Over the years, there have been several sports athletes who have achieved success competing at elite levels while going through the period of Motherhood and raising children. With that, they have kept a strong balance in both their professional and personal lives.
Serena Williams (Tennis)
Serena Williams, aka The Queen of tennis, won the 2017 Australian Open while eight weeks pregnant, securing her 23rd Grand Slam Singles Title. She gave birth to her daughter Olympia, the same year and made a return to professional tennis, reaching four more Grand Slam finals.
Serena was ranked world No. 1 for 319 weeks, and has openly spoken about postpartum health and has been an advocate for maternal care as a champion mom.
Candace Parker (Basketball)
University of Tennessee and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star
Candace Parker has been a popular name as part of the Los Angeles Sparks and continues to make a name for herself even there.
After making her debut in 2008 in the WNBA, she became pregnant the next year and gave birth to her daughter, Lailaa, in May. But with no maternity leave in the WNBA at that time, the Rookie of the Year and MVP returned 53 days after having her daughter.
The three-time WNBA champion and Hall of Famer redefined Motherhood and proved that pregnancy cannot keep her down to become a basketball star.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Track and Field)
The Jamaican sprinter who won two medals at the 2016 Olympics lost all hopes of racing back after finding out that she was pregnant. But to her amazement, after undergoing a tough battle during delivery, she made her comeback to the track and field. Post her return, she went on to win the 100m sprint event and became the oldest woman and first mother to do so, which she called the “Victory of Motherhood.”
Mary Kom (Boxing)
A mother to four children, Mary Kom has been a legendary figure in the boxing industry and a super mom. She is known as the ‘Magnificent Mary’ and is one of the finest and dominant women boxers in India and having won several international laurels.
In 2005, she got married to footballer Karung Onkholer, and two years later, she gave birth to twin boys named Rechungvar and Khupneivar. But the very next year, she made her return to the boxing ring and bagged a silver medal at the 2008 Asian women’s boxing championship. She also won her fourth gold medal at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in the People’s Republic of China in 2008.
Sania Mirza (Tennis)
India’s tennis legend Sania Mirza has been an inspiration for many athletes in this sport. With six Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles, she has remained India’s No. 1 singles player until her retirement from the category in 2013. But before that, she got married to Shoaib Malik in 2010, and had a boy in October 2018.
After pregnancy, she made her return to the training, losing 26kg,s and later in December 2019, she participated in the Indian Fed Cup, where she was part of a five-member squad. Later in January 2020, at the Hobart International, she made her comeback in competitive matches after taking her maternity break in 2017.
