Sport is tough for a mother but Laura has shown what we can do

Coaches and sponsors should step up to support athletes experiencing most challenging time of careers

Watching Laura Kenny win silver in the team pursuit, and close in on making history at these Games, has been thrilling. She is an incredible athlete, whose approach has always been so down to earth, and I have enjoyed supporting her journey competing as a mum, knowing how hard she has worked behind the scenes.

I have known Laura for a long time, but when she became pregnant in 2017 her physiologist, Esme Matthews

– a good friend of mine who is based in Sheffield – asked if we could chat about some of the challenges. At the time I had just won Olympic silver in the heptathlon after having my son Reggie, and it was still seen as unusual to keep competing at that level as a mum.

When Laura was getting back into training, she was struggling to find her power again. I had found that, too. My strength and speed were slow to return, although the increased blood volume meant that endurance events such as the 800 metres were a lot less painful. It was hard comparing myself pre- and post-baby, and feeling frustrated I could not match my personal bests anymore. I had a lot of injury problems, too, and it was emotionally draining. I would find myself crying my eyes out on the motorway worrying about my Achilles and wondering if it would all be worth it in the end.

Some of the biggest sports stars are mothers now– from Serena Williams to Allyson Felix – and yet it can still be really difficult to access elite guidance around pregnancy and post-natal training. It sounds mad, but there is no structure in place to support sportswomen through that journey. When you consider that every other aspect of an athlete’s life is catered for it is bizarre to neglect the wellbeing of a sportswoman who also happens to be a mother.

Some elements of that culture are changing for the better, but most coaches still do not know enough about pregnancy and hormones to properly support their athletes. All coaches should have to learn about it in their training.

The last thing you want to worry about as a mother is whether you can pay your bills, so I am in awe of Felix providing a childcare fund for athletes at these Games. When I was pregnant I was worried I might be dropped by my sponsors, as has happened to others. In fact, Adidas was incredibly supportive. It did not claw back anything from my retainer or bonuses, giving me time to recover and come back in the right way. I hope seeing all these incredible women achieve means all brands adopt that approach.

As any mother will know, it can be challenging combining work and motherhood. You feel that classic “mum guilt”, torn between your ambitions and wanting to be there for your child, and worrying that you will end up doing neither as well as you would like to.

In fact, I found motherhood gave me renewed motivation at a time when, having just won Olympic gold in 2012, I was tired of the training. Having Reggie provided a new challenge, and that period of

Where once everything had revolved around my own needs, suddenly I had a baby to look after

my career – in which I won a world title and silver in Rio – is definitely the one I am most proud of.

Laura says she feels more relaxed as an athlete after having Albie, and I definitely think having Reggie put athletics into perspective for me.

Where once everything revolved around my needs, suddenly I had a baby to look after. If my long jump had not gone well, I could get over it and focus on the next task. It also helped me become super efficient in training. There was none of that track small talk; I turned up, put in a quality session and went home.

I was so motivated I had a weights stand installed in my garage so that when Reggie was sleeping I would be in there, woolly hat on in freezing temperatures, lifting heavy weights on my own.

Standing on that podium, knowing I had won those medals despite having gone through the most challenging period of my career – and having Reggie to come home to – made it all worth it.

Seeing these phenomenal sporting mothers on the international stage in Tokyo makes me incredibly proud.