KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 30 -- Australian Hyrox athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has said that she considered quitting the sport after facing widespread online abuse over an incident in which she soiled herself but continued competing during a race in Beijing last month.

In an exclusive interview with the BBC ahead of her return to competition in Hamburg, Germany, today, the world record holder described the past several weeks as a "mentally and emotionally taxing period", revealing that even her family had received threats.

Wietrzyk said she had withdrawn from social media and tried to isolate herself following the backlash, which began after images of her competing with faecal matter on her body circulated widely online.

"Yes, I did make the wrong ...