HYROX speaks out on Beijing athlete incident as PUMA faces 'Pooma' digs

HYROX has spoken out following an incident involving athlete Joanna Wietrzyk at its Beijing race, saying its medical and biocontaminant protocols became unclear in the situation and calling on its community to keep criticism away from the athlete.

Wietrzyk, a PUMA global brand ambassador and elite HYROX athlete, suffered an involuntary bowel movement during the women's elite race on 12 and 13 September. She continued through all eight stations and went on to win her division.

Footage and images of the incident subsequently spread across social media and fitness forums, with reactions ranging from praise for Wietrzyk's determination to concerns around hygiene, safety and fairness to other competitors.

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In a statement on Instagram, HYROX said the incident highlighted the "new and increasingly complex situations" it is encountering as the sport continues to grow globally.

The organiser said its biocontaminant and medical protocols had become "blurred" in this instance, creating ambiguity over how they were applied. It added that concerns raised by the HYROX community were "legitimate" and said it would examine what happened and take responsibility for improving its protocols.

HYROX also drew a line between criticism of its handling of the incident and criticism of Wietrzyk herself.

"Frustration should never be directed towards the athletes themselves. They are the people who put themselves on the line, compete at the highest level and make competition what it is," it said.

The organiser added that anyone identified as making threats of violence or encouraging harm against an athlete would be permanently banned from all HYROX events. 

Wietrzyk also appeared to address the incident in a now-deleted Instagram post, sharing a hospital selfie alongside the caption: "Go hard or go home they say... a win is a win. In all seriousness, thank you for all the support. I'll be back soon."

Meanwhile, the conversation has also turned towards PUMA, with users flooding the sportswear brand's recent Instagram posts with comments referring to it as "Pooma", in reference to Wietrzyk's affiliation with the brand. Social media users have also called on PUMA to address the incident, with some claiming that the incident has left a negative impression on the brand. 

PUMA has not publicly commented on the incident. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to the brand for a statement.

The scrutiny comes as Wietrzyk has a close commercial relationship with PUMA. She is a global brand ambassador for the sportswear company and has collaborated with the brand on product activity, while also competing in PUMA footwear designed specifically for HYROX.

The partnership has been particularly visible around PUMA's push into HYROX, a fitness racing format that combines running with functional training stations.

In February, Wietrzyk set a Women's Solo Pro HYROX world record at the 2026 CENTR HYROX Phoenix, clocking 56:03 while competing in PUMA's Deviate NITRO Elite HYROX.

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