It’s a bright Spring morning when British Olympic silver medallist Desirèe Henry enters Spell Magazine’s HQ. She’s been up from 6am to make the call time for her debut cover shoot. For someone who had a four-hour training session the day before with head coach and 1992 Olympic Champion Linford Christie OBE, she’s raring to go. “I always say start with the intention to having a good day,” she beams with twinkling eyes as she takes a seat in the salon chair ready for glam.
The order of the day is to show a side of Henry the world hasn’t seen. A customised 30-inch burgundy wig isn’t her usual steez but she’s willing to play muse today. “I fell in love with the mood board the moment I saw it. I’m all for try new looks.” Currently she’s training for the World Relay Championships so her OOTD is an all-black matching gym set. “I try to make an effort with my outfits for training. Sometimes I coordinate tracksuits, and I do notice the positive impact it has on how I feel. I don’t work in an office, and it’s crazy, there are times I wish I did because I’d get the chance to dress up more. Gym gear is my uniform, so I gotta make it work.”
For Henry, looking good and feeling good applies to race days too when confidence is key. “For the 2024 Games I laid out my clothes out the day before. I coordinated my socks with my hair bow. My nails had hints of lilac to match the purple running track. Honestly, it was a whole thought out process.”
Henry was part of Team GBs 4x100m relay squad at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. This was her second appearance at the Games. With reports of five billion people tuning in, that’s approximately half of the world’s population, how does a 29-year-old woman from north London Edmonton deal with the pressure? The answer: Embrace it. “There was a real possibility that I wouldn’t make the team because the UK has so many great female sprinters. But I knew how hard I worked and all the preparation I put in. This was a real earned moment for me, it was not given. And so, I embraced every moment like it was my last.”
Her positive outlook is admirable and contagious and takes our conversation to offshoot topics like hashtag Monday motivation – “Take continuous small itty-bitty steps and you’ll get closer to achieving your goals”. Her thoughts on the viral ‘morning routine’ trend: “Yeah, if you have time to do half the stuff people are posting that’s great. But if not, take 30 seconds to breath, meditate, reflect and get going with the day.”
Same goes for discipline: “There’s no hard or fast rule. You just have to consistently show up. I’m not a robot, and yeah there are times I don’t feel like training, but the days I might be lagging all add up to the final result. And that goes for a lot of things in life. Rather than trying to jump to the end goal, focus on the small everyday actions.”
Being of Caribbean descent (Antiguan and Guyanese), Henry proudly attributes her drive to succeed with her upbringing. She is the youngest of three sisters, and with a joyous smile, reflects on how this gave her an advantage to pursue her dreams: “I was able to watch my siblings make good and bad choices and see how the consequences played out with my parents. They were strict but when it came to me, they were a bit more laidback, maybe because I was the youngest. This allowed me to not have so much pressure and helped me navigate my own path. My sisters went down the academic route of going to university, and have gone on to achieve amazing things, but I knew athletics was my calling.”
Luckily, Henry’s parents had a positively laissez-faire attitude towards a career in sprinting which was another advantage. “I’m very grateful to them as they did not hold me back. When I speak to my teammates from other cultural backgrounds like Africa and even the UK, their parents’ attitude was very different. For them, sport wasn’t a reliable career choice, so this made me more disciplined to show my parents how much I wanted this.”
Women’s sports is an industry worth over £1 billion. As it continues to gain ground in popularity, this has opened the space for candid conversations on taboo topics like performing during the time of the month. Several top-level female sprinters including Dina Asher-Smith and English Gardner have stepped forward to share their experiences to suffering physical setbacks, particularly in the finals, due to their cycle. “This isn’t women making excuses, it’s a real issue that affects us and the research is now there to support this,” says Henry.
“The reality is even if you feel tired you still must go out there and perform. It’s part and parcel to being a professional female athlete. I use an app called Flo to track my cycle. If I have a training session where I feel fatigue or my body is not cooperating, I know not to be so hard on myself. On championship days you must rise to the occasion no matter what, but other times it’s knowing when to take it easy.”
Another topic we at SPELL wanted to sink our proverbial teeth into is hair. For many black female sportswomen, how they choose to wear their hair has taken precedent over their achievements. On some occasions it’s viewed through a positive lens. For example, the Jamaican and American female sprinters wear mermaid-coloured lacefront weaves unapologetically. Think of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Sha’Carri Richardson who tossed her wig into the crowd after winning the championships because she wanted people to know: “I’m not gonna change the confidence in myself ever”. On the other hand, one of the world’s greatest gymnasts, Simone Biles, publicly faced harsh comments because her natural hair reverted in the heat. “If you haven’t got anything nice to say just don’t say it,” says Henry.
“As a black female athlete, you’re already trying to overcome so many adversities like gaining respect on the world stage. Even when you perform over and beyond, you’re constantly having to prove yourself with every race. This [hair] is just another layer. “I’m so proud of how we wear our hair. It’s our self-expression of how we decide to turn up and represent. And that’s so powerful because the younger generation are watching, and it will give them confidence.”
There’s absolute truth in Henry’s words and she recalls training in America and being “in awe” of how the female athletes turned up to training with “pristine hair”. “Seeing how the Americans did their hair gave me the inspiration to wear my natural hair. Now when I train, I make sure I use a bit of Cantu Protective Styles Braiding and Twisting Gel to slick the edges. With how intense my sessions are, my edges stay put a couple of hours before it sweats out, which for an edge tamer is impressive.”
For those of us who avoid going to the gym after a silk press, Henry has some firm words of wisdom. “Modify the type of training you’re doing depending on your hairstyle. You can do Pilates or yoga to stretch the muscles and therefore not sweat as much. The aim is to always do something proactive and productive to help your body.”
She also manages to put sweat in a positive light. “Exercise helps to open your pores and get rid of toxins. Because you’re drinking more water, you’re flushing out your system too which will help your skin glow. Of course this must be supported with a good skin routine. I use Neutrogena’s face wash twice a day and exfoliate once a week.”
The battle of winter body versus summer body is a narrative we no longer indulge. Instead, we’re seeking answers on how to maintain a balanced approach to fitness all year round: “Do something that excites you,” enthuses Henry. “If you can look forward to doing the physical activity, that’s half the battle done.”
But what about the great curse of cheat days? “Oh, I suffer from that too. I get through a pack of chocolate digestives in the blink of an eye. Look, when I’m giving fitness advice, I’m aware I’m coming from a place of privilege. My full-time job is to train, and I understand not everyone has that luxury; they’ll have kids to look after or work night shifts. So I say become mindful of the activities you do, for example, walking to the bus stop or cleaning the house. All of that contributes to burning the calories.”
So without further ado, grab the vacuum and get to Spring cleaning – your body with thank you!
Track stars
The products that sit atop the winner’s podium
Feme Wig from 25.99
Cantu Protective Styles Braiding & Twisting Gel, £6.99
Flo Period & Ovulation Tracker, monthly subion
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Cleanser, £8.99
Shoot credits: Photography by Desmond Murrayy; Hair by Aycan Kemal using Feme; Wig and Sensationnel Bare Lace; Make-up by Natasha Wright; Styling by Simone Sylvester; Assisted by Noëlle Dobra; Art directing by Jemima Cousins
