Acting as an athlete is not for the faint of heart. The intense dedication poured into training for competitions is not suitable for everyone. This athlete showcased her dedication to her sport and conveyed a powerful message about the moment.
Read on to learn more about this story and what unfolded.
British athlete Emma Pallant-Browne participates in various types of competitions, including triathlon, duathlon, and aquathlon. She is a celebrated athlete, and among her recent accomplishments is winning a silver medal at the Long Distance Triathlon World Championships 2022. In another prestigious competition called Ironman 70.3, she won two medals (silver in 2017, bronze in 2022) and a gold medal at the European Championships.
In her latest multisport challenge, Emma placed fourth. The PTO Tour European Open in Ibiza took place just days after her victory at the Duathlon World Championships.
She participated in the event in Ibiza, was photographed like many athletes, and the pictures were subsequently uploaded to the event’s official page.
Another athlete, Xavier Coppock, noticed something in the picture that others might not have paid attention to. What he noticed later became a major talking point.
Pallant-Browne was running in a pink-blue swimsuit. In the uploaded picture from the event, a red spot was visible, which she got due to her period during the race.
Upon seeing the image, Coppock commented, “Not the most flattering photo of Emma, certainly they could crop it a little better.”
Instead of feeling ashamed about the incident, Emma Pallant-Browne embraced it and decided to use it as a teaching moment for everyone in the world of sports and beyond.
She immediately responded to Coppock’s comment, explaining that her period is regular and that on some days, even when using the most absorbent tampon, the work wouldn’t last longer than 3 hours. She politely thanked him for his interest and explained that this is the reality for many female athletes when they compete.
A few days later, she uploaded the controversial picture to her own Instagram account to emphasize her message. “Celebrating amazing women in sport and the equally amazing men who support them. Impressed by the number of messages I’ve had from men and women about the not-so-glam reality of competing during a period,” she said.
She then provided context for the picture. She wrote, “I was running in a swimsuit because I overheat in hot races and faint, and my body temperature is higher during my period too. I have a full suit for cooler races in dark colors, but we tried the light colors for the cooling effect. It’s dark below and at the back, but my riding position has changed and now I roll more forwards (a lesson for the design of the next suit).”
She further explained, “In many photos, you see nothing, pouring water over yourself at the feed stations works, and if not, you end up with a photo like this, but the idea of editing it means something is wrong with it. If you write to me saying 99% of women you know would be horrified by this, then that’s exactly why I’m sharing it, because there really is nothing wrong with it.”
She added, “It’s natural, and from my eating disorders as a long-distance runner in my youth, where I didn’t have my period, I now see it as something beautiful. So if you have a photo like this, keep it, treasure it, remember how you performed on a tough day, because one day it might help someone else.”
The reason she chose her attire was because it offered her the greatest safety and comfort during competition. She wanted to convey the message that women should not be ashamed of something as natural as their period.
“That’s women’s sport, and the more barriers we can break, the better. After a long career, you end up with a photo like this, but the idea of editing it means something is wrong with it. I share it because there really is nothing wrong with it, it’s something natural,” she wrote.
“So if you have a photo like this, keep it, treasure it, and remember how you performed on a tough day, because one day it might help someone else,” concluded the celebrated athlete in her powerful message to other women.