An Aussie athlete has apologised for continuing to compete in an indoor international Hyrox race despite badly soiling herself.

Joanna Wietrzyk, from Melbourne, became the subject of global headlines when she pressed on at an event in Beijing on Saturday despite her legs being covered in diarrhoea from a bowel issue.

The world record-holder smeared faeces on gym equipment used by other competitors as she ploughed through the race.

Wietrzyk went on to win her women’s pro event (ages 16 to 24) in 1.01,23, later posting a photo of herself on an IV drip with the caption, “A win’s a win”.

The incident went viral on social media. It triggered an apology from the organisers, who also said they would changing the competition’s rules.

Hryox is an indoor global fitness competition that combines eight kilometres of running with workouts at eight stations.

After days of silence, Wietrzyk issued a public apology late Thursday (AEST), expressing her regret for not pulling out.

“I want to offer my sincere apology to the people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators and the HYROX organisers for what happened during the race in Beijing,” she wrote on Instagram.

“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 recognise 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.”

Wietrzyk said she realised her actions had spread beyond herself and she was genuinely sorry to “everyone who was affected”.

“I am learning from this experience and will carry those lessons with me, including remembering that there is more to life than racing and knowing when it is right to step away,” she said.

“On reflection, I have decided to retroactively withdraw from the race and forfeit the points I earned.”

She also thanked people for their support.

“It means more to me than I can properly express right now. I will be taking some time to recover, reflect and look after myself and my family away from the noise,” she said.

Hyrox combines running and functional workout stations such as rowing, burpees, and lunges. Participants run a kilometrer, followed by one functional workout station and repeat this eight times.

Each race is hosted indoors in expansive exhibition halls.

Wietrzyk set the women’s solo pro world record at the Warsaw major in April with a time of 54:25.

Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste earlier responded to the backlash by promising to change the rules. He apologised “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”.

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

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

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

Hyrox launched in Germany in 2017. It has races in more than 11 countries and affiliate gyms around the world.