Munich. British sprint star Dina Asher-Smith missed the gold medal in both the 100 and 200 meters at WC.
Now reveal why:
Menstrual discomfort.
-If it were for male athletes, there would be a million different ways to fight this problem, but for us women more research is needed, she tells Athletics Weekly.
Asher-Smith wants to invest more money in sports research on a potentially crucial issue in the major leagues.
Just as it was with the 100m title holder Asher-Smith this time, when she finished last in the final and narrowly missed the finish line. Most people thought she cut herself, but the explanation was simpler than that.
– It’s a shame because I’m in pretty good shape, but sometimes things just don’t go quite the way you want them to.
– It’s a big deal and something we don’t talk about much either, although many girls go through unexpected downs without getting any explanation. Therefore, more research is needed on these questions.
‘A subject rarely discussed’
Menstrual discomfort is a huge problem for female athletes and can, at worst, destroy the entire tournament.
Shmtai Salpeter, the Israeli medalist, was very open about it after the marathon at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.
She was in the group only four kilometers from the nearly four-mile race, when she had just inexplicably stopped.
After that, she explained that she had such severe menstrual pain that she couldn’t take it any longer and had to take a long break.
Meanwhile, she was overtaken by almost the entire field and eventually ranked 66th out of 73 novices.
– I was in good shape, but I knew it was going to be a tough day. We women go through these periods, and for some it is fine and for others it is more difficult.
It’s a subject that is rarely brought up and I also feel uncomfortable talking about it. “But I have nothing to hide and I hope to raise awareness among my fellow competitors so that they will dare to open up and tell their coaches how they feel,” Salpeter said.
A Norwegian study last year showed that the majority of female female athletes and cross-country skiers feel they perform worse during menstruation.
The survey also showed that it was something skaters rarely shared with their coaches.
It’s basically a bug in the system, researcher Öyvind B. Sandbakk said when the report was presented.
