Alyssa McElheny, the athlete who finished behind Joanna Wietrzyk at the controversial HYROX Beijing event, has offered an update following widespread backlash over how the competition was handled.

Background on the incident

Wietrzyk completed the HYROX Pro women's event in 1:01:23, finishing ahead of McElheny, the current HYROX World Champion, despite footage showing her soiling herself mid-race. She continued through several remaining stations, including the rowing machine, sled push, and medicine ball throw, sparking widespread criticism online over hygiene, athlete welfare, and how event organisers responded.

HYROX confirmed that affected equipment was removed, race lanes were sanitised, and sections of carpet were replaced, with further deep cleaning scheduled before competition resumed the following day. The organisation acknowledged the criticism directly, stating: "We recognize that this can understandably lead to frustration, questions, and strong views within our community. Those concerns are legitimate and, as organizers, we must be prepared to hear them, examine what happened, and take responsibility for continuing to improve. And we will." HYROX has since updated its rulebook following the incident.

What McElheny said

Rather than directly addressing the controversy, McElheny shared photographs from her time competing in Beijing, writing: "Beijing - you were INCREDIBLE. I've never experienced such a passionate, kind, loving crowd. Thank you so much for your cheers and hospitality. I'll be back!" She did not reference Wietrzyk or the surrounding controversy in her post. Several Instagram users responded by calling her the "real winner" of the event.

How Wietrzyk has responded

Wietrzyk has not addressed the controversy in detail, though she briefly referenced her situation in a now-deleted Instagram Story posted from a hospital bed, writing: "Go hard or go home they say ... a win is a win," before adding, "In all seriousness, thank you for all the support. I'll be back soon x." Her coach, Chris Bayens, defended her publicly, describing the incident as "an extraordinary set of circumstances that were unforeseen, rapidly evolving, and almost impossible to fully comprehend in real time," and noting that officials, judges, and Wietrzyk herself were all responding to a situation none of them could have reasonably prepared for.