Days after what became the most talked about story in the HYROX and fitness space, Joanna Wietrzyk published a statement on Instagram apologizing for situation. On top of the apology, Wietrzyk, who won HYROX Beijing, shared that she would be forfeit the season points that she earned.
“I 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,” wrote Wietrzyk.
She continued by saying that she felt fine at the start of the race, but that things changed shortly after starting. Wietrzyk added, “Looking back, I regret the decision to not have stepped 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.”
For the 2026-2027 HYROX season, a new points system was added to qualify for the World Championships. The top 5 performances (points-wise) over the course of a 12-month period to determine who advances to the World Championships.
Wietrzyk currently sits in 1st place in the season points standings. Wietrzyk continued, “On reflection, I have decided to retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points I earned.”
Her points from Beijing have already been removed.
However, all of Wietrzyk’s points come from the 2026 World Championships or prior. Thus, she will still need to compete at four more HYROX events before the 2027 World Championships to ensure she qualifies.
“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. It 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,” Wietrzyk concluded in her statement.
You can read the full statement below:
