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    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7604934\/2026\/09\/17\/hyrox-race-apology-soil-champion-statement-faeces\/?emc=edit_nn_20260918&nl=the-morning&segment_id=226681",
    "parsed_content": "An Australian athlete, who this week controversially continued competing during a high-endurance fitness race despite soiling herself, has apologised for her actions and \u201cdecided to retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points\u201d that she earned.On Monday, The Athletic reported that the organisers of Hyrox, an indoor fitness competition which attracts around 1.5million competitors annually, had to apologise and change their rules. Joanna Wietrzyk, who won the race in a time of 1hr 1min and 23secs, was permitted to continue competing despite being seen with fecal matter running down her legs as she took part in the race.The 24-year-old, the world record holder in the Hyrox women\u2019s solo event, posted a selfie on Instagram from what appeared to be a hospital bed after the race along with the message: \u201cGo hard or go home \u2026 a win is a win. In all seriousness, thank you for all the support. I\u2019ll be back soon x.\u201d The post was later deleted.However, following several days of backlash and intense scrutiny, she has taken to social media to apologise.\n \n \n \n \n What You Should Read Next\n \n \n \n \n Why do elite athletes soil themselves so frequently?\n \n \n Faecal incontinence can be a genuine danger for top sportspeople, as last week's Hyrox controversy proved\n \n \n \n \n \n On Thursday, she posted a statement to Instagram that read: \u201cI want to offer my sincere apology to the people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators and the Hyrox organizers for what happened during the race in Beijing.\u201cI felt completely fit and healthy at the start of the race, with no reason to expect any illness. Looking back, I regret the decision not to step off the track. I recognize that I should have made a different choice. I take responsibility for my decision to continue and am deeply sorry for the discomfort and disruption it caused.\u201cI know my actions had an impact beyond myself, and I am genuinely sorry to everyone who was affected. I am learning from this experience and will carry those lessons with me, including remembering that there is more to life than racing and knowing when it is right to step away.\u201cOn reflection, I have decided to retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points I earned. Thank you to those standing by me, both as an athlete and as a person, during this time, and to everyone who has reached out with kindness and support.\u201cIt means more to me than I can properly express right now. I will be taking some time to recover, reflect and look after myself and my family away from the noise.\u201dWietrzyk became ill while taking part in the age 16-24 elite event in Beijing on Saturday. Hyrox and Wietrzyk faced heavy criticism online, with many pointing out the health risks posed by the Australian not being withdrawn.This led to the company\u2019s owner, Moritz Furste, apologising for its handling of the incident and saying there will be immediate changes to competition rules.Joe Ho, a male competitor in Beijing, said that fellow athletes \u2014 who all pay a fee to take part in Hyrox races \u2014 had been let down.\nNnamdi Onyeagwara joined us in November 2022, initially helping us cover the World Cup before becoming a Junior News Editor in January 2023. Born in North London, Nnamdi attended Nottingham Trent University and previously worked at The Voice and the Barnet Post.Follow Sep 18, 2026SPONSORED BYConnections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports termsSPONSORED BYPlay today's puzzleWhat did you think of this story?MEHSOLIDAWESOME",
    "published_at": "2026-09-17T19:23:57+00:00",
    "author_name": "Nnamdi Onyeagwara",
    "site_name": "The Athletic",
    "section": null,
    "publisher": "The New York Times Company",
    "ai_headline": "An Australian athlete, who this week controversially continued competing during a high-endurance fitness race despite soiling herself, has apologised for her actions and \u201cdecided to retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points\u201d that she earned.",
    "ai_simplified_title": "Athlete Apologizes for Soiling Incident During Hyrox Race",
    "ai_excerpt": "An Australian athlete, Joanna Wietrzyk, who controversially continued a Hyrox race despite soiling herself, has apologized and retroactively withdrawn. The incident led to backlash and rule changes for the fitness competition.",
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        "Joanna Wietrzyk"
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