Illness meant she was once in so much pain she almost quit cycling as she struggled to stand up, now Elinor Barker has made Welsh sporting history. Barker has now won more Olympic medals than any other Welsh woman after earning her fourth in the madison event on Friday, claiming silver with Neah Evans. The 29-year old has now won medals at the last three Olympic Games, adding to her team pursuit gold medal in Rio in 2016, silver in Tokyo in 2021 and bronze in Paris.
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places and can cause serious pain. It is also an under diagnosed condition, with the worldwide average time of diagnosis close to seven years, despite it affecting around 1 in 10 women. Barker won gold in Rio with her condition still undiagnosed and underwent surgery to improve her symptoms.
Despite admitting her reality was once that she was in too much pain to even sit on a bike, Barker says she feels she is in a relatively lucky position compared to others suffering with the condition. "I was waiting for a diagnosis and I was lucky,” she told BBC Radio Wales. “The average diagnosis is about seven years and it took me about three to four years from my first appointment to actually having surgery and starting to find some solutions.
"One of the beautiful things of getting older is I now know my body better than I ever have done before. I know how to cope in a variety of different situations and get the best out of mysel.