Sportswear giant Puma has quietly removed the retail line linked to brand representative Joanna Wietrzyk from its online store, after the sponsored athlete competed in a HYROX race covered in her own poo.
HYROX officials allowed the 22-year-old Puma-sponsored athlete to continue competing, and win, the gruelling indoor race after it became clear that Wietrzyk had soiled herself during the Beijing event on Saturday.
Some unfortunate paralells have since been drawn between Puma and the fecal faux-pas.
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Comments such as “poo-ma pants” have been commonly posted alongside viral images of the athlete covered in diarrhoea, with social media commentary escalating to the creation of sport brand-style parodies.
“Sh*t happens. Keep moving,” one parody video said.
“Focus forward. We’ve got your rear. Push without holding back,” another said.
Puma’s collaborative range of performance gear for athletes, including workout clothes and shoes — Joanna Wietrzyk x PUMA — has now disappeared from the Puma online store.
7NEWS has contacted Puma for comment.
Wietrzyk’s coach Chris Bayens spoke out against the public “circus” of commentary now surrounding the incident, and the potential mental health impact on the young athlete.
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“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.”
HYROX co-founder and CEO Moritz Furste has since announced a rule change for the competition, and 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.”
The new HYROX 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.
Athletes soiling themselves is not uncommon during gruelling endurance competitions, as intense levels of prolonged physical activity can cause gastrointestinal distress.
While PUMA has quietly removed the clothing line from the site, it is currently unclear whether there will be any further impacts on the athlete’s sponsorship deal with the brand, or the brand’s link to the endurance competition.
“Everyone looks at HYROX and thinks of PUMA,” Wietrzyk said of her sponsorship with Puma in June.
“So then you look at the athletes who are under the PUMA roster — that’s who they think of when they think of HYROX.
“PUMA being that long-term partner is also great for us as athletes, because we know they’re in it for the long haul.
“For me, signing with PUMA and being a PUMA athlete is pretty special, knowing that I’m supported for beyond this year, for years to come.
“They’ve just signed a long-haul deal so that’s pretty cool to see the evolution of what will happen with the sport and with PUMA there.”
