HYROX athlete’s coach breaks silence after she soiled herself mid-race

As images of Joanna Wietrzyk continue to go viral, her HYROX coach has spoken out to address the backlash.

The athlete has been subjected to a lot of trolling and personal attacks after she suffered unfortunate faecal incontinence during an event on Saturday (12 September).

HYROX has also been widely criticised and the fitness company has swiftly updated its rulebook, while warning those who direct frustrations at athletes that they will be banned.

Some have hit out at Wietrzyk for continuing to compete, but a lot of the complaints have been directly towards the event runners for not stopping her, particularly due to hygiene concerns.

And Chris Bayens, an elite HYROX coach, has called the hatred that followed the incident ‘ugly’.

“No one is perfect, not in sport, not on social media, not in real life,” he wrote on social media. “What happened was extraordinary.”

Bayens, who runs ‘The Bayens Method’, says that the ‘physical health and performance of an athlete’ is his job. He criticised the ‘community’ as he said the ‘mental athlete is shaped far more by the community around them’.

He then shared a full statement as Wietrzyk’s coach, reflecting on the incident and the response, as she went on to come in at the top of the ranking for her category on Saturday.

“What happened was an extraordinary set of circumstances that were unforeseen, rapidly evolving and almost impossible to fully comprehend in real time,” Bayens wrote on Instagram.

“Decisions were made under competition conditions by an athlete, judges and officials, all responding to a situation none of them could reasonably have prepared for.”

The coach says hindsight allows ‘time, information and distance’ that didn’t exist for those ‘actually living it’.

“Those decisions can be reviewed and lessons can be taken from them. But judging someone's intent, character or morality through the clarity of hindsight is neither fair nor honest,” he continued.

“Sport occasionally produces moments that are imperfect and deeply human.”

And while Bayens acknowledges that ‘discussion is legitimate’, he is defiant in his message that: “The hatred and personal attacks that have followed are not.”

In its initial statement, HYROX also warned that: “Frustration should never be directed towards the athletes themselves.

“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.

“We are currently reviewing and identifying those responsible, and action will be taken.”

The fitness company said it completed a major clean-up following the event and replaced sections of carpet. However, some participants have reportedly demanded refunds and hygiene concerns have been raised, as it’s argued Wietrzyk should not have been allowed to continue competing in the shared, indoor space.

LADbible has contacted HYROX for comment.