I found this"When I first started competing, I wore running knickers – as is the norm in athletics – and I often felt self-conscious. As soon as you take one stride, they are up your bum. Doing the hurdles, when your legs are spreading, or in the high jump with the angle of the camera on you in inappropriate places, you cannot help but have a worried thought creep into your head. When you should be focusing on your performance, instead you are thinking, “Oh gosh, I don’t want to have my bum coming out”.
It takes away from feeling confident, and is an unfair distraction for women trying to compete. Ahead of London 2012, I had a lot of conversations about running knickers. At a time when you want to feel comfortable, dignified and supported by your kit, instead you feel at risk of being exposed to the world. That is why there is such an important conversation to be had between women athletes, governing bodies and kit manufacturers.
With Adidas, I remember giving them the feedback about running knickers and how they go up your bum. They did then make changes to the kit, bringing in the rubber sticky edges to help the knickers stay in place and changing the waistband to make it higher and in a fixed position. It is so important that athletes are asked how they feel in their kit, and particularly from the perspective of feeling sexualised. Why does it matter? Because, unfortunately, a kit malfunction can go viral and forever after that is what you are known for. "