ALT A screenshot of the first portion of the article, with an illustration overlaid depicting a woman weightlifter breaking through glass that reads 'easy life'

ALT WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC Women are at elevated risk of some sports injuries (eg, anterior cruciate ligament rupture, concussion) compared with men. Despite the development of effective injury prevention programmes, injury rates have not significantly decreased over time for women. Research into gendered injury disparities has traditionally focused on sex-based explanations.

ALT WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS Retired UK elite women athletes’ lived experiences reveal five gendered environmental challenges affecting injury: (1) persistent stereotypes that trivialise injury, (2) female physiology as both a default risk factor and area of insufficient support, (3) an idealised norm of what women athletes should be, (4) visible and invisible inequities and (5) hierarchical power dynamics. The mechanisms by which these gendered environmental challenges manifest in everyday athlete experiences are prime sites for intervention. The outcomes of gendered environmental challenges can include delayed diagnoses, reduced longevity in sport, gaps in meeting athletes’ health needs and missed opportunities to prevent injuries.

ALT HOW THIS STUDY MIGHT AFFECT RESEARCH, PRACTICE OR POLICY The findings provide an evidence-based framework for categorising and addressing gendered environmental challenges in women’s sport. Higher-level policy changes may be necessary but are likely insufficient on their own to fundamentally change the gendered conditions of sport. Constrained communication was a mechanism that cut across gendered environmental challenges, suggesting it may be a priority domain for intervention among sport and exercise medicine practitioners. Interventions to reconfigure the gendered status quo within sport should be embedded as part of injury prevention strategies.