Being an athlete is not for the faint of heart. The strenuous commitment that goes into training for competitions is not for everyone. This athlete showed her commitment to her sport and conveyed a powerful message about the moment. Read on to find out more about this story and what happened. British athlete Emma Pallant-Browne competes in various types of competitions including triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon. She is a celebrated athlete, and her latest achievements include winning a silver medal at the 2022 Long Distance Triathlon World Championships. 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 took part in the event in Ibiza, was photographed like many athletes, and the images were subsequently uploaded to the event’s official page. Another athlete, Xavier Coppock, noticed something in the picture that others might not have noticed. What he noticed later became a major topic of conversation. Pallant-Browne walked in a pink and blue swimsuit. The picture uploaded to the event showed a red spot that she got during the race due to her period. Upon seeing the picture, Coppock commented: “Not the most flattering photo of Emma, certainly they could crop it a bit better.” Instead of being embarrassed by the incident, Emma Pallant-Browne embraced it and decided to use it as a teaching moment for everyone in the world of sport and beyond. She immediately responded to Coppock’s comment, explaining that her period was regular and that some days, even using the most absorbent tampon, it wouldn’t get the job done for more 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 image in question to her own Instagram account to clarify her message. “Celebrate the amazing women in sport and the equally amazing men who support them. Impressed by the number of messages I have received from men and women about the unglamorous reality of period competition,” she said. She then explained the context of the image. She wrote: “I ran in a swimsuit because I overheat and faint in hot races, and my body temperature is also higher during my period. I have a full body suit for cooler races in dark colors, but we tried the light colors for the cooling effect. It’s dark below and behind, but my riding position has changed and now I roll more forward (a lesson for the design of the next suit).” She further explained: “In a lot of photos you don’t see anything, the dousing of water at the aid stations works and if it doesn’t you end up with a photo like this, but the idea of editing it means there’s something wrong with it. If you write to me and say that 99% of the women you know would be horrified by this, then that’s exactly why I’m sharing this, because there’s really 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 a beautiful thing.
So if you have a photo like this, keep it, treasure it, remember how you performed on a difficult day, because one day you might be able to use it to help someone else.” The reason she chose her clothing was because it offered her the most safety and comfort while competing. She wanted to convey the message that women shouldn’t be ashamed of something as natural as their period. “This is 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 there’s something wrong with it. I share it because there’s really nothing wrong with it, it’s a natural thing,” she wrote. “So if you have a photo like this, keep it, treasure it and remember how you performed on a difficult day, because one day you might be able to use it to help someone else,” the celebrated athlete concluded her powerful message to other women.
