"It kept coming out, and the people behind me were gagging"—Female athlete wins after suffering diarrhea during race and getting covered in excrement [What do you think?]

[Financial News] A hygiene controversy has erupted after an Australian female participant at an indoor fitness race in China continued competing despite suffering fecal incontinence during the event and went on to win.
According to Chinese media outlets including Shanghai Daily on the 14th, Australian Joanna Wietrzyk suffered fecal incontinence while performing burpee broad jumps, the fourth segment of the HYROX event held in Beijing on the 12th. HYROX is an indoor fitness race that alternates between running 1 kilometer and performing functional exercises, and it has recently gained popularity worldwide.
The problem arose immediately after Wietrzyk’s incontinence. Fecal matter got onto the floor mats and shared equipment, leaving the athletes behind her directly affected. Some competitors were reportedly even forced to step on the contaminated material and slipped.
Nevertheless, the organizers did not immediately stop the race, and Wietrzyk also pushed through to the finish with excrement smeared on her lower body.
The incident also sparked a fairness controversy. HYROX rules prohibit throwing trash or spitting during a race, with violations subject to penalties. At this event, one participant was actually given a two-minute penalty because water he was drinking splashed onto another athlete. That is why critics condemned the fact that Wietrzyk faced no sanctions despite causing a far more serious hygiene problem.
As the controversy grew, HYROX China explained, "Immediately after the incident, we closed and isolated the contaminated areas and parts of the race track before carrying out comprehensive disinfection." It added, "The relevant equipment was removed from the venue and discarded, and after all races are completed, we plan to replace the venue’s flooring and thoroughly clean the entire facility."
Despite the commotion, Wietrzyk finished first with a time of 1 hour and 1 minute. After the race, she fueled the controversy by posting a message on Instagram to the effect that "A win is a win."
Online users who learned of the incident were generally cold in their response. Comments criticizing Wietrzyk poured into her Instagram and other accounts, including, "Apologize to the other participants," "This is a hygiene issue. You should have been disqualified immediately," and "You should clean up what you made a mess of before leaving. You can’t just walk away as if nothing happened."
On the overseas online community Reddit, most reactions simultaneously criticized the organizers’ inadequate response and the athlete’s selfishness. Users wrote, "What were the officials doing instead of immediately pulling the athlete out?" and "Joanna didn’t win because she performed well; she won because the other athletes couldn’t compete properly after getting dirty."
Some comments, however, defended her, saying, "One difficult moment cannot erase the fact that she is an excellent athlete. I’ll be cheering for the next world champion."

[email protected] Seong Min-seo Reporter