She Finished The Race, Apologised To China, And Handed Back Every Point — Now HYROX Has Rewritten Its Rulebook And Malaysia Is Watching

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The race ended, the win was recorded, and the points were banked.

Then the internet saw the footage.

Joanna Wietrzyk, an Australian competitive HYROX athlete, has officially withdrawn her result from the 2026 Beijing HYROX race and forfeited all ranking points associated with the victory.

The withdrawal is retroactive.

The decision followed sustained global backlash after video footage circulated showing Wietrzyk experiencing severe bowel incontinence during the race — and continuing to compete.

She did not step off the track; race officials did not remove her.

The race concluded, and she won.

Wietrzyk issued a public statement on Instagram, expressing deep regret for not withdrawing from the race, apologised to the people of China and to fellow competitors who shared the track and equipment, and confirmed her decision to forfeit her result.

No ranking points have been retained.

The Malaysian Who Used the Toilet and Lost

While Wietrzyk’s disqualification arrived retroactively and voluntarily, Malaysian athlete Zarif Zakaria received his automatically — for using a restroom.

Zarif competed in the Men’s Open category at HYROX Bangkok, completing the race in 1 hour, 27 minutes, and 48 seconds.

When official results were posted, his entry read: Disqualified.

Zarif explained on social media that he had made an urgent last-minute trip to the restroom immediately before his wave was called, causing him to cross the starting line a few minutes late.

Under HYROX rules, starting late without express permission constitutes an Incorrect Start Time violation.

The disqualification is automatic.

Following the Beijing footage, Zarif posted on Threads: “I got DQ’ed for going to the toilet before the race. How come people can race while having diarrhoea and not get DQ’ed? Maybe it’s time to retire from HYROX.”

The observation required no further elaboration.

Khairy Jamaluddin Calls the Response Trash

Former Health Minister and podcast host Khairy Jamaluddin posted on Instagram, leaving a highly-liked comment describing HYROX’s initial defence of the Beijing incident as “trash.”

Khairy stated that a firm commitment must be made to immediately remove any athlete who compromises bio-safety, and that basic hygiene, sanitation, and respect for competitors must take precedence over a podium finish.

HYROX co-founder Moritz Fürste acknowledged the organisation made a mistake by not stopping Wietrzyk during the race.

The organisation has since updated its official rulebook.

Race directors now have immediate authority to withdraw any athlete from competition if bodily fluids — blood, vomit, urine, or faeces — pose a contamination or health risk to other participants.

Athletes removed under this provision will be recorded as Did Not Finish.

Entry fees are being refunded to affected competitors who raced on contaminated equipment and tracks.

HYROX also condemned the volume of abusive messages directed at Wietrzyk.

The organisation stated that anyone sending threats of violence will receive a lifetime ban from all future events.

Malaysia Is Next — And Watching

The AirAsia HYROX Kuala Lumpur 2026 makes its historic Malaysian debut from 10 to 13 December at MITEC, the country’s largest exhibition centre.

Standard entries begin at approximately RM424, with realistic race-day costs closer to RM864 after gear and spectator passes.

Local participants are now demanding that Malaysian organisers maintain strict sanitary conditions, provide sufficient pre-race restroom access to prevent late-start disqualifications, and enforce the newly updated health policies without exception.

The Beijing incident and Zarif’s DQ have ensured that scrutiny of the Kuala Lumpur event will be significant before the first wave is called.

Initial tickets for the AirAsia HYROX Kuala Lumpur sold out in minutes when registration opened in July, but an extra event day has since been added due to overwhelming demand.

While the exact total capacity for the Kuala Lumpur stop hasn’t been explicitly capped in a public number, the event is built to host thousands of athletes per race day.

Because the initial two-day weekend block sold out almost instantly, extending it to a four-day format implies the organizers are accommodating a massive crowd, likely pushing toward 10,000+ total participants over the course of the event.

READ MORE: Malaysian In HYROX Bangkok Disqualified For Late Start Because He Went To The Toilet First

READ MORE: HYROX Beijing Athlete Finished Race Despite Diarrhoea, Sparking Online Debate On Hygiene

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