Olympic sprinter Beth Dobbin bedbound with incurable ME

Summarised from 2 outlets · 3 reports · Updated 16 Oct, 11:21 · Archive

British sprinter Beth Dobbin, who competed at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, is now bedbound for over 22 hours daily after being diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Beth Dobbin ran for Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Now 32, she is bedbound for more than 22 hours a day after being diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis, a chronic and incurable disease with no specific treatment.

ME causes severe, persistent fatigue that does not improve with rest, along with sleep problems, difficulties with thinking and memory, pain, nausea and headaches. Even minor activities can trigger what patients call a 'crash', lasting 24 hours, days, months or longer. Dobbin has described doing a 30-minute interview for this report as potentially risky enough to affect her health years ahead.

Dobbin now only leaves bed to eat and use the bathroom. She has left her house on just five occasions in 2026. She retired from athletics earlier this year due to what she described as a 'serious and life-changing health issue'.

The condition began after Dobbin contracted Covid and glandular fever during winter 2021–22, though she did not realise she was ill at the time and only discovered the infections through retrospective testing. She initially noticed soreness and increased sleep, along with a slight dip in athletic performance, but further tests gave no definitive answers.

Speaking despite the risks to her health, Dobbin said of her condition: 'It's life-decimating like I can't even put into words. I feel like I've lost everything. I have still got my family, but I've lost my independence, my health, the ability to work, the ability to exercise.'

How it is being reported

• British Olympic sprinter Beth Dobbin opens up on 'year of hell' after being diagnosed with M.E. - and reveals she is bedbound 22 hours a day: 'It feels like you're days away from death'Doing small everyday activities such as chatting or visiting the doctors can cause what is known as a 'crash' that can last for months, and in 2026 she has left the house on just five occasions.Daily Mail Sport · 16 Oct, 10:55
• 'It feels like you're days away from death' - the Olympian who is bedbound for 22 hours a dayShe's an Olympian, a world record holder and a Commonwealth Games medal winner. She's also bedbound for more than 22 hours a day. Sprinter Beth Dobbin shares her health struggles with BBC Sport months after retiring from the sport for good.BBC Sport · 16 Oct, 08:32
• The Olympic sprinter now bedbound for 22 hours a dayBeth Dobbin ran for Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Five years on, she is largely bedbound after being diagnosed with ME, a devastating illness for which there is no cure.BBC News · 16 Oct, 06:31

In this story: Beth Dobbin · Great Britain · Tokyo

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