A HYROX-affiliated gym owner has lashed out at the event after an Australian athlete was allowed to continue competing despite being covered in her own faecal matter.

Joanna Wietrzyk, 22, was competing at the Beijing event when she appeared to soil herself, as faecal matter covered her legs and arms.

Ms Wietrzyk — who is ranked No. 1 in the world in the elite women’s singles category — went on to win the event with an impressive time of 1.01.23, and scooped up a $21,033 prize.

However, the Melbourne athlete has come under fire for putting her fellow competitors and HYROX volunteers at risk of contracting an illness from her faecal matter.

“Defecating on yourself & leaving a trail of feces on the competition floor should be an immediate disqualification. Every athlete following her was put at a health risk & a disadvantage,” one person said on social media.

HYROX-affiliated gym owner Chance Bex took to Facebook, saying the elite fitness event has been “forever tainted” by the incident, especially given Ms Wietrzyk has not apologised for not stopping the race.

“By now anyone who participates in athletics has seen the moment on social media and news outlets and it’s a F’ing joke and mockery of what HYROX is and was,” he said.

Ms Wietrzyk posted a selfie of her hooked up to an IV drip after the race, with the caption: “Go hard or go home … a win is a win. In all seriousness, thank you for all the support. I’ll be back soon x.”

Another unnamed owner, who is also a HYROX athlete, acknowledged the incident would have been “upsetting” for Ms Wietrzyk, but withdrew sympathy after her post did not appear to contain an apology.

“I read her Instagram and all the empathy I had went out the window,” the owner said.

“Her win caused many others. . . to stop their own race in which they too had been training for, and put racers and spectators at risk.

“It would have been better had she stopped, but she was a selfish athlete. She felt she was more important than anyone else and that is where a person’s values and morals come in.”

Both owners appear to be investigating cancelling their gyms’ affiliation with HYROX training.

“I was already on the fence about HYROX but now they are on damage control. Looking forward to cancelling my official status with them,” the second owner said.

“We have all been training hard so I will still be competing with my group, but that will be the end of the road for me with Hyrox and I know I am not the only gym owner who feels this way.”