Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk publicly apologized on Thursday after a mid-race bowel incident at the Hyrox Beijing event on September 12.

Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk publicly apologized on Thursday after a mid-race bowel incident at the Hyrox Beijing event on September 12, saying she regretted not stepping off the track and would retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points she earned.

Wietrzyk, a Hyrox women's world record holder, soiled herself during the women's pro race at Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval. Images and videos circulated on social media showed visible fecal matter on her legs and shoes as she continued through the course, including workout stations. She ultimately won, but the incident sparked controversy over hygiene because later competitors used mats and equipment after she had passed through them.

In the personal statement released on her Instagram account, Wietrzyk apologized to "the people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators and the HYROX organizers." She said she felt fit and healthy at the start and had no reason to expect any illness. "Looking back, I regret the decision to not have stepped off the track," she wrote. 

"I take responsibility for my decision to continue and am deeply sorry for the discomfort and disruption it caused." She added that she was learning from the experience, including "knowing when it is right to step away." She has decided to retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit her points, and will take time to recover and reflect.

Hyrox China initially said affected areas had been isolated and disinfected after the incident, and relevant equipment was removed. The venue's flooring would be replaced. 

On Tuesday, it sent a notice to participants of the Beijing event, offering full entry fee refunds to participants affected by the incident and apologizing for failing to arrange for the athlete involved to leave the course in time. The organizer also acknowledged an operational oversight.

The incident has prompted Hyrox to change its global rules. 

Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste apologized on Monday to people "directly or indirectly" affected and admitted the organization "made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race." 

Under updated rules, a race director may withdraw an athlete on medical grounds if the athlete's blood, vomit, urine or feces poses a welfare or contamination risk to the athlete or other competitors.

The controversy has also affected the organization's reputation in China. Multiple Chinese fitness enthusiasts who had applied for upcoming Hyrox events in Shanghai and Sanya decided to pull out of the races after the belated response.