HYROX athlete Joanna Wietrzyk issues apology and explains why she refused to quit

Joanna Wietrzyk has broken her silence after going viral for soiling herself during a HYROX event.

The Aussie athlete took to social media to express her 'regret' for carrying on with the race on Saturday (12 September) and said she is 'deeply sorry for the discomfort and disruption it caused'.

Both HYROX and Wietrzyk have faced criticism for her continuing with the event in Beijing after suffering the faecal incontinence, as it's been branded as a biohazard incident.

It's since led to a change in the German fitness company's rule book while some participants have even demanded refunds.

HYROX previously asked people not to direct their 'frustrations' towards athletes with Wietrzyk's coach speaking out on the 'ugly' hate she had been subjected to.

She said in her statement that she will now be taking some time 'away from the noise' and is 'retroactively withdrawing' from the race.

Wietrzyk wrote on Instagram this afternoon: "I want to offer my sincere apology to the people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators and the HYROX organisers 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 recognise 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."

She continued: "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."

In a previous statement, HYROX warned against people directing their frustrations at athletes.

"They are the people who put themselves on the line, compete at the highest level and make competition what it is.

“There is no place in our community for threats of violence or encouragement to harm an athlete. As this has happened this weekend, we want to be very clear and direct: Any person identified as engaging in this behaviour - whether through comments, direct messages or social media - will be permanently banned from all HYROX events.”