It doesn’t matter what you do for a living. Welcoming a child and then getting back to work is one of the most complicated things for a mother to adjust to. It’s especially complex if you’re an athlete.
Constant travel for competitions and games and the consistent training required, there are so many aspects of being a sportswoman that can take you away from home and away from your children. But many athletes are making it work, including at this year’s summer Olympics in Paris. With the addition of support like a nursery in Olympic Village for athlete mothers, quite a few Olympians brought their children along for the unforgettable experience.
Whether they’ve become champions after delivering a child or grapple with the emotions of having to leave their kids back home to play for their country, these moms are superheroes. And whether they take home gold or not, they’re winners for what they’re accomplishing and the inspiration they are to their children and mothers everywhere.
Dearica Hamby
Hamby, a mother of two to daughter Amaya and son Legend, is representing USA in Paris. The WNBA All-Star earned a bronze medal playing 3×3 basketball. “Unfortunately, our society and work culture perpetuate ‘mom guilt’ as they go back to work, or making moms feel like they can’t both parent and provide,” Hamby told ESSENCE in 2023. “It’s a false choice, and I’m proud to show just how strong moms are and to support other mothers going back to work. Being a mom and doing what I love is really special.”
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
In what has been a stellar career on the track, “The Pocket Rocket,” a mother to soon-to-be 6-year-old son Zyon, is competing in her last Olympics. She knows she has more in her, but the 37-year-old said she plans to hang up her spikes for her family. “My son needs me,” she told ESSENCE in our January/February 2024 issue. “My husband and I have been together since before I won in 2008. He has sacrificed for me. We’re a partnership, a team. And it’s because of that support that I’m able to do the things that I have been doing for all these years. And I think I now owe it to them to do something else.”
Clarisse Agbegnenou
The French judoka, who took home a bronze in the individual competition and gold with the French mixed team, is a mother to daughter Athéna, who would come with her to train in preparation for the Olympic Games in her home city. “I want women athletes who follow me to feel free and legitimate, to break codes to change mentalities and change the rules,” she told Le Parisien. “We can have a life as a woman and mother as well as champion at the same time.”
Nada Hafez
Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez is an expectant mother, and that revelation has blown away the Internet, after the 26-year-old fencer from Cairo revealed that she was competing seven months pregnant. “My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical & emotional,” she wrote on Instagram. “The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it.”
Quanera Hayes
Hayes, who competed in Tokyo and will run in the women’s 4×400 relay in Paris, is mother to a son named Demetrius, who came to the latest Olympic Games with her. She was able to make that happen thanks to a grant from &Mother that seeks to support women in sports. She’d previously talked about trying to be the best mom she can be, while also trying to be the best athlete. “It’s been a fun experience,” she said in 2022 to Team USA. “I’m learning a lot about myself as a mom, how to be a better mom every day. I’m just trying to be the best mom I can be. I’m not perfect, but I’m growing every day. I’m giving him the best that I can. I want him to enjoy life.”
Crystal Dunn
Soccer star Crystal Dunn is representing the US Women’s National Team at the Olympics. Her husband, who is French, has been taking care of their son while she competes, and she said that the little one, 2-year-old Marcel, keeps her going on the field. “My son is a huge motivation for me—just for him to see these incredible things I can do as an athlete and as a mom,” she shared in a recent interview. “Hopefully we’re getting to a place where woman can be moms and pursue their career at the highest level. I think the biggest thing, too, is creating your village. I’m a big believer in asking for help.”
Casey Krueger
Another USWNT star doing big things on the field, Krueger, a mom of a two-year-old son named Caleb, previously told The Equalizer “There’s no feeling like seeing him after a game or practice. It doesn’t matter if it was a good day or a bad day — it’s just the instant I see him, he’s my world and makes things better.”
Naomi Osaka
The tennis ace, who represented Japan at the Olympics, is the mother of 1-year-old daughter Shai. She says becoming a mother actually made her feel stronger, and want to continue to play the game of tennis. “It forced me to see life in a different way,” she told The Guardian. “I know a lot of people probably think I retired in that year, but it just made me a lot more grateful for the sport and, in turn, made me just know there are so many possibilities outside tennis, and I realized I would still love to play tennis.”
Aleia Hobbs
Hobbs, who is part of Team USA’s 4×100 relay, adopted son Amir in 2022 with her partner. In a piece she wrote for World Athletics, she said he’s motivated her to go harder than ever before in her sport. “The biggest change when you become a parent is not physical. It’s mental,” she said. “Having him around make [sic] me go so much harder when I get on the track. I’ve got a child to feed now, and I can’t wait ’til he gets older and sees what’s going on in my career.”
Napheesa Collier
The Minnesota Lynx star, representing Team USA in Paris on the hardwood, welcomed her daughter Mila in 2022. She told Olympics.com earlier this year that having her daughter see her go for gold, and pursue her career fully, is important to her. “We’re on the road all the time, so whenever I can have her near me, I definitely take the opportunity,” she shared. “I think it’s really important, and to see how hard we work every day to achieve our goal, I think that’s really important. I love that she’s around that every day, she sees me doing something that I love and being successful. And I think that is also important for young girls to see, being passionate about what we’re doing.”
Brittney Griner
Right before the Olympics kicked off, Brittney Griner revealed that she and wife Cherelle welcomed their son on July 8. On the She Knows Sports podcast, Griner talked about the joy of having a little boy and the sad aspect of having to leave home soon after his birth for the Games. “That’s my man,” she said, noting that she goes by “Pops” in her home. “He is amazing. They say as soon as you see him, everything you thought mattered just goes out the window. And that’s literally what happens.” She added, “Kind of sucks, I got to leave. But at the same time, he will understand…My whole phone has turned into him now.”
Chelsea Gray
The WNBA champ, who is also representing Team USA in Paris, recently welcomed her first child, son Lennox, with her wife. She told The Sporting Tribune that he helps her look at everything differently, including her sport. “Whatever kind of day you’re having or whatever happened in practice, you come home and see him and he doesn’t talk about the game,” she said. “He’s not somebody that understands that you’ve made mistakes out there. It’s just a different perspective.”
