HYROX makes immediate rule change after Aussie winner 'pooped herself' but still kept going

The co-founder of HYROX has issued a personal apology and vowed to overhaul the rules after an Aussie athlete powered to victory while covered in her own faeces.

Joanna Wietrzyk sparked a storm of controversy on the weekend after winning a high-endurance race in Beijing, despite appearing to suffer a bowel incontinence incident mid-event.

The 22-year-old HYROX women's record-holder from Melbourne refused to stop during the gruelling competition, continuing with what appeared to be faecal matter running down her legs as she completed burpees, lunges and wall balls.

Wietrzyk's decision to push on sparked biohazard concerns and heavy criticism online, with viewers questioning why officials allowed her to continue competing.

Spitting, snotting and littering are explicitly banned during competition.

The backlash prompted HYROX co-founder Moritz Fürste to issue a personal statement addressing the incident directly, admitting that 'we learn and try to get better'.

He took responsibility and vowed to make immediate changes to ensure a similar incident does not happen again.

'I need to address all of you directly concerning the recent events in China,' Fürste wrote on Monday night.

'I apologise to all who were directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt that we did not handle the situation as we should have.

'HYROX made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race.

'In the end, it is my job to foresee these potential incidents, and I did not.

'Of course, we have already started improving event processes and making changes to the rulebook. As of this moment, new rules and procedures are in place to prevent situations like this from happening again.

'We learn and try to get better every day.'

Fürste's response to the controversy reignited heated debate.

Many viewers renewed calls for Wietrzyk to be disqualified or for the race to be rerun.

'Are you going to DQ her? Are you and Joanna going to apologise to the volunteers who had to clean up her s**t?' one commenter wrote.

'These volunteers were not even paid, yet they had to put themselves at risk and clean up human waste without proper protection while she continued competing. What about their welfare and safety?'

Another added: 'It's unbelievable that this even needs a rule. If you lose control of your bowels and contaminate the course, YOUR RACE IS OVER. You stop. You withdraw. Period. That's not a rule. That's basic human decency.'

Others welcomed the update.

'Move on from the witch hunt now, and let's hope every competitor has a healthy rest of the season,' one person wrote.

HYROX launched a 'major clean-up operation' following the event, sanitising equipment and replacing sections of carpet.

Affected areas and race lanes were immediately closed and isolated before being thoroughly disinfected.

Many athletes previously demanded an apology and a refund, with some accusing managers of failing to organise a 'professionally organised and safe event'.

One viewer simply said: 'How can someone poop themselves and still think it's a good idea to compete'. 

An unapologetic Wietrzyk posted an image while recovering in hospital, saying: '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 HYROX format sees competitors alternate between a 1km run and a functional workout station, repeated eight times.

The eight workout stations are 1,000m SkiErg (simulating Nordic skiing), 50m Sled Push. 50m Sled Pull, 80m Burpee Broad Jumps, 1,000m row, 200m Farmer's Carry (walking while holding heavy kettlebells or weights), 100m Sandbag Lunges, 100 Wall Balls (squatting and throwing a medicine ball to a target).