Three-time Olympian Hannah Miley wants to banish dangerous euphemisms for periods that could leave young athletes feeling “dirty” or ashamed.
A study by period and pregnancy tracker app Clue and the International Women’s Health Coalition uncovered over 5,000 alternative terms for the monthly cycle across 10 different languages – yet conversations around the topic still remain taboo.
Miley finds when those rare discussions do happen, they are filled with unhelpful metaphors that recall adverts featuring blue liquid poured on pads and overjoyed women wearing all-white outfits.
“It all comes back to that simple word of just saying ‘period’,” said the swimmer, who competed at Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016.
“A lot of people struggle to say it. It’s ‘shark week’, ‘leak week’ so many different words. The fact that we couldn’t even say ‘period products’, it was hygiene, sanitary products – that in and of itself creates that invisible barrier of being able to talk about it.
“If you can’t say the word, then how can you actually talk about the topic?
“It’s just a very deep-rooted societal view that they’re dirty, they’re inconvenient, you’re emotional, you’re not in control of your body and you’re weak.
“In sport there’s a great advocacy in the sense that we can prove female athletes can be strong, we can prove that female athletes can be in control of their emotions, but it’s making sure that these athletes remain healthy.”
Some of the euphemisms on the Museum of Menstruation and Women’s Health’s exhaustive list include “the communists have invaded the summer house” and “get the crime scene tape”.
There’s also the classic, “mother nature’s gift”, which as Miley distinctly recalls featured in a 2009 print advert campaign for Tampax starring Serena Williams.
The series sets up Mother Nature – portrayed as a sort of stern schoolmarm-slash-Stepford Wife – against the 23-time Grand Slam winner.
In one, Williams smashes a ball through Mother Nature’s (literal) gift box, while another reads “Mother Nature has met her match”.
It’s the sort of outdated antagonistic attitude Miley is hoping to change through her work with UK Coaching’s Duty to Care campaign, which is providing support and resources for participants who want to better understand the way menstrual cycles affect athletes – and not just negatively.
The double Commonwealth Games champion said: “A regular cycle is an indicator of health. It’s like a report card. Also being on your period, there is a benefit in cognitive function, being able to learn new skills.
“It’s all about that management strategy. Pain tolerance has increased, so whilst your oestrogen and progesterone levels are lower, your testosterone is higher, so the ability for strength and power is actually really good.”
A May 2023 Project RED-S survey of 159 elite, junior and senior athletes in Britain revealed significantly more respondents received menstrual health education and support from social media (57 per cent) than coaches (6.9 per cent).
Miley is adamant that needs to change and hopes more information and research will not just eliminate awkwardness between coaches and athletes, but actually inspire tailored training and open dialogue beyond elite level.
She added: “It all comes back to being able to read and understand your body. It’s not something you’re taught in school.
“It’s the basics of you’re on your period, you’re not pregnant. You’re not on your period, you’re pregnant.”
“But there’s so much more to it, the ability to track, understanding the peak and flow, working with your body to prime important training types, being able to map and plan it.”
“That’s why it’s so important for coaches to be on board with this, so they can help their athletes reach their full potential, so that the person who is menstruating to get the most out of their sport, but not come away from it broken and damaged, so they can have as long a career as they want to.”
Jude Bellingham targets trophy treble after Laureus breakthrough award
Jude Bellingham has targeted a trophy treble on the pitch after picking up silverware at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid.
Bellingham won the World Breakthrough of the Year prize after a stunning start to life at Real Madrid.
The 20-year-old has scored 21 goals since his summer move from Borussia Dortmund, his latest effort being a stunning winner in Sunday’s El Clasico against Barcelona.
Bellingham now hopes to end the season with a LaLiga and Champions League double at Real before heading to Euro 2024 in Germany where England are among the favourites to win the trophy.
Asked what would mean success, Bellingham said: “I think just more trophies really.
“We’re still in with a chance of two with Madrid and obviously the Euros with England. So I think success would be all three.
“It’s been a bit of a crazy week, really. I’m so tired, to be honest. So excuse me if I look it.
“But I’m really proud to win this award and hopefully keep making more memories with Real Madrid and with England in the future.”
