Joanna Wietrzyk to return to HYROX in Hamburg

Australian HYROX athlete Joanna Wietrzyk says she will return to competition in Hamburg on October 30, her first race since a Beijing event where she continued racing after suffering bowel incontinence. She announced the comeback in an Instagram video, apologizing again to spectators and competitors affected by her decision and saying she had learned from reflecting on the incident. Wietrzyk, 24, said she was excited to return to the race floor after a difficult period. In an interview ahead of the event, she said her focus during the Beijing race had been on finishing and acknowledged that she put others at risk. She described the online backlash as traumatic and said it had made her consider leaving the sport. She also said she did not want the incident to become her identity. During the September race in Beijing, Wietrzyk continued after becoming ill and finished first in the women’s event. Competitors shared course areas and equipment, prompting concerns about potential contamination and the impact on other athletes. Wietrzyk later apologized, accepted responsibility for continuing and withdrew her Beijing result, giving up the points she had earned. HYROX co-founder...