- Leading climate activist released from Vietnam jail
- Ethiopians struggle with bitter pill of currency reform
- Sri Lanka votes in first poll since economic collapse
- Feminist author warns of abortion disaster if Trump wins US election
- US city of Flint still reeling from water crisis, 10 years on
- Arsenal's mean defence faces acid test to shut out Man City again
- Late surge lifts Thailand's Jeeno to LPGA Queen City lead
- DeChambeau says PGA's Ryder Cup decision 'just the start'
- Alcaraz defeated on Laver Cup debut
- Postecoglou embraces 'struggle' to make Spurs a success
- Nice hand 'ashamed' Saint-Etienne 8-0 Ligue 1 mauling
- Boeing CEO says ending strike 'a top priority'
- Stock markets mostly fall after Fed-fueled rally
- Harris slams Trump for hypocrisy on abortion as US starts voting
- Academy to host first overseas ceremony to honor young filmmakers
- No doctor necessary: US okays nasal spray flu vaccine for self-use
- Gurbaz, birthday boy Rashid lead Afghanistan to 177-run rout of South Africa
- Former delivery man Baldwin leads star names at PGA Championship
- Trump shooting: Secret Service admits complacency
- Can an ambitious Milei make Argentina an AI giant?
- Haiti, its suffering growing, in 'race against time': UN expert
- Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah elite unit commander wanted by the US
- Chinese forward Cui signs NBA contract with Brooklyn Nets
- US Fed dissenter calls for 'measured' pace of rate cuts
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload as Kompany demands cap on games
- Norway limits wild salmon fishing as stocks hit new lows
- Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Rotterdam fatal knife attacker suspected of 'terrorist motive'
- First early votes cast in knife-edge US presidential election
- Top-ranked Swiatek out of Beijing due to 'personal matters'
- Hard-right Reform UK looks to the future after vote success
- Embiid agrees to NBA contract extension with 76ers
- Joshua aims to complete road to redemption in Dubois bout
- World champion Bagnaia sets pace with lap record at Misano
- Biden says 'working' to get people back to homes on Israel-Lebanon border
- Pope criticises Argentina's crackdown on protesters
- Court limits screenings of videos in France mass rape case
- Gurbaz century takes Afghanistan to 311-4 in 2nd ODI
- Central banks face 'difficult balancing act': IMF chief
- McLaren's Norris sets Singapore pace as struggling Verstappen 15th
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload fears
- Paris Olympics sports equipment moves to new homes
- 'Happy' Kinghorn relishing life at Toulouse
- Norris sets Singapore pace as Verstappen only 15th
- 8 dead in Israeli strike, source says Hezbollah commander killed
- Germany to bid to host women's Euro 2029
- Portugal brings deadly forest fires under control
- Postecoglou defends Solanke after slow start to Spurs career
- US nuclear plant Three Mile Island to reopen to power Microsoft
- Arteta urges Arsenal to take next step in Man City showdown
England captain Williamson feared period pain could have wrecked her Euros
England captain Leah Williamson feared severe period pain could have scuppered her hopes of leading the team to victory at this year's women's European football Championships.
The 25-year-old Arsenal defender suffers from endometriosis, a condition so painful it can lead her to collapsing onto the bathroom floor when she has a period.
In an interview with Women's Health magazine, extracts of which were published Wednesday, Williamson said: "Before the Euros I had a concussion, which they say can really impact your next period, and it was bad -- like, really bad.
"You know when you're on the bathroom floor and literally like, 'I can't move'. When it's too late to take the tablets because I'm, like, in it now."
Endometriosis is a long-term condition where tissue similar to that lining the womb grows in other parts of the body, such as the fallopian tubes and ovaries.
Period and pelvic pain, together with excessive bleeding, are among the symptoms of a condition that is also capable of leading to infertility.
Williamson recalled how stressful a bad period made her feel became before last year's game between England and Norway.
"I was like, 'It cannot happen'. Like, I actually won't be able to play," she said.
Williamson added: "I'm pretty sure if men had periods we would have figured out a way to stop them by now without doing any damage."
The Euro 2022 final victory over Germany at Wembley in July marked England's first major football trophy since the men's 1966 World Cup triumph at the London ground.
Williamson said victory had left her a fear she would spend the rest of her life chasing feelings of similar elation.
"I don't see how it could have been topped," she added.
"The only thing I'd love to do is go back and watch it from the stands. As the final whistle went, my grandma just put her head on my mum's shoulder and went, 'She did it'."
Williamson also said the high profile that came with the success of the England women's team was a double-edged sword.
"I love it because we can reach so many people," she said before adding: "I hate the fame and that side of it."
Williamson, however, explained: "If you're not prepared to (be famous as a professional women's footballer) you're doing a disservice to the game and all those women that had to pretend to be boys to be able to play.
"I understand that I stand on the shoulders of those people."
D.Kaufman--AMWN