Novak Djokovic was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for a record-equalling fifth time after winning the Australian Open, French Open and US Open to lead the way with 24 grand slam men’s singles titles.
“I am incredibly honoured to have won my fifth Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award,” said Djokovic.
“I think back to 2012, when I won it for the first time as a 24-year-old. I am very proud to be here 12 years later, reflecting on a year that brought me and my fans a lot of excitement and success.
“It was thrilling to return to Australia last January and win my 10th title. It is a tournament that is so dear to my heart and set me up for an incredible 12 months.
“I could not have achieved so much success without an incredible team behind me, and inspirational rivals who have always pushed me to be the best version of myself.”
Aitana Bonmati took to the stage twice to collect two awards – the first footballer to win the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year trophy, and also represent the Spain team which won the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
She said: “It is humbling to see the list of previous winners of this award.
“From Serena Williams to Simone Biles, Lindsey Vonn, Naomi Osaka and last year’s winner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, they are all incredible athletes who have not only excelled in their chosen sports, but been incredible role models for younger generations of young women and girls.
“As the first women’s team to win the Laureus, we are proud of our status as pioneers and as a group we are as committed to equality and representation as we are to what we do on the football pitch.”
American gymnast Biles, a three-time winner of Sportswoman of the Year, won the World Comeback of the Year Award.
Biles collected four gold medals at the World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, her first global event since leaving the Tokyo Olympics due to mental health issues and entering a near two-year break from the sport she had dominated.
Other award winners were Rafael Nadal (Sport for Good), Diede de Groot (World Sportsperson of the Year with a disability) and Arisa Trew (World Action Sportsperson of the Year).
:: The 25th Laureus World Sports Awards took place on Monday 22 April in Madrid, celebrating the leading names in sport from across the globe. To find out more, visit www.laureus.com.
Mark Selby ponders walking away from snooker after ‘pathetic’ Crucible loss
Mark Selby has vowed to consider retirement after crashing out of the World Snooker Championship in a “pathetic” 10-6 defeat to qualifier Joe O’Connor.
The four-time former champion finished a dismal season by his own standards on a low note as he failed to claw back a 7-2 overnight deficit against the only debutant in this year’s draw.
Having first questioned his future after a Tour Championship defeat to Gary Wilson earlier this month, Selby admitted something will have to change if he is to continue on the tour next season.
Selby, who has reached a solitary ranking final this season, said: “I will take a long time to think about it over the summer. Away from snooker I’m happy, then when I come to snooker it’s the opposite. It was pathetic from start to finish.”
O’Connor, who grew up idolising Selby and cheered him to three of those previous successes, held his nerve as his opponent – aided by breaks of 112 and 91 – slowly reduced the deficit to 8-5 at the mid-session interval.
Selby threatened to move within two frames when he went 39 points up in the 15th but he left himself too much to do and O’Connor built on a nerveless red down the rail to complete the biggest win of his career.
It marked the first time since 2018 that Selby has lost in the first round, and prompted ‘The Jester from Leicester’ to concede he will not be able to continue without some serious help.
He told the BBC: “I’ll sit down with (my wife) Vicky and see what the options are.
“Obviously it will be a big decision but if I do carry on playing I need help, probably on the mental side of it a little bit more just to go out there and enjoy the game.
“That’s all I want to do, go out there and enjoy it and for me, it’s always sort of life or death; I’ve always been that kind of character, putting too much pressure on myself and trying too hard.”
Shaun Murphy avoided the same fate as he turned a 6-3 overnight advantage into a comfortable 10-5 win over China’s Lyu Haotian.
Murphy punished Lyu from 38 points behind to pinch the opening frame, and was never in danger of surrendering his advantage in the tie, which he eventually polished off with a break of 81.
The 2005 champion told the BBC: “It’s such a relief, it’s so rewarding and pleasing, I haven’t won a match here for a few seasons. I’m delighted to have got that win and (be) in the second round of the tournament.”
Triple world champion Mark Williams edged in front of last year’s surprise semi-finalist Si Jiahui in a high-quality opening session of their first round match.
