Coach of Hyrox athlete who pooped herself during race speaks out on what happened
The coach of the Hyrox athlete who pooped herself during a competition has addressed the matter and insisted that 'no one is perfect'.
Joanna Wietrzyk has made headlines of late after soiling herself during a Hyrox competition in Beijing, China, over the weekend.
Graphic photographs show Wietrzyk carrying on with the sport despite having feces dripping down her legs. Meanwhile Hyrox judges failed to stop her from proceeding with the competition despite the condition she was in.
Wietrzyk proceeded to win the women’s Hyrox Pro event.
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In incident has caused discussions about what the right thing to do was in that instance. Hyrox has spoken out about it and apologized.
Part of the fitness competition's message read: "HYROX has clear biocontaminant and medical procedures in place. In this instance, an unforeseen situation arose in which protocols designed for elite competition and mass participation became blurred, creating ambiguity in how they were applied and understood."
'Sport occasionally produces moments that are imperfect'
Now Chris Bayens, Wietrzyk's coach, has spoken out and hit out at people for attacking the Australian athlete online.
The statement shared on The Bayens Method Instagram page stated: "What happened was an extraordinary set of circumstances that were unforeseen, rapidly evolving and almost impossible to fully comprehend in real time.
"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.
"It is very easy to construct the perfect response once the moment has passed.
"Hindsight gives people time, information and distance that simply did not 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.
"Sport occasionally produces moments that are imperfect and deeply human. Discussion is legitimate. The hatred and personal attacks that have followed are not."
'No one is perfect'
Bayens also added in the caption of the post that it 'the performance and physical health of an athlete' is part of his job,
"The mental health of athletes is shaped far more by the community around them, and right now that community should take a hard look at itself," he added. "No one is perfect, not in sport, not on social media, not in real life."
The poignant statement concluded: "What happened was extraordinary. The hatred that has followed is ugly."
Wietrzyk herself hasn't said much on the incident other than that 'a win is a win'.
After the event she shared a photo of herself on an IV drip. The caption on the now-deleted image read: "Go hard or go home … a win is a win. In all seriousness, thank you for all the support. I’ll be back soon."
Topics: Mental Health, Fitness, Sport, China
Niamh Shackleton