Olympic hopeful Jess Varley went seeking answers about possible abnormalities in her menstrual cycle and emerged with a dietary discovery that would change her life.

The 27-year-old missed out on the Tokyo Olympics and found that in the week before her period, she got bad cramps and her performance naturally suffered as a result. 

Varley decided to spend a three-month injury lay-off chasing answers on her physiology as part of a hormone monitoring project called Hormonix, run by the English Institute of Sport and Mint Diagnostics. 

The upshot of the process was that there was nothing wrong with Varley’s cycle. She had a wheat intolerance. 

“It seemed to be so cyclical with all the stomach cramping and bloating” said Varley, “I’d always assumed it was hormones rather than food. 

“It was the food that caused it in the first place so I’ve cut out wheat around competitions and big training cycles, and it’s made a huge difference. 

“I’ve had ten or 15 years of not knowing quite what’s going on with my body. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that injury gave me a chance to sort out that side of my life. 

“It was the start of actually performing how I knew I could.”

Varley is  one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing her to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support – this is vital for her pathway to the Paris 2024 Games. 

Varley rose to new heights, winning a silver medal at the 2022 World Cup Final and rising to a world ranking of four.  

Her fine form has coincided with modern pentathlon adopting a new 90-minute format, involving an equestrian leg lasting 20 minutes, 15 minutes of fencing, 10 minutes of swimming and 15 minutes for the laser run.  

“You don’t have time to think about anything,” said Varley. “You’ve got two minutes in between disciplines. 

“For my mental outlook, it’s been massively helpful. I have a tendency to overthink. It’s really helped my shooting in competition and you don’t have hours between events to sit there and worry.”  

With the Paris 2024 Olympics only one year away, the Games are set to inspire people and communities all across the country. Varley hopes that by sharing her story it will give others motivation to get involved into sport. 

This is a golden era when it comes to modern pentathlon in Britain. 

Varley, Olivia Green and Charlie Follett are all ranked in the top ten in the world with Olympic champion Kate French also firmly still in the mix after a break from the sport. 

That means the battle for a possible two places in Paris will be a fierce one. 

“It’s so strong and there are so many people who are consistent,” said Varley. “We’ll all make the standard for Paris and it’s just about who gets chosen. 

“It’s so nice to have the girls around me in training, we’re all pushing each other and limits of what we can do. 

“I’m sure it will get more and more competitive but right now, it’s healthy competition and we’re all working towards the same goal.” 

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