Ekenasio ‘proud to fly flag’ for mums

London: New Zealand netball captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio says she is “proud to fly the flag” for mothers in sport.

World Cup winner Ekenasio, 29, replaces Laura Langman as skipper for the inaugural Netball Nations Cup, which starts on Sunday.

She shares a two-year-old son, Ocean, with basketball player husband Damien.

“I do feel I am flying the flag, but I also feel lucky that I can be a mum and play,” Ekenasio told BBC Sport.

“We all know playing women’s sport, it is really hard to have a family, with so many girls waiting until the end of their career and that’s a shame.

“By being a mum and coming back to netball I feel like I have achieved so much more.”

Ekenasio’s international team-mate Casey Kopua, 34, also has a child but the defender retired after the Netball World Cup, revealing she was pregnant with her second baby during the tournament in Liverpool last summer.

Ekenasio follows a number of high-profile athletes returning to sport after giving birth, including Britain’s former Olympic and world heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill.

“I’m proud to be a mum and a netballer but it’s been a tough road and I’m always learning about how the two marry together,” said the Central Pulse goal attack, who took the 2017 season off to have her son before returning for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

“Having my son has helped shape the player and person I am today. -BBC Sport