U.S. track runner talks about choosing to have an abortion in lead-up to 2008 Olympics
The Olympic gold medallist opens up about issues female track athletes face in regards to their reproductive health.
U.S. track runner and Olympic gold medallist Sanya Richards-Ross is speaking bluntly about reproductive health issues faced by women in the sport.
The 400m runner’s memoir Chasing Grace is hot off the press and as such, she has been the interview subject for media outlets interested in the world of track and middle distance running. It was in a very recent interview with Sports Illustrated when she was asked a two-fold question about her decision to have an abortion in the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and to then go public about it.
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In 2008, Richards-Ross was one of the strongest 400m runners in the world. When she found out about her unplanned pregnancy, she decided to have an abortion to keep her career on track and aim for gold. She ended up going bronze in Beijing, was on the winning 4 x 400m relay team and took the gold medal the next time around in London.
In her Sports Illustrated interview, which was also picked up by LetsRun.com, Richards-Ross did not tip-toe around the topic of reproductive health issues in track and distance running.
“The truth is it’s an issue that isn’t really talked about especially in sports, and a lot of young women have experienced this. Like, I literally do not know another female track athlete who hasn’t had an abortion and that’s sad. For me, I’m hoping that this will open up some discussions to help especially young women who (are) in my situation not experience what I did.”
She also explained that the reason why so many women in this community ended up with unwanted pregnancies is mainly due to poor sex education or lack thereof.
According to Richards-Ross, when training in college track, several athletes were getting their sex education from their peers– an often unreliable source. On top of that, she said, many female runners avoid the birth control pill because of its physical side effects and the fear that those who use it are in for significant weight gain. Thirdly, women who train at this high level where their bodies go through immense physical exertion often end up with disrupted or absent menstrual cycles and being misinformed about reproductive health makes this situation all the more complicated.
While Richards-Ross has moved on from this experience and is now expecting a child with her husband, she is being outspoken about it now as other high-level female athletes deal with similar issues. Her memoir will be appearing on shelves of book stores in the coming weeks.
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