Joanna Wietrzyk won the Women’s Pro race at HYROX Beijing last weekend. However, her victory was quickly overshadowed by an incident early in the race, when she suffered gastrointestinal distress but chose to continue competing.
Footage and images from the race subsequently circulated on social media, prompting considerable discussion about what happened and Wietrzyk’s decision to continue. HYROX has issued its own statement and subsequently updated its rulebook.
Wietrzyk has now addressed what happened, explaining the circumstances she faced during the race and responding to the reaction that followed. Her statement is published below in full:
Personal statement: I want to offer my sincere apology to the people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators and the HYROX organizers for what happened during the race in Beijing.
I felt completely fit and healthy at the start of the race, with no reason to expect any illness. Looking back, I regret the decision to not have stepped off the track. I recognize that I should have made a different choice. I take responsibility for my decision to continue and am deeply sorry for the discomfort and disruption it caused.
I know my actions had an impact beyond myself, and I am genuinely sorry to everyone who was affected. I am 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, I have decided to retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points I earned.
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. 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.
Love Jo x
