An Australian athlete apologized Thursday for continuing — and winning — her race in China over the weekend after experiencing an involuntary bowel movement during competition.
\n\nJoanna Wietrzyk, a 24-year-old from Melbourne, said she should have pulled off the track during the women’s 16-to-24 Hyrox event in Beijing on Saturday.
\n\nThe athlete said she hadn’t felt any symptoms before the race that might have warned her about what was to come.
\n\n“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,” Wietrzyk said in statement.
\n\n“I felt completely fit and healthy at the start of the race, with no reason to expect any illness. 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.”
\n\nHyrox is a relatively new indoor sport that combines running and performing high-intensity exercises at various workout stations. It’s not an Olympic sport, but its backers hope it could make the Games in 2032 or…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/sports