Cyclist Elinor Barker won silver at the Tokyo Games while she was pregnant

Olympic Silver Medalist Elinor Barker took to social media on Tuesday revealing that she was competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games while she was pregnant. Barker shared in a post on her Instagram account with her husband Casper Jopling that they are expecting their first child and that they are very excited. “Casper and I are so happy to announce that we’re expecting our first child! We really can’t believe how lucky we are and are so excited for the next part of our lives to begin,” she wrote.

In a follow-up post, the five-time world cycling champion confirmed that she was pregnant while at the games, “And for the eagle-eyed among you who have done the maths… yep, I was pregnant at the Tokyo Olympics,” she added.

However, the 27-year-old shared in an interview that her pregnancy came as a surprise knowing that she was suffering from endometriosis. Her suspicion arose when she had missed her period, subsequently, she consulted with her team doctor and psychologist for guidance. “I’m really glad I had that team around me of people who knew exactly what to do and what was and wasn’t safe, but also managed to help get my head back in the game and focus on the racing until it was over,” she said.

Several female athletes across the world have been challenging the notion that they must sacrifice having children early on to have a successful career. There were a handful of mothers competing at the 2020 Tokyo Games, among them were Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, Allyson Felix, Alex Morgan, and Diana Taurasi — arguably some of the most talented and decorated athletes the world has ever seen.

Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce became the first woman from Jamaica and the Caribbean to win gold in the women’s 100m at the Olympic Games in 2008. She continued her historic run at the London 2012 Olympic Games, becoming one of only four women to defend the women’s 100m title.

After failing to defend her 100m Olympic title for the third consecutive time at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, the ‘Pocket Rocket’ took some time away from the track to have her son.

However, the many-time sprint champion made a remarkable return, winning her fourth 100m world title at the 2019 Doha World Championships. Fraser Pryce’s superb form only got better, having a stunning year on the track in 2021, coping bronze in the women’s 100m finals and running an impressive world lead time of 10.63s in June at the National Stadium.

Defying the odds, America’s sprint legend Allyson Felix also returned to the track after having a complicated pregnancy, and being dropped by her former sponsor Nike, to win bronze in the women’s 400m and gold in the women’s 4X400m finals at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Felix is now the most decorated American athlete of all time, surpassing Carl Lewis.