International Women’s Day

Jo Pavey
When Jo Pavey crossed the finish line first at the European Championships 10,000 metres last year to be draped in the union flag, she gained a legion of female fans. At the age of almost 41, she became the oldest female European champion. Not just that, but she had given birth to her second child just 10 months previously. What probably inspired most, though, was her candour. She told reporters that she was still breastfeeding at the time – another of those female bodily functions, along with periods, that the athletics world likes to ignore. She falls into Superwoman territory and, while we may not be first across the finish line, it’s nice to know you can be a mother and a sportswoman.