Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has made a victorious return to competition, claiming first place in the opening event of the new Hyrox season in Hamburg. The win comes shortly after the endurance competitor issued a public apology for her decision to keep racing while unwell during an event in Beijing last month.
Wietrzyk took an early lead in the Elite 15 competition in Hamburg, completing the course in a winning time of 56:10.21. She finished ahead of American competitors Lauren Weeks, who took second place in 56:24.37, and Vivian Tafuto, who completed the podium in 57:55.34. The Hamburg race marks the start of the 2026-27 season for Hyrox, which was launched in Germany in 2017. The global competition series will move on to host future events in London, Bangkok, Las Vegas, and Lyon.
The victory follows significant controversy stemming from Wietrzyk's participation in the Beijing race in September. The 24-year-old Melbourne-born athlete suffered a bout of diarrhoea during the event but chose to complete the race and cross the finish line in first place. Footage showing faecal matter running down her legs as she used communal workout equipment subsequently circulated widely on social media, triggering severe online backlash. Wietrzyk later forfeited her competition points from the Beijing event and withdrew from the public eye.
Ahead of her return in Germany, Wietrzyk addressed the incident in a social media video post, expressing remorse to fellow competitors and attendees. Reflecting on the six to eight weeks following the Beijing event, she stated that she was truly so sorry to everyone affected, whether spectators or participants on the race floor, for her decision to continue racing. She acknowledged that navigating the situation had been very confronting and expressed gratitude for the personal and team support she received during her hiatus.
The incident also led to public action and official rule adjustments from Hyrox management. Co-founder Moritz Fürste acknowledged that race officials made a mistake by failing to intervene immediately during the Beijing race. Following the event, Hyrox issued an apology and introduced new regulations granting organizers explicit authority to disqualify and remove any athlete whose blood, vomit, urine, or faeces presents a contamination or welfare risk to themselves or fellow competitors. Prior to the addition, existing competition rules primarily penalized minor infractions such as littering or spitting on the course floor.
In the wake of the online outcry in September, Wietrzyk was targeted with heavy personal vitriol and online abuse. In response to the harassment, Hyrox organizers publicly condemned the behavior and issued a warning stating that any individuals sending abuse or threats of violence toward athletes would be permanently banned from attending future events.
This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'.