Williams started the match with a brilliant 142 clearance but Si hit back, and the Welshman had to dig deep to win the final two frames of the session to establish a 5-4 lead ahead of Tuesday’s conclusion.
Stuart Bingham stormed into an impressive three-frame lead to give him a healthy advantage at the end of the first session, leading Gary Wilson 6-3.
Bingham started in tremendous fashion, falling just two points short of an opening-frame century break and he rattled off the next three before Wilson made his mark on the scoreboard.
Bingham responded with a 117 break to go 5-1 up and put daylight between himself and his opponent, who many expected to challenge for the title.
Staring down the barrel of an early exit, Wilson’s session-high 60 break came in the final frame but a missed black helped Bingham swoop and almost clear the table until he himself missed a routine black, which his opponent sunk to reduce the deficit to three.
Emile Cairess dedicates impressive London Marathon display to cousin
Emile Cairess dedicated his stunning run at the London Marathon to his cousin, who was left in a coma after a car crash earlier this year.
Cairess finished third in the second fastest time by a British man in two hours, six minutes and 46 seconds.
The run should rubber-stamp his place Great Britain team for this summer’s Olympics.
But Cairess’ immediate thoughts were with his 22-year-old cousin, Oliver Burton, who is still in hospital but out of intensive care.
“He’s my little cousin, like a little brother to me, and a couple of months ago he was in a bad accident,” said Cairess, 26.
“He was in a coma for about a month and just came out of ICU a few days ago,
“It was so stressful, it was touch and go at some points but he’s made a fantastic recovery in the last couple of weeks.
“This morning I was really emotional. Hopefully I’ve made him proud today.”
Cairess did not even know he was third, behind winner Alexander Munyao of Kenya and 41-year-old Kenenisa Bekele, until about 200m from the finish line.
“I heard it over the tannoy,” he added. ” I passed about four people in the space of a minute around the 39km mark and I thought I’d already passed a few from the front group.
“I was like ‘there can’t be many more left so I must be in a decent position’ but I didn’t know, I could have been sixth or seventh. When I heard I was third it was a great feeling.”
Another Briton, Mahamed Mahamed, finished fourth, making it the first time two home runners have finished in the top four since Kevin Forster and Hugh Jones in 1988.
Mahamed was catching Cairess in the closing stages and although he could not quite overhaul his team-mate, he was still inside the Olympic qualifying time.
“Me and Mahamed have been racing since we were 13, so we’ve always been neck and neck,” said Cairess.
“We’ve always progressed together so it’s fantastic to see him doing so well. A lot of people drop out of the sport but we kept going and it’s paid off for us.”
Munyao managed to shake off veteran Ethopian Bekele, who was bidding for a first London Marathon win some 20 years after he took Olympic 10,000m gold, with around three miles to go.
“At 40km I thought I could win the race,” he said. “It’s the biggest win in my career because it is my first major marathon.
“There was a little fear because I know Bekele is a threat but I was confident over the last few kilometres.”
Before the start of the men’s race and the mass race, tributes were paid to last year’s winner Kelvin Kiptum, who died in a car accident in February.
Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir smashed the women’s-only world record to win a thrilling women’s race.
The Kenyan kicked for home as she turned on to The Mall and won in 2:16.16.
Four runners were in with a shout down the final straight and Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa came in second, ahead of Joyciline Jepkosgel in third with Megertu Alemu fourth.
The previous world record for a women-only race was 2:17.01 by Mary Jepkosgei Keitany in London in 2017.
“I’m so happy for today’s victory,” said Jepchirchir. “I wasn’t expecting to run a world record. I thought there might be one – but I didn’t think it would be me.”
Marcel Hug won a record fourth-consecutive men’s wheelchair race, the Swiss ‘Silver Bullet’, 38, clocking 1:28.33.
Daniel Romanchuk of the United States was second with Britain’s David Weir third in his 25th consecutive London Marathon.
Weir, 44, said: “Keeping up with Marcel for 20 miles, it was one of the best races I’ve done on this course.
“Some of these guys are 10 or 20 years younger than me. But I promised myself I’d come back and get on the podium.”
The women’s wheelchair race was won by a distance by another Swiss, Catherine Debrunner.
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