On August 5, in the women's 50-meter freestyle and women's 4×100-meter medley relay finals at the Paris Olympics, Chinese athlete Zhang Yufei won bronze medals in both events.
So far, Zhang Yufei has been on the podium in all 6 small competitions in this Olympic Games, and has won a total of 6 medals (1 silver medal, 5 bronze medals)!
Counting the Tokyo Olympics, Zhang Yufei won 10 medals (2 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze) in the two Olympic Games, becoming the athlete with the most medals in the history of the Chinese Olympic Games and setting a new record for the Chinese swimming team in the Olympic arena.
Zhang Yufei at the women's 50m freestyle medal ceremony at the Paris Olympics. Source: Xinhua News Agency
The most impressive thing is that Zhang Yufei overcame the difficulties of extreme physical discomfort in the women's 200-meter butterfly final on August 2, Beijing time, and fought hard to win a bronze medal with strong perseverance and will.
Zhang Yufei cried in an interview after the game and told his true physical condition: "I just had a fever yesterday, and after I got better today, I met the first day of my menstrual period, and my whole right side was numb...... To put it bluntly, 'death' also 'dies' in the pool. He still won the Olympic medal despite illness, and his physical fitness and perseverance were amazing, which moved many viewers and netizens, and they felt distressed and admired for Zhang Yufei.
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Many people are also puzzled and puzzled, female athletes have to face their menstrual period, why didn't Zhang Yufei avoid this competition through some technical means? How much does menstrual period affect female athletes?
01
In the Chinese women's swimming team, this is not the first case of Zhang Yufei.
In the women's 4×100m medley relay at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Chinese women's team sent Fu Yuanhui, Shi Jinglin, Lu Ying and Zhu Menghui to compete, and the Chinese team finished fourth.
After the game, Fu Yuanhui has been squatting on the sidelines, her expression looks very painful, in front of the CCTV camera, Fu Yuanhui cried and said, "It's because I didn't swim well, I'm sorry for my teammates." My stomach hurts very much, I have a period, and I am very tired. But that's not the reason, it's that I didn't swim well."
Obviously, Fu Yuanhui also encountered the same problem as Zhang Yufei, the "power of the wilderness" was defeated by the "eldest aunt".
Fu Yuanhui after the women's 4×100m medley relay at the Rio Olympics. CCTV screenshot
However, there are also many examples of female swimmers competing and winning gold during their menstrual period. For example, this time she served as a guest commentator on CCTV and shouted hoarsely for Pan Zhanle to win the championship, and Zhao Jing, a former member of the national swimming team and world champion known as the "Roaring Girl".
In the women's 50-meter backstroke final of the 2013 Barcelona Swimming World Championships, Zhao Jing won the gold medal in 27.29 seconds. At that time, Zhao Jing was also in her menstrual period, and she felt that she was not in good shape, and she was not favored by the outside world before the game.
But judging from the results, her 27.29 seconds won the championship is not much different from the world record of 27.06 seconds, and it can be said that the "big aunt" has little impact on Zhao Jing. Zhao Jing also said after the game that her years of experience in fighting made her basically "immune" to the menstrual period.
Zhao Jing overcame her menstrual period to win the championship. Source: Fengwang
This is not the first time Zhao Jing has won the World Championships during her menstrual period. Previously, in the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, Zhao Jing, who also experienced a menstrual period, came from behind in the women's 100-meter backstroke final and won the championship.
Some media interviewed Zhao Jing how to overcome the problem of menstrual competition, and she said: "When we encounter this situation, we generally take measures to use cotton swabs. There's nothing else, just gritting your teeth and carrying it. ”
02
So, should female swimmers adjust their menstrual period when they encounter competitions?
The professional team doctor of the Shanghai Athletic Sports Training Management Center told the "Xinmin Weekly" reporter that from the perspective of competitive sports, there is no need to adjust the menstrual period of female athletes in the event of a competition, but to deal with it in combination with the specific situation of the athletes themselves. For top athletes, it must be based on individual circumstances.
The team doctor explained that each athlete is different in their individuality, so the specific situation will be different. Some athletes feel that their menstrual period has a great impact on their ability to compete, while others feel that it has little to no effect.
For athletes who feel that they have a great impact, generally speaking, the sports team will evaluate her individual situation, and if it is really necessary to intervene and adjust after the assessment, scientific and targeted intervention and control strategies and measures will be adopted for her menstrual period. If there is no impact, no special intervention is required.
Zhang Yufei in the game. Source: Xinhua News Agency
This kind of regulatory intervention is generally mainly through drugs, and now it also incorporates traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, and combines traditional Chinese and Western medicine. The drugs used must be usable by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The team doctor stressed that the intervention for the adjustment of menstrual period must be carried out by a professional doctor.
As for Zhang Yufei's specific situation, the team doctor said that he was not very clear, and believed that the professional team doctors and coaches of the national swimming team would scientifically grasp it according to his specific situation and training cycle.
03
As the team doctor said, every female athlete has individual differences, and the situation is more complicated. If you do a good job of adjusting your menstrual period, you will improve your ability to compete, and if you don't handle it well, it may adversely affect your physical fitness.
Looking at the entire female population, most people will be troubled by the menstrual cycle. A recent foreign study showed that 49%~65% of female athletes believe that the menstrual cycle affects their performance in competition. Most of them believe that the early follicular (onset of menstruation) and late luteal (before menstrual cramps) have the worst results throughout the menstrual cycle, which is related to menstruation-related symptoms such as dysmenorrhea, headache and fatigue.
These discomforts are associated with decreased estrogen levels, menstrual cramps and headaches may be due to elevated prostaglandin levels, and fatigue is associated with decreased serotonin. Levels of multiple hormones vary dramatically throughout the menstrual cycle. Of these, estrogen levels can change by more than 100% in a 24-hour period. Such a change may theoretically bring about a change in bodily functions.
But at the moment, researchers have not yet reached a definitive conclusion as to whether and how athletic performance fluctuates with the menstrual cycle, due to large differences in how each person responds to the menstrual cycle and insufficient research. Therefore, it is not possible to form a menstrual cycle exercise guidance that works for everyone, and it is recommended to adopt a method that works for you according to the individual's response. As a result, most researchers believe that there is no need to adjust the menstrual cycle of female athletes to improve athletic performance.
Professional athletes who are facing a major competition and have a strong menstrual response can use medication to delay the onset of menstruation. However, unless there are special circumstances, the investigator does not recommend this method, because long-term use of drugs to adjust the menstrual period will inevitably have a harmful effect on the body.
Moreover, a recent analysis of 42 studies with 590 participants showed that, on average, women on oral contraceptives performed slightly worse in exercise compared with women who did not take them. The investigators believe that this may be related to a significant decrease in endogenous estrogen and progesterone levels.
It is hoped that with the progress of research and scientific and technological progress, researchers will have a deeper understanding of the menstrual cycle of female athletes, which can help them better face the competition and develop their athletic potential.
(Source: Xinmin Weekly)