HYROX has defended its handling of an incident involving elite athlete Joanna Wietrzyk at its Beijing race, admitting that its medical and biocontaminant protocols became unclear during the situation.
Wietrzyk, a PUMA global brand ambassador and elite HYROX competitor, suffered an involuntary bowel movement during the women’s elite race on Sept 12 and 13.
Despite the incident, she continued competing through all eight stations and went on to win her division.
Footage and images of the incident later circulated widely on social media and fitness forums, prompting mixed reactions. While some praised Wietrzyk for continuing the race, others raised concerns about hygiene, safety and fairness to fellow competitors.
In a statement posted on Instagram, HYROX said the incident highlighted the “new and increasingly complex situations” it faces as the fitness racing sport expands globally.
The organiser acknowledged that its medical and biocontaminant protocols had become “blurred” in this particular case, creating uncertainty over how they should have been applied.
HYROX said the concerns raised by members of its community were legitimate and that it would review what happened before taking responsibility for improving its protocols.
However, it stressed that criticism of the organisation’s handling of the incident should not be directed at Wietrzyk.
“Frustration should never be directed towards the athletes themselves,” HYROX said, noting that athletes put themselves on the line and compete at the highest level.
The organiser also warned that anyone found making threats of violence or encouraging harm against an athlete would be permanently banned from all HYROX events.
Wietrzyk appeared to address the incident in a now-deleted Instagram post, sharing a selfie from hospital with the caption: “Go hard or go home they say… a win is a win. In all seriousness, thank you for all the support. I’ll be back soon.”
The controversy has also spilled over to PUMA, with social media users flooding the sportswear brand’s recent Instagram posts with comments referring to it as “Pooma”, a reference to Wietrzyk’s association with the company.
Some users have also called on PUMA to respond, claiming the incident has created a negative impression of the brand.
PUMA has not publicly commented on the matter. The company was contacted for a statement.
Wietrzyk has a close commercial relationship with PUMA as a global brand ambassador and has collaborated with the company on product campaigns. She also competes in PUMA footwear designed specifically for HYROX.
The partnership comes as PUMA expands its presence in HYROX, a fitness racing format combining running with functional training stations.
In February, Wietrzyk set a Women’s Solo Pro HYROX world record at the 2026 CENTR HYROX Phoenix, clocking 56:03 while competing in PUMA’s Deviate NITRO Elite HYROX.
