Hyrox athlete finishes race despite defecating mid-competition, takes first place - GMA Network

An athlete in China powered through Hyrox Beijing and finished the race despite defecating mid-competition.

The athlete, who holds Hyrox’s women’s world record time of 54:25, finished first in the women’s singles category.

Photos of her mid-competition, with feces running down her legs, made the rounds on social media and prompted online discussions about whether or not she should have been allowed to finish the race, with some questioning the safety of the venue after it was exposed to human waste.

On Instagram, Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fuerste released an official statement about the incident, apologizing to those who “were directly or indirectly affected,” as well as to those who expressed disappointment with how the situation was handled.

“Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race,” he said. “In the end, it is my job to foresee these potential incidents – and I did not.”

“As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again,” he added.

In a separate post, Hyrox called out those who were bashing the athlete over the incident.

“Frustration should never be directed towards the athletes themselves,” the statement read.

“They are people who put themselves on the line, compete at the highest level, and make competition what it is,” it added.

The fitness organization also condemned threats of violence or encouragement to harm the athlete.

“Any person identified as engaging in this behavior – whether through comments, direct messages, or social media – will be permanently banned from all Hyrox events.”

Hyrox is a global indoor fitness race that combines running and functional workout stations. To complete the entire routine, participants run one kilometer, then complete one functional workout station, repeating the cycle eight times.