Olympic runner Dina Asher-Smith wants more funding to study how periods affect athletic performance

Olympic medalist Dina Asher-Smith wants more funding to research the impact a woman’s period may have on their athletic performance after the British runner finished last during her 100 meters title at the European Championships in Munich. 

Midway through her race on Tuesday, The 26-year-old suffered a cramp in her calf, caused by her period, and finished last. However, Asher-Smith, later in the week, easily qualified on Thursday evening for the 200m semifinals. 

“It is a huge topic for women in sport,” she told BBC Sport. “It is something I think more people need to research from a sports science perspective.”

“Sometimes you see girls who have been so consistent have a random dip, and behind the scenes they have been really struggling,” Asher-Smit added. “It could do with more funding because if it was a men’s issue we would have a million different ways to combat things.”

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“[It was] girl stuff [on Tuesday]. It was frustrating, but just one of those things,” she said shortly after winning her Thursday race with a time of 22.53 seconds.

“It is a shame because I am in really good shape, so I was really looking to come and run fast here, but sometimes, that is not the way that everything pans out.”

Recently, more female athletes have begun to speak more openly about how periods can impact their performance on the field, including one of the world’s top female golf players Lydia Ko. Fellow European medalist Jenny Meadows also agreed with Asher-Smith’s comments. 

“It’s important to see a global superstar like Dina saying ‘this is normal, it affects me too,’” Meadows said. “It affects every single female and having people at the top of the sport like Dina. It’s an important reminder for us all to be kind. Every woman is different.”