Team GB’s Olympic finalist speaks about unrealistic beauty standards and gender discrimination in sports ahead of her retirement.
Friday 19 July 2024 11:08, UK
Team GB star Abigail Irozuru has opened up on how she’s been “ridiculed” for her looks as she shared her experiences of the institutional barriers faced by female athletes.
The 34-year-old, who appeared at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, recently contributed to the Notes on Feminism book about how unfair body standards for women have a negative psychological effect on those wanting to excel as athletes.
In an emotional interview with Sky Sports ahead of her retirement, Irozuru said she has had to endure negative comments about her physique throughout her career.
"I've had abs since I was eight years old," she explained.
"I was doing all sorts of strength training. So, it's just naturally there and my arms are something that I get a lot of comments on, in terms of how muscular they are.
"These days it's definitely more celebrated but for me, I've had times where it's been ridiculed."
One experience on a girls' night out in Tunisia impacted her greatly.
"I basically was called a man in a dress," she said.
"Going out, girls get in for free because that's the vibe sometimes.
"I was stopped at the door and basically questioned as to whether you can get in for free or you have to pay."
She added: "I'm very wary about when my arms are exposed.
"I know that's not everyone's perceptions and 95 per cent of people will just be very loving of athlete bodies, but then my perception is I need to cover this because I look like a man."
In comparison, Irozuru said male athletes are not getting the same level of scrutiny and highlighted other Team GB stars who've faced unnecessary ridicule.
"Men are probably not getting that same level of ridicule. Our bodies, as females are so judged, whether we're too manly and muscular or whether we're not fitting that athletic physique," she added.
"Eilish McColgan, who's an endurance runner, is really very slim and is continually ridiculed despite the fact that she shares that she's eating enough.
"First of all, it's so ridiculous that people feel that they need to even comment and that she has to justify her body shape. It's just crazy."
Professional athletes must balance power with weight ratio and Irozuru believes women in sports can get into a "danger zone" of thinking they are overweight.
"I think the irony is that we need to eat sufficiently to avoid injuries and to have enhanced performance.
"But when you have a negative body image and your feeling is that you need to lose weight because it's actually necessary, people can get into the danger zone because they've been forced into a position where they're perceived as overweight and [have] maybe not been given the support network."
Her Nigerian heritage also influenced her views of "ideal beauty", and she spoke about inheriting "negative mindsets" from her parents, despite it being unintentional.
"It's something we have to try and shake off and not repeat", she said.
It was only a year ago when Wimbledon relaxed its strict all-white dress code to accommodate tennis players during their menstrual cycle.
Sky Sports previously spoke to Baz Moffat, former Team GB rower, trainer and coach, who said a woman's monthly cycle alongside a regular daily cycle and hormonal contraception are factors to consider when researching female health whereas men have the same hormonal cycle.
Irozuru said there must be a "structural institutional change" and more research around menstruation.
"Ultimately, we still need to be able to perform, so we can't really necessarily use it as an excuse. What can we do?
"We're not all going to be able to sync our cycles as world-class athletes in an Olympic final. Unfortunately, it's not possible. However, are there ways for us to minimise the negative impacts that's not going to affect us emotionally, like a lot of these pills currently do.
"I have been on the pill specifically, not for any type of sexual reasons. The motivation was I need to manage my periods around my performance.
"Unfortunately, it had a completely negative impact on my emotional health."
She added: "We are not simply males in a different form. We are our own biological construct.
"I think that because female elite sport is relatively new - the last 100 years - and male elite sport has been ongoing for the longest time, all the research is around men, and nothing is around women.
"We need to just change that."
In March 2023, research showed that all types of hormonal contraceptives could increase the risk of women getting breast cancer and another study found that certain contraceptive injections were linked to an increased brain tumour risk.
Besides its effect on emotions, many hormonal contraceptives have health risks.
Through tracking her performance and moods while menstruating, "there was a specific time of the month that my injuries would occur, and it was significantly linked to that time of my [menstruation] cycle", said Irozuru.
By taking notes, it allowed her to adapt training with coaches in advance and avoid having to use contraceptive pills to regulate her cycle.
Now, the long jumper is planning for retirement, but it's not the first time she's called it quits.
In 2016, Irozuru retired for a short period after rupturing her achilles and missed out on the 2012 Games.
At 34, the accomplished athlete has certainly made a name for herself and although she'll be continuing to better her long jump distances (over 6.5m+), she's looking forward to "creating a life beyond competitive sport."
"I think it's a whole load of different factors that lead into retirement," she said.
"You start to realise that what you would previously have called investments, you now see is more of a sacrifice".
"I just think it's the right time. I have fulfilled the Olympic dream."
