Elite women athletes called 'fat' by senior UK Athletics officials

I really think that the person who made these remarks should have the courage to justify them in public. Of course, if they are unjustifiable then the person concerned may wish to reconsider their position with UKA as they obviously don't have a fucking clue.

5'4" and 9 stone - blimey, I was that weight and height at 14, and wasn't muscly but neither was I fat. It's bang in the middle of the healthy range. If she lost weight she could also lose power - a heptathlete has to keep that balance between power & speed. Also if they are too light & weak they could get injured more easily - as many underweight athletes do, constantly. I'd say she looks smaller & lighter than most other heptathletes.

Let the results speak for themselves anyway, Jess.

Well ahah to Jess Ennis she has just set a new World record ! Fat i dont think so ! positive image for healthly young women Tick Go Girl

As a teenager track runner, I found that athletics coaches thought female runners should be tall, thin (and preferably blond). If you're not that shape, they tend towards disinterested/derogatory, no matter your results. Going abroad to race and train was a revelation.

Jessica Ennis cannot be overweight if her six pack is so visble. She is a power athlete, not a 10000m runner or marathon runner, and if she lost any weight she would most likely lose muscle mass and performance, rather than make any gains. Her pb for 800m is 2:07 which is extremely fast from someone training for 7 other events and impossible for someone overweight.

Pointless comments. My guess would be that they came from an old fashioned distance running coach.

Sorry, the person who made the comment.....was clueless!

Jessica Ennis is a top, world class athlete. She is not a fashion model (and man of THEM admit, years later to eating disorders). This was a ridiculous and potentially damaging remark to make and there's nothing funny, nothing to "laugh off" about it.

Many years ago, I trained in classical ballet. It gave me a body which was slender and muscular and strong. I was 5 ft 6in and weighed at my best performance weight, 7 stone to 7 and a half stones. When told by a tutor, that I might lose a few pounds in order to optimise my "look", I went down to 6st 10lbs. Made myself I'll. Didn't have the physical strength to walk about never mind do class, rehearse and perform. I ended up in hospital, rather ill.

Athletes today have very careful physical monitoring. Trainers/physio/nutritionists. That's for a reason, to keep them in peak performance and well, psychologically as well as to achieve in their field.

Clearly the writer was clueless.

Jessica Enis fat? That's probably the most ridiculous statement I've read this month.

I wish I was 'fat' like that.

Ridiculous. I'd love to know the justification for that comment.

Let's see the 'unnamed official' made to run the 800m and do the other events alongside Jessica (with crowds allowed in to point and laugh). Then we'll soon see who looks like they're 'carrying too much weight'.

The unnamed official from UK Athletics who made this comment should:

needs to become famous

Agree - disgraceful comment.

Go Jess!

The unnamed official from UK Athletics who made this comment should:

A be named & shamed; and
B Fired.

It's beyond disgraceful behaviour - it's idiotic, damaging & shameful.

UK Athletics need their eyes testing and their mouths sealing with cellotape after they have removed their size tens from it.

How do that comment help anyone? It doesn't help the general public and it doesn't help Jessica.

I think UK Athletics have brain malfunctions.

Fat?! What planet are those officials on?

Jessica Ennis has my dream physique!! I'm seriously thinking about putting a small picture of her up on the fridge for when I start my get-back-to-fitness campaign after my LO arrives (if he actually bothers. 40+6 and getting very frustrated).

She looks healthy, toned and there is no way you could compete at that level if you weren't doing something right! Good article in the telegraph from annabelle croft commenting on how outrageous the pressure is (and was also for her as a tennis player)

It is fortunate that Jess is such a strong character and Toni (her coach) will not take any shit. Whilst I appreciate that the idiot at UKA does see Jess I think that the majority of the public, who only see athletes on TV, would be amazed at how tiny a lot of them are when seen in real life.

Well I'd love to be as "fat" as her!

I"ve long thought the weird body weight attitude we've had in this country cloaks itself in a "health" message but actually is more about straightforward body fascism - and a desire for women to be as skeletal as possible. Because there's a far greater spectrum of healthy weights than the fashion media / general public on their comments boards will allow.

I'm surprised and disappointed it's even raised its head in a sphere which should be all about fitness, rather than physical appearance. The full quote was "she?s fat and she?s got too much weight" so the Telegraph didn't misquote, the Independent just ran the last bit of the quote. Presumably because grammatically it doesn't make much sense - but we all get the idea...

I'd swap bodies with her! She is a fantastic healthy role model, and she should be proud of her accomplishments through hard work and dedication.

Ignore them Jessica, we think you are great!

The badminton player Gail Emms was on the radio talking about this the other day and was saying that during her most intense training she was being monitored by some sports scientests or something, and that even when she was world number one, they kept telling her that she would be much better at badminton if she lost some weight. She said she was in her late 20s at the time (I think) and feeling confident enough to say to them that as she was already the best in the world, it could hardly make her all that much better, but that she dreaded to think what comments like that would have done to her if she had been ten years younger. She said that it was constant, not just a one off comment. Its so depressing and it makes me so so

I have a vague recollection that years ago they were having a pop at Fatima Whitbread and Tessa Sanderson for their size as well - I don't really understand why it matters. If the woman is doing well, which all mentioned here are/did, then WTAF does it matter if they're a little outside of some narrow-minded bigoted moron official's range of acceptable?

I find it really appalling that comments like this are not met with some kind of disciplinary, especially with the sad case of Holly going on as well - of course many people will ignore the aspersions and carry on but there is always going to be a subset of people who take them to heart.

I was at school with a girl who competed at county level in swimming - she had big muscular shoulders and was an excellent swimmer. But, someone somewhere made fun of her size - within a couple of years she was stick thin through anorexia and couldn't swim anything like as well - I believe she actually died of it a few years after that. :(

Tis BS. DS is not a lot taller than me and weighs 40 lbs more, and the difference is all muscle. DD1 gained just over a stone of pure muscle her first year of competitive swimming and she needed it all.

Gnome, that is why I never let DS do wrestling in the football off-season. He lifted weights instead and ran.

I wish I was as fat as her...

Mmmmm the real McHoy as he is known up here in Scotland is another example of fine athletic hotness musculature.

Yes, I bet Chris Hoy's BMI is over 25. Actually I think just one of his thighs would have a BMI of over 25.