MOTHERS IN CONTENTION
Four-time Olympic champion Laura Kenny will return to competitive cycling in February, just over six months after having her first child. Here are six other athletes who have returned to competition after giving birth. JESSICA ENNIS-HILL The 2012 Olympic heptathlon champion missed the Commonwealth Games in 2014 as she gave birth to son Reggie. She returned the following year and won a world title before adding Olympic silver in Rio before retiring. Has since added daughter Olivia to her family. JO PAVEY Pavey became the oldest female European champion in 2014 at the age of 40, winning 10,000m gold in front of her 11-month-old daughter. Just 10 days earlier, the four-time Olympian put on one of the displays of the Commonwealth Games to secure bronze in the 5,000m. In Rio, aged 42, the mother-oftwo became the first British track athlete to compete in five Olympics. DAME SARAH STOREY Storey had won 11 Paralympic gold medals when she gave birth to daughter Louisa Marie in 2013. The following year she won four para-cycling world titles before she became Britain’s most successful female Paralympian by adding another three golds to her collection in Rio. She has since given birth to son Charlie and is still competing. KIM CLIJSTERS The Belgian’s tennis career appeared to be over, having been forced to retire at the age of 23 through injury and given birth to daughter Jada. Clijsters completed a remarkable comeback to win the 2009 US Open just 18 months after giving birth – the first mother to win a Grand Slam since 1980. She retained her title 12 months later before retiring in 2012 and now has two more children. PAULA RADCLIFFE The long-distance runner, pictured, celebrated a victorious return to athletics after the birth of daughter Isla in 2007. Radcliffe went on to win the New York Marathon less than 10 months later, before doing so again in 2008. She had a second child in 2010. SERENA WILLIAMS Williams won an Open era record 23 rd grand slam in Australia while pregnant. she gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr in September and returned in an exhibition three months later. The 36-year-old missed the Australian Open but expects to be back competing for more grand slams soon.