The coach of Australian HYROX star Joanna Wietrzyk has defended taking a lighthearted view of the controversy engulfing his athlete, just days after condemning the “ugly” personal attacks against her.

Wietrzyk, 22, made global headlines after winning the women’s Pro race at a HYROX event in Beijing despite suffering bowel incontinence during the competition on Saturday.

Images and video of Wietrzyk competing with faecal matter smeared across her arms and legs has since gone viral on social media, with many people questioned why she wasn’t forced to stop.

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today

Her coach Chris Bayens shared a tongue-in-cheek post on Instagram on Wednesday as fallout from the incident continued.

“I had a few things on my bingo card for the 26-27 HYROX season. This was absolutely not one of them,” he wrote.

One follower questioned whether the post struck the right tone, pointing out Bayens had only days earlier condemned the personal attacks directed at Wietrzyk.

Bayens acknowledged it was a “fair question” but said he was not attempting to make a joke of what happened or minimise its seriousness.

“It’s more an attempt to take a slightly lighthearted view of what has been, frankly, an absurd few days personally and professionally,” he replied.

“Being part of Joanna’s team, I’m also acutely aware of the sensitivities around the situation and much closer to the reality of it than most people commenting from the outside. 

“I can absolutely condemn the personal attacks while still taking a lighter view of the wider circus that has developed around it.”

Aussie athlete Joanna Wietrzyk was pictured competing with faecal matter smeared across her arms and legs. Credit: Getty, Joanna Wietrzyk

In an earlier post on Monday, Bayens leapt to Wietrzyk’s defence, condemning the “ugly” hatred directed at the athlete.

“What happened was an extraordinary set of circumstances that were unforeseen, rapidly evolving and almost impossible to fully comprehend in real time,” he wrote.

“Decisions were made under competition conditions by an athlete, judges and officials, all responding to a situation none of them could reasonably have prepared for.”

Bayens said it was easy to judge the decisions made during the race with the benefit of hindsight.

“It is very easy to construct the perfect response once the moment has passed,” he wrote.

“Hindsight gives people time, information and distance that simply did not exist for those actually living it.

“Those decisions can be reviewed and lessons can be taken from them. 

“But judging someone’s intent, character or morality through the clarity of hindsight is neither fair nor honest.”

He then criticised the personal attacks. 

“Sport occasionally produces moments that are imperfect and deeply human,” he wrote. 

“Discussion is legitimate.

“The hatred and personal attacks that have followed are not.”

Backlash over the poo drama

Wietrzyk, from Melbourne, competed in the 16-24 age category and won the women’s HYROX Pro race in a time of 1:01:23 after becoming ill.

Wietrzyk competing. Credit: VCG via Getty Images

She later posted a now-deleted selfie from a hospital bed on Instagram with the caption: “Go hard or go home they say … a win is a win.”

While some praised Wietrzyk for pushing through and finishing the gruelling race, others raised concerns about the hygiene risk posed to competitors using the same equipment.

“I respect that she finished the competition. However, other athletes have to use the same equipment after her,” one person wrote on Reddit.

“What I find even more ridiculous is the organisers’ penalty system. Apparently, things like spitting, throwing up, and water bottles can get you penalised. But somehow, sh***** all over yourself and continuing to use shared equipment is just allowed?

“I feel bad for the other competitors. They’re the ones who had to deal with this. The organisers really need to take some responsibility here.”

Joe Ho, who also competed in Beijing, said participants had paid for a “professionally organised and safe event” and argued HYROX needed to take responsibility for what happened.

“For people who were exposed to that situation, there could be genuine physical and psychological consequences,” Ho commented on Instagram.

“I paid Hyrox to provide a professionally organised and safe event. So, while I understand the athlete perspective, ultimately my contract and expectation is with Hyrox.

“Protecting athletes is important, but showing the wider community that HYROX takes responsibility when its own procedures fail is just as important.”

HYROX changes rules 

HYROX co-founder and CEO Moritz Furste apologised to fans and Wietrzyk’s fellow competitors on Tuesday, reversing the organisation’s initial stance on how the incident was handled.

“Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race,” Furste said in a statement.

“I apologise to all that were directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt like we did not handle the situation like we should have.

“In the end it is my job to foresee these potential incidents and I did not.”

Wietrzyk continued competing with faecal matter on her. Credit: Fred Lee/Getty Images

Furste said the organisation had immediately begun changing its procedures and rules in response.

“Of course, we started improving event processes, plus making rulebook changes immediately. 

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

“We learn and try to get better everyday.”

The new rules allow race directors to withdraw an athlete if blood, vomit, urine or faeces creates a welfare or contamination risk to the athlete or other competitors.

Any athlete withdrawn under the rule will be recorded as not finishing the race.

Founded in Germany in 2017, HYROX combines running with functional workout stations.

Competitors run 1km before completing a functional workout, with the sequence repeated eight times throughout the race.

The workout stations include sled pushes, rowing, burpee broad jumps and wall balls.

How can this happen?

While the incident shocked spectators, an exercise gastroenterology expert said bowel problems during extreme endurance or high-intensity events are not uncommon.

Kayla Henningsen, a PhD candidate researching exercise gastroenterology and extreme physiology at Monash University, said it was impossible to determine what caused Wietrzyk’s incident without knowing her medical history, nutrition and hydration status and the conditions on race day.

However, she said intense exercise can affect the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal system.

“During prolonged or maximal exertion, the body prioritises blood flow to working muscles and the skin for cooling, which can reduce blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract and impair normal digestive function,” Henningsen said.

“In some athletes, this can contribute to symptoms ranging from abdominal cramping and urgency to diarrhoea or involuntary bowel movements, particularly when combined with dehydration, heat stress, pre-event nutrition choices or cumulative fatigue.

“What is perhaps more notable from a physiological perspective is the athlete’s ability to continue competing despite significant physical and psychological discomfort.

“This highlights the complex interplay between physiology, mental resilience and performance under extreme stress.”

Henningsen said such incidents were recognised in research into endurance exercise.

“Endurance events can push athletes close to their functional limits, and occasionally the body responds in ways that may seem surprising but are well recognised within exercise gastroenterology and extreme physiology research.”