Olympic sprinter Beth Dobbin reveals daily toll of ME diagnosis

British Olympic sprinter Beth Dobbin says she now spends more than 22 hours a day in bed after being diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis, known as ME. In an interview with BBC Sport, the 32-year-old described the loss of her independence and ability to work or exercise, five years after representing Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics.

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Dobbin told the BBC she has left home only five times this year and gets out of bed to eat and use the bathroom. Even attending a blood test has been followed by months in bed, she said. She decided to give the interview to raise awareness despite fearing that the conversation itself could cause a prolonged deterioration in her health.

Her account traces the start of her difficulties to the winter of 2021-22, when retrospective testing showed she had contracted Covid and glandular fever. Initially, she noticed extra sleep, slightly slower running times and soreness around her glands. Tests by British Athletics doctors did not provide an explanation, and she continued competing while believing the effects of glandular fever would eventually ease.

Dobbin qualified for the World Championships, Commonwealth Games and European Championships in 2022, but described worsening symptoms across that season. At the Commonwealth Games she experienced dizziness while running. At the Europeans, she false-started after losing feeling in her legs in the starting blocks. A lengthy rest afterwards did not bring the improvement she expected, and she managed only three weeks when she returned to training.

She said several specialists subsequently identified ME. After her British Athletics funding ended, Dobbin found a private specialist herself but waited 22 months for a face-to-face appointment. Her parents and younger sister Faye joined her for the BBC interview at the family home in Doncaster, describing their distress and concerns about her future care. Faye is due to run the Yorkshire Marathon on Sunday to raise money for ME Research UK.

Dobbin said her sporting background gives her a platform that many other people with the illness do not have. While people she has spoken to have described being disbelieved, she said that has not been her own experience. She wants to use that visibility to explain the severity of her condition, while expressing hope that research will eventually offer more help.