A viral moment at HYROX Beijing on September 12 has turned into a full-blown story about sports, shame, and brand loyalty. Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk soiled herself mid-race and chose to keep competing. The clip spread fast, with critics calling it a biohazard on shared equipment and others praising her grit. Her coach, Chris Bayens, publicly defended her, saying what happened was extraordinary and that judging her intent through hindsight isn’t fair. Organizers backed her too, but the online trolling kept coming.
Then fans noticed something bigger. Wietrzyk’s collaborative range,“Joanna Wietrzyk x PUMA,”is no longer on Puma’s global online store. All promotional references to her appear to have been removed as well. No statement, no explanation. It’s unclear whether Puma ended the partnership or Wietrzyk asked to be taken down, and neither side has confirmed anything. Her only public comment was a now-deleted Instagram post reading“a win is a win.”
The story keeps pulling at bigger questions. Should athletes be allowed to continue after a biohazard moment? What do hygiene rules in indoor fitness competitions actually say? And when a brand goes silent, is that accountability or just quiet damage control? Wietrzyk hasn’t spoken publicly since, leaving the internet to fill in the blanks.
What do you think: did Puma handle this the right way, or did they owe her a public statement?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.