Jazmin Sawyers calls for more openness about menstrual cycle in sport
She revealed she withdrew from the Adidas Boost Boston Games on Sunday because she was in so much pain from her period.
British long jumper Jazmin Sawyers wants sportswomen to feel comfortable talking about how the menstrual cycle can affect their performance after revealing she pulled out of a competition at the weekend due to severe period pain.
Sawyers revealed she withdrew from the Adidas Boost Boston Games on Sunday because she was in so much pain she could barely walk.
The 23-year-old, who won silver at last year’s European Championships and finished eighth at the Rio Olympics, said on Twitter: “I wasn’t going to give an explanation online about why I pulled out of yesterday’s competition but this is something that isn’t talked about enough in sport, and it ought to be.
“About an hour before I was supposed to leave for the track I came on my period – I get VERY bad periods for the first 1-2 days. Can’t walk, intense pain radiating down my legs, head spinning, full body sweating, shouting, crying kind of bad.
“5 mins before leaving for the track all of the above happened. If you don’t have periods, or don’t have them this bad, it’s hard to imagine why I can’t just suck it up and compete, but when you’re in so much pain you can’t walk more than a few steps, and your legs buckle under your own weight, there’s no chance you can jump.”
Sawyers, who revealed her period affected her during long jump qualifying at the Olympics last summer, hopes to show other young female athletes they are “not alone”.
“This happens almost every month,” she added. “Last month I almost missed a flight because I couldn’t drive with the pain, and last year I was only able to compete in the qualification round of the Olympics due to a whole load of painkillers, and still felt awful.
“It’s something I’ve been working with medical staff to fix, but we haven’t yet found a solution. We discuss injuries and illness openly, but this is something we don’t talk about and I wanted to put it out there because I’m sure there are other young athletes dealing with it. Girl, I believe you when you say how bad it is – you’re not alone.”
