Trying to be a mother and a champion Olympian simultaneously is a tough task, but the Beijing Games has its fair share of mums juggling their duties.
Some of the better-known include British marathon runner Paula Radcliffe, American tennis star Lindsay Davenport, and Japan's seven-time world judo champion Ryoko Tani.
But there are plenty more changing nappies one minute and training the next.
Italian fencer Valentina Vezzali hasn't let having a child get in her way of being the best in the world, making Olympics history here by becoming the first person to win three successive individual titles with victory in the foil.
She did it for her son.
"My son asked me for a medal, but he didn't ask for a particular one," she said. "Here it is."
Judoka Xian Dongmei put family matters on hold to achieve her Olympic dream, and now she is China's first gold-medal mum, she can't wait to return home.
"I miss my child so much," said Xian who defended her women's -52kg title.
"After the Olympics I will go back home quickly and make up for the love I have missed."
Xian gave birth to daughter Liu Jiahui in January last year, had been criticised in local media as "cold-hearted" for giving up feeding her baby after seven months to focus on her Olympic build up.
They are not the first supermums to win a medal after going through labour.
Ethiopia's Derartu Tulu, the 10,000-metre Olympic gold medalist in 1992, won the title again in 2000 two years after giving birth to a daughter.
And Australia's Jana Rawlinson, missing from Beijing due to injury, famously regained her 400-metre hurdles world title last year just eights months after having a baby.
Davenport, 32, is another. She is one of a handful of mothers still playing on the WTA Tour, returning last year after giving birth to Jagger with the specific goal of playing the Olympics.
Sadly for her, injury has forced cut short her singles dream, but the doubles remain on her radar.
[ 本帖最后由 shunitang 于 2008-8-14 09:42 编辑 ] |
|