“It worked all the way up to the month of the Olympics. But then it just stopped working. My body said absolutely not, we’re not doing this, I will be there right on time for you. Four hours before I was supposed to leave for the track for my first Olympics, my period turns up and I’m in excruciating pain.”

Sawyers was faced with a choice: lie down and accept her body’s awful timing, or compete anyway. As a naturally competitive athlete, there was no way she would let her body defeat her. “In the end, I just had to take a load of painkillers and get out there because that was the only way,” she said.

That experience made her vow to never let her cycle sabotage her. “Our bodies are so powerful and sometimes medication just won’t work. Now I try and work with it. I’ll take extra magnesium. extra omega-3s before my period to try and make it less heavy, less painful. I found anti-inflammatories that really work for me. So I am now able to handle my period around my competitions.”

Jazmin Sawyers explains how competing on her period made her more confident