sending abuse or threats to the athlete would be banned from future events.
• An Australian athlete has admitted putting others at risk by continuing to race after soiling herself during an endurance sports event.

Meanwhile, 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 remarked: "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."

According to The 24-year-old, the experience and subsequent backlash was "traumatic". She additionally stated she had considered walking away from the sport, in which she holds a world record.

Hyrox sees participants alternate between running a kilometre and doing fitness exercises, including a sled push, burpee jumps, indoor rowing, and lunges while carrying a sandbag.

For context, the competition has exploded in popularity since it was founded in 2017 in Hamburg, in northern Germany, and is now held throughout the world.

Roughly halfway through her event last month, Wietrzyk suffered a bout of diarrhoea. Images of faecal matter on parts of her body were then shared widely online.

Asked whether authorities should have ceased her, she noted no-one encouraged her to do so the time.

New rules have now been introduced giving race directors the power to remove athletes if their vomit, urine or faeces pose a risk of contamination or threaten the welfare of themselves or others in a race that is primarily held indoors using shared equipment.

Although initially defiant in a now-deleted Instagram post, Wietrzyk apologised in the week after the Beijing event and remarked she would forfeit the win and retroactively withdraw from the race.

Due to compete in Hamburg on Friday, she remarked she was "nervous" concerning her return and hoped that the high-profile incident would not define her. "I don't want it to become my identity, " she remarked.

In her first interview since Beijing, Wietrzyk remarked she had suffered a bacterial infection from food poisoning but had gone into the race "feeling fresh, feeling really, really good". "It was a very sudden experience, " she informed the BBC.

It wasn't until regarding halfway through the race where everything did transpire. As a particularly competitive person. And an elite athlete that I am, my only focus is on racing, in that moment, right then and there. Obviously I did put other people at risk, she admitted. Hyrox China has since reportedly refunded some competitors their entry fees.

Wietrzyk additionally stated she regretted an initial social media post published after the race which included the words "Go hard or go home" and "a win is a win". She remarked she had been in "flight or fight mode" as she sought hospital treatment.

"I didn't really account for what the public would have seen that situation as."

Challenged over whether her apology could be seen as an effort at damage limitation, or too late, she remarked that she hadn't anticipated so much exposure from the incident. "I needed those days to reflect on it and process it."

Speaking regarding the mentality of elite athletes, she stated: "They're so hyper-vigilant on winning and doing the best that they can, putting their training to good use and showcasing their fitness to the world."

After reflecting over the past weeks, she remarked: "There is more to life. Than just racing and just winning."

Speaking regarding the comments and photo shares online Joanna Wietrzyk stated there had both been backing, to produce sure she was OK, but that it had additionally shown social media can be a highly "toxic place".

Wietrzyk informed the BBC that it had been a "mentally and emotionally taxing period" and she had not anticipated the global scrutiny, saying her family had additionally received threats.

was particularly eye-opening for me to see the effect of social media nowadays, especially from someone who's 24, just out there racing.

"Yes, I did create 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 remarked had been trying to stay offline and had sought to "isolate herself from the world" for a time: "I can't do that forever."

"I still have so much more I can achieve in this sport so I think, for me, my mental resilience is the key here where I can inspire others through what I've been through."

In short, hyrox athlete who soiled herself in race tells BBC she put others is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.