Being a mother and excelling at a major sport is a rarity. Here's a list of five women who proved that motherhood is no hindrance to sporting success:
Being a mother and excelling at a major sport is a rarity. Here's a list of five women who proved that motherhood is no hindrance to sporting success:
Kim Clijsters:
Kim Clijsters was one of the most watched women in tennis for her exquisite technique. But the Belgian rose to being one of the most influential women of her generation, when she made her comeback to professional tennis after the birth of her daughter Jada Elle in 2008.
Clijsters had previously won only one Grand Slam when she beat Mary Pierce in the 2005 US Open final. But the Belgian made a fairytale return to Professional Tennis when she won the 2009 US Open final when she beat Caroline Wozniacki.
Mary Kom:
Mary Kom was not the sports icon that she is today when she started off as a professional. But after her marriage to K Onler Kom and the birth of her twins Rengpa and Nainai, her in-ring career went upwards.
Mary became the first Indian woman boxer to win a medal at the Olympics, when she won the Bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
She then went on to become the only Indian woman boxer to win gold at the Asian Games, when she won gold at the 2014 Incheon Games.
Lindsay Davenport:
Lindsay Davenport rose to fame in the late 90's when she won the US Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open during that period.
But the American saw her career go downhill due to injuries. In spite of losing to Serena Willliams in the 2005 Australian Open final and Venus William in the 2005 Wimbledon final, Davenport ended the year as World no.1.
After announcing her retirement from tennis due to her pregnancy, Davenport returned in 2007 and made an amazing comeback. She went on to win her first title on her return, lifiting the WTA title in Bali, post her pregnancy.
Dara Torres:
Dara Torres made a name for herself when she won 4 gold medals in four Olympics.
But just 16 months post the birth of her first child, at the age if 41, Torres created history as became the oldest swimmer in history to win a medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when she won the silver medal in the 4x100 metre Freestyle Relay.
Paula Radcliffe:
Paula Radcliffe is one of the most inspirational sports women and even holds the world record of the fastest time clocked by a women in a marathon.
Injuries had played their toll on Paula, which prompted her to remain in the sidelines in 2006. In July, Paula announced the pregnancy of her first child which caused a further delay in her comeback.
Paula made her marathon return when she went on to win the New York Marathon in 2007 and defended that title in 2008, which was her third win at the competition and her second post pregnancy.
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