Hyrox athlete hit with huge new consequence after she pooped herself and won race

Joanna Wietrzyk, who won the Hyrox competition in Beijing after pooping herself has now withdrawn from the race and forfeited the points she earned - but it's not the only thing she's lost.

Wietrzyk made headlines earlier this week, as she was seen competing, and winning the event, with what appeared to be fecal matter down her legs.

This caused uproar from other competitors - who were questioning why Wietrzyk wasn't removed from the competition.

The German fitness company later issuing a statement saying they would be implementing 'new rules'.

Before breaking her silence with a statement today, September 17, it was revealed that PUMA had removed the athlete's clothing range 'Joanna Wietrzyk x PUMA,' from their website, the Daily Mail first reported.

All references of the athlete appear to be removed, although neither Wietrzyk or PUMA have commented on the claims as of the time of writing.

UNILAD has contacted PUMA for comment.

Wietrzyk previously said her collaboration with PUMA was a 'dream come true'.

She said that she had 'raced in PUMA shoes since the beginning' and that it was 'truly incredible' to have the company supporting her.

"If I told my younger self, she'd be gobsmacked," she continued.

Despite not having broken her silence on her PUMA collab, Wietrzyk has issued a new statement.

Joanna Wietrzyk 'wants to offer her sincere apologies to the people of China'

Taking to her Instagram on Thursday, September 17, Wietrzyk issued an apology to 'the people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators and the HYROX organizers for what happened during the race in Beijing', adding that she regretted 'having not stepped back 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," she continued.

Elsewhere in the statement, Wietrzyk confirmed that she would be 'withdrawing from the race and forfeiting the points she earned'.

She then thanked those that stood by her and reached out during this time, and also to those who had 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," she concluded the statement.

Just days after the race, Hyrox issued a statement regarding the cruel messages directed at the athlete.

Although they said that they understood the frustration surrounding the incident, they added: "There is no place in our community for threats of violence or encouragement to harm an athlete.

"Any person identified as engaging in this behaviour – whether through comments, direct messages or social media – will be permanently banned from all Hyrox events.

Why do endurance athletes poop themselves so often?

Wietrzyk is far from alone in suffering from toilet issues during an elite competition. A 1992 study which interviewed 109 long-distance runners found that 12 percent were forced to stop for a bowel movement during a competition.

In 2021, US marathon runner Addi Zerrenner soiled herself seven miles into a marathon, but heroically carried on to achieve a personal best.

And in 2024, triathlete Taylor Knibb soiled herself during the running segment of the race, but still finished first.

Colon and rectal surgeon Michael Dobson told Mental Floss: "During periods of physical stress, the body shunts blood away from organs that are not necessarily critical at that moment.

"For endurance athletes, you’re shunting blood away from the intestines and toward the muscles. The lack of blood flow to the intestinal system can cause a lot of disruptions to normal function.

"The bottom line is it irritates the intestinal system. That can result in evacuation of bowel movements."

The Athletic reports that female athletes are disproportionately affected by fecal incontinence because they're more likely to have issues with their pelvic floor.

That's because of anatomical differences, childbirth and hormonal changes that occur during menstruation and the menopause.