HYROX poo: Health expert lays bare ugly risk of disease spread after Joanna Wietrzyk defecated on course

A health expert has warned of the potential risk of disease spread after an Australian athlete defecated during a HYROX event before going on to win the race.

Melbourne athlete Joanna Wietrzyk was competing in the gruelling fitness event’s Women’s Pro division in Beijing when she soiled herself on course.

Viral footage of the mishap showed the 22-year-old competing in the race with faecal matter smeared across her arms and legs.

But the messy mishap did not stop Ms Wietrzyk — who is ranked No. 1 in the world in the elite women’s singles category — from crossing the finish line in first place with a time of 1.01.23.

The incident quickly exploded online, with many criticising Ms Wietrzyk for putting her fellow competitors and HYROX volunteers at risk of contracting an illness from her faeces.

Now, a disease expert from the Sydney Infectious Disease Institute at the University of Sydney has added some professional advice to the conversation surrounding to the swirling controversy.

“Many gastrointestinal infections and diseases, such as the highly-contagious norovirus, are spread via the faecal-oral route when people come together, particularly in public spaces,” Professor Ramon Shaban told news.com.au.

But Ms Wietrzyk wasn’t the only one under fire, with organisers also facing backlash for allowing the athlete to continue in her soiled state.

Professor Shaban said it was a shared responsibility between competitors and event organisers to ensure health and safety measures were a top priority.

“Whenever people come together at mass gathering events or events of this nature, it is always important to consider what both individuals themselves and organisers can do to lower the risk of transmission of infection from one person to another,” he said.

“But there are two parts to this. One is individuals themselves, and two is the organisers of any kind of event.

“Both parties have a responsibility to ensure that they conduct themselves in a way that … minimises the risk of the transmission of any kind of infectious agent.”

Professor Shaban said gastrointestinal infections such as norovirus and giardiasis can spread from person to person through contaminated food or water, or via contact with contaminated surfaces and objects.

These infections can cause severe symptoms, including nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, which can last for several days.

Professor Shaban’s expertise comes after a chorus of health concerns were raised among the fitness world and wider community.

“Defecating on yourself & leaving a trail of feces on the competition floor should be an immediate disqualification. Every athlete following her was put at a health risk & a disadvantage,” one person said on social media.

HYROX-affiliated gym owner Chance Bex said the elite fitness event has been “forever tainted” by the incident and believes Ms Wietrzyk should have apologised for not stopping the race.

“By now anyone who participates in athletics has seen the moment on social media and news outlets, and it’s a F..ing joke and mockery of what HYROX is and was,” he said on Facebook.

Ms Wietrzyk posted a selfie of her hooked up to an IV drip after the race, with the caption: “Go hard or go home … a win is a win. In all seriousness, thank you for all the support. I’ll be back soon x.”

In the face of the backlash, HYROX’s official Instagram page issued an apology statement on Monday, saying it was sorry “ to all that were directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt like we did not handle the situation as we should have.”

“I need to address all of you directly concerning the recent events in China,” he wrote, explaining HYROX’s rules would be changed to ensure a similar incident doesn’t happen again,” the post read.

“I apologise to all that were directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt like we did not handle the situation like we should have.

“HYROX made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race.

“In the end, it is my job to foresee these potential incidents – and I did not.

“Of course, we started improving event processes, plus making rulebook changes immediately. As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again.

“We learn and try to get better every day.”