The previous British 200m champion talks for the primary time concerning the kidney situation that compelled her to name a halt to her athletics profession.
Hannah Williams casts her thoughts again to the UK Indoor Championships of 2023 and the unsure days that adopted. Having positioned third within the 200m in Birmingham, upon her return residence she shortly fell ailing. “I used to be so weak I couldn’t eat or drink,” she recollects. “I used to be simply sick on a regular basis and I struggled to get downstairs due to the ache.”
Given the severity of the problems, the 27-year-old instantly bought herself checked out and, after exams, was informed by docs that her kidneys have been broken. But, after spending three days in hospital, she left with out an official analysis.
“They have been like: ‘The one potential cause for that is that you just have been severely dehydrated, however that simply wasn’t potential as a result of I wasn’t’,” she provides.
Angered by the very fact she nonetheless didn’t know what was the reason for her points, Williams turned to UK Athletics and spoke to John Rogers – a sports activities and train drugs guide for the nationwide governing physique.
After affirmation from a second physician got here the analysis – anaerobic train induced kidney failure, a situation so uncommon that it’s at present not listed on the NHS web site.
In brief, Williams’ physique struggles to interrupt down lactic acid, that means her ranges of creatinine (the waste product from the breakdown of muscle tissue that’s filtered from the blood by the kidneys) get too excessive, resulting in kidney harm.
“The veins in my kidney basically spasmed after competitions,” Williams says starkly. “If one thing like that continues and also you don’t cease then you might even want a kidney transplant.
“The analysis was a aid as a result of it’s fairly exhausting to have one thing happening and there’s no rationalization for it. I didn’t actually really feel unhappy in any kind of approach simply because I’d already come to the realisation that I couldn’t carry on doing the 200m or 400m.”
Eager to hold on competing whereas mitigating the build-up of lactic acid, Williams determined to modify from the 200m – the occasion at which she turned nationwide champion 5 years in the past – to the 100m for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Such was her enthusiasm for the game, she even skilled for the triple soar for 5 months, wanting to discover a self-discipline that will enable her to compete with out being sick. Nevertheless, in the course of the winter of 2023 Williams got here to a really sudden realisation.
“I [had] utterly checked out,” she says. “I used to be simply going to coaching for the sake of it. I simply did not wish to give it up. It was a really unhappy, depressive part of my life as a result of I knew deep down that I had already stopped and that I used to be going via the motions of it.
“For these months I used to be principally making an attempt to determine what I might do and in my thoughts it was like: ‘I don’t care what it’s, I simply wish to do one thing’. So after I stopped I bought actually upset.” In March of 2024, Williams retired from athletics on the age of simply 25, but she solely publicly revealed her well being situation in September of this 12 months.
“I really went via a part of pondering I wasn’t a ok athlete to even warrant a ‘why I’ve stopped’ put up,” Williams tells AW, in her first interview because the analysis. “I additionally saved placing it off because it form of relived the entire second.
“Then my boyfriend informed me I ought to as a result of it might be helpful for different folks and it might be good closure for myself. Half the rationale I put the video out was as a result of if anybody else was scuffling with this, then they may see it’s not simply them. It’s exhausting for anybody.”
Since Williams printed the reel on Instagram, over 100,000 folks have watched it. She has additionally been approached by, and exchanged messages with, a younger lady in Canada who had the identical situation.
Williams, who first began getting illness signs again in 2019, nonetheless doesn’t know exactly why her physique can’t course of lactic acid. The illness turned extra prevalent over time and, at first, she thought she had meals poisoning. Unsurprisingly, assist from her household has been essential. Given she is the youthful sister of Olympic, European and Commonwealth medallist Jodie Williams, her sibling’s understanding has been a giant issue.
Each sisters excelled at junior degree – Jodie turned world under-18 100m and 200m champion whereas Hannah secured a European under-20 400m bronze medal – earlier than progressing to the senior ranks.
For 3 consecutive years, the Williams sisters held the nationwide 200m titles (Jodie 2019 and 2021 and Hannah in 2020). The chance to symbolize her nation alongside her larger sister was a lifelong ambition for Hannah and, although she was nonetheless battling illness, she positioned fourth within the 400m on the 2021 Tokyo Olympic trials and was chosen for the relay for the Video games.
“I used to be on the best excessive ever in my complete whole life,” she says. “I used to be informed by a coach at UK Athletics that I might undoubtedly be working and on the second leg for both the blended 4x400m or ladies’s 4x400m relay.
“I used to be like: ‘Properly, that is unimaginable’. I did not ever have any doubt that I would not run. We travelled on the market and I shared a room with Jodie.”
Nevertheless, Hannah was finally by no means referred to as into motion in Tokyo. “I couldn’t imagine it,” she says of the second she came upon and burst into tears on the spot. “There was a Diamond League race in Gateshead between the trials and the Olympics and I didn’t run that properly as a result of my kidney flared up once more. I believe that’s what they primarily based the choice on.
“I used to be embarrassed as a result of everybody again residence, together with all my pals and my household, have been watching the Olympics. I used to be so dissatisfied I by no means ran. I nonetheless really feel indignant as a result of that chance was taken.
“Jodie was extra upset than me and went as much as the coach to say ‘what!?’ I used to be aggressively crying so she was actually a giant sister for me in that second. Three years later, when she bought the Olympic 4x400m bronze medal in Paris, she was like: ‘That is for you’.”
These moments all now appear a very long time in the past for Williams, who states that after retiring from athletics she misplaced all pleasure with any train or coaching. Within the final two to a few months, nonetheless, that love for motion has returned. She has taken half in a few 10km races and is testing her limits to see how longer however much less intense distances have an effect on her kidneys. She shouldn’t be ruling out the prospect of a half-marathon in some unspecified time in the future, both.
Modelling is her foremost ardour now, although, with over 75 flights accomplished for shoots and conferences thus far in 2025. It’s a distinct form of graft and competitiveness however one which Williams is embracing. She is eager to maneuver on from her time in athletics however emphasises its significance for her development as an individual, in addition to an athlete. As she strikes on to the subsequent stage of her life and, having needed to step away from elite sport at such a younger age, Williams now takes a philosophical lifestyle.
“It was like an unimaginable chapter in a e-book however it had a tragic ending,” she says. “I really attempt to take away the analysis half from it as a result of I used to be very pleased with what I achieved, anyway.
“Clearly, to prime off my achievements, I might have preferred to truly race on the Olympics. However I ticked off every thing I needed to do besides that. I had the aim of being at a World Championships, European Championships and Commonwealth Video games. And I did simply that.
“My philosophy is: ‘Sure, I might have achieved this and ‘my profession was reduce a bit quick’ however I used to be at all times going to cease in some unspecified time in the future. I in all probability solely had one other 5 to eight years left in athletics and I nonetheless had roughly in need of a decade within the sport.
“So I might simply say, as tacky because it sounds, actually attempt to give attention to what you could have achieved and the way wonderful it’s. So typically we predict a analysis like that may be the top of the world or your life. Be enthusiastic about life and simply belief your self. I’m not in athletics now however I’m nonetheless doing issues which give me a objective and make me really feel actually good. I really feel like in the event you can take a look at the larger image then you possibly can bloom and obtain something you need.”
