Controversial Aussie Hyrox champ announces return after soiling herself mid-competition

Australian HYROX champion Joanna Wietrzyk has announced she’s returning to the sport weeks after she suffered bowel incontinence at a Beijing event and sparked a global scandal.

Wietrzyk, 23, shared the news that she will be competing at an event in Hamburg, Germany, this weekend in a video posted to Instagram from the city.

“So, I’ve had some time to reflect over the past six to eight weeks on everything that happened in Beijing,” she said in the clip.

“And, firstly, I just want to say that I’m truly, truly so sorry to everyone that I affected, whether they were spectators or participants out on that race floor, for my decision to choose to continue to race.

“Having that time to reflect, I’ve really learned a lot from the situation. And yeah, I am very, very sorry for it all.”

In September, Wietrzyk soiled herself while competing in Beijing and continued to compete despite health concerns.

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Photos and footage of her racing and using equipment with excrement running down her legs went viral online, sparking disgust and outrage.

Wietrzyk continued her latest video by thanking those who have reached out to offer her support since the scandal erupted.

“It’s been a very hard situation to navigate for me and very confronting, as well, so all the support, whether it was personally or through my team, has been so incredible,” she said.

“It goes a lot longer in a far longer way that I can truly express right now so thank you so much for that.”

She concluded by saying she’s excited to get back onto the HYROX floor this weekend, though not everyone in the comments section felt the same.

“Absolutely no remorse whatsoever, apologising probably due to being forced into it, also trying to get a few PUMA merch shots in there,” one person wrote.

Puma previously worked with Wietrzyk but appeared to erase her from merchandise promotions after the September incident.

Another said, “Appreciate the heartfelt and genuine apology (no sarcasm) and good luck on your next race! Just don’t do ‘that’ again.”

Most of the comments on Wietrzyk’s comeback post were positive, encouraging her to do her best and keep moving forward regardless of what happened in Beijing.

At the time, she apologised to the people of China, fellow competitors, spectators and HYROX organisers for continuing to compete after soiling herself.

“Looking back, I regret the decision to not have stepped off the track. I recognise that I should have made a different choice,” she wrote online.

“I take responsibility for my decision to continue and am deeply sorry for the discomfort and disruption it caused.”

Wietrzyk also retroactively withdrew from the race and forfeited the points she earned.

HYROX is an endurance racing format that holds events across the world, including in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

The race involves eight running stations of one kilometre each, which are broken up by functional workouts including ski and rowing machines.