We kick off a Summer of Sport with Denise Lewis, Jessica Ennis and Laura Kenny
Where were you on Super Saturday? Whether you were scrubbing your shower, bending your body into a Downward Dog or among the privileged few who scored tickets to watch Team GB athletes put in a performance for the ages, this much, we know: on that August afternoon, in 2012, all eyes were on east London.
When Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill beat her own record to win gold in the heptathlon, it was the first of three gold medals won by Team GB in the space of 44 minutes. Earlier that day, Dame Laura Kenny won gold in the women’s team pursuit. Watching these events unfold from the commentary box with an earned empathy was Dame Denise Lewis; 12 years earlier, at Sydney 2000, she was the one standing on the podium after winning gold in the heptathlon.
These women are a trifecta of legacy; embodying immaculately the sacrifice, strength and superhuman sporting ability that winning gold on the world stage requires. So when it came to the question of who would front our bumper issue this summer – a summer in which sport promises to take centre stage once again - we knew just who to ask.
To mark the history-making moment that is Paris 2024 – and for the first time in Women’s Health history - we have not one, but three covers stars. Three Dames. Three Olympic champions.
Three decades of making magic together at the very top of women’s sport. And in celebration of pulling off the scheduling feat of getting three heavily-decorated women to one west London studio on the same day, at the same time, we recorded a conversation between them.
In an interview covering everything from legacies to loneliness, they sat down with Women’s Health’s Roisin Dervish-O’Kane to talk about their successes, their struggles and the ways in which sport – even at this elite level, even in 2024 – still has a long way to go when it comes to supporting female health, and with it, true equality. You can watch the conversation in full on July 2nd or sign up to become a member of Women’s Health Collective to get access a whole week early.
We aren’t the only ones with our eyes trained on Paris, either. Leading up to the 2024 Olympic Games, Women’s Health will be celebrating female Olympians worldwide. In a global celebration of sports and athletes, all 10 editions of Women’s Health around the world will feature female Olympians on their next print and digital covers.
‘At Women’s Health, we believe that sport teaches, inspires, and ultimately, changes people’s lives – and the Olympic Games are the ultimate, universal expression of that power and motivation,’ says Liz Plosser, editor-in-chief at our sister title Women's Health US.
‘With female athletes competing on the world’s biggest stage this summer, it was the perfect moment to join forces with our teammates at Women’s Health across the globe to showcase and celebrate the mental resilience and determination, and of course the physical feats, of superstars from each of our countries. After all, as we say at Women’s Health, strength is universal.'
More Olympics...
How Beth Dobbin overcame epilepsy to become a champion sprinter
Climber Shauna Coxsey reveals how she built family and friends on the wall
And check out the kit Team GB will be wearing at this year's games
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