• Golf's Lydia Ko was praised for normalizing the impact of menstrual periods in sport.
  • She told a male reporter she had received treatment for her back as "it's that time of the month."
  • Her honest answer left interviewer Jerry Foltz speechless before he managed to say: "Uh, thanks."

Golf's World No. 3 Lydia Ko has been praised for normalizing the impact of periods in sports after leaving a male interviewer speechless when she spoke about it being "that time of the month." 

At the Palos Verdes Championship in California on Sunday, the New Zealand golfer was seen receiving treatment from a physiotherapist — a move that prompted the Golf Channel's Jerry Foltz to ask if she was having any long-term physical problems.

"I hope not. It's that time of the month," Ko said. "I know the ladies watching are probably like, yeah, I got you."

"So when that happens, my back gets really tight, and I'm all twisted. It's not the first time that [the physical therapist] Chris has seen me twisted, but it felt a lot better after he came. So, yeah, there you go," she continued. 

Her answer left Foltz stumbling for a response, before he said: "Uh, thanks."

Ko then laughed: "I know you're at a loss for words, Jerry. Honesty it is."

On social media, people praised the golfer for being open about menstruation — a topic that is rarely talked about in women's sports.

German golfer Sophia Popov, who played in the same championship, tweeted on Wednesday: "Absolutely love this. I'm on that same schedule and felt like an absolute noodle last week 😂 glad Lydia finally had an honest take on it. Impressive how well she played considering🤙🤙"

 

 

Writer Tamryn Spruill tweeted about wanting to "see more female public figures stating these truths." 

 

On Monday, Foltz himself acknowledged his surprise at Ko's words. Replying to a tweet with an article about the golfer leaving the interviewer speechless, he wrote: "Yes it did." 

Ko's openness on the topic is reminiscent of when Chinese swimming star Fu Yuanhui won huge praise in 2016 for speaking about how her period may have affected her performance at the Rio Olympics.

Read the original article on Insider