Australian Hyrox competitor Joanna Wietrzyk, 22, won a fitness event in Beijing at the weekend despite suffering bowel incontinence partway through the race, with images showing her continuing to run, perform burpees and carry weights while visibly soiled. The victory has triggered a backlash, with rival athletes accusing organisers of allowing a biohazard to persist on the course and demanding refunds, insisting Hyrox failed to provide a "professionally organised and safe event".

Hyrox said it carried out a "major clean-up operation" after the race, sanitising equipment and replacing sections of carpet, but critics including a nurse and a fellow competitor argued the athlete should have been pulled from the race immediately and contaminated areas closed off before others passed through. Concerns were also raised that other competitors may have unknowingly touched contaminated equipment during the multi-station event, which alternates 1km runs with eight workout stations such as sled pushes, burpees and wall balls. Wietrzyk, from Melbourne, posted a hospital-bed photo afterwards thanking supporters, while Hyrox said in a statement it would "examine what happened" after protocols for elite and mass-participation athletes became "blurred".