OLYMPIC cycle star Laura Kenny wants to return to the track after the birth of her first child.
The four-times-gold medallist announced she was pregnant in February after marrying fellow cycle star Jason Kenny a month after Rio 2016.
The 24-year-old had planned to be a stay-at-home mum if she started a family but with Tokyo 2020 just 1,000 days away she has changed her mind.
The golden girl intends to get back on the saddle after giving birth.
Laura, who is 24-weeks pregnant, told the Sunday Telegraph: “That’s the end goal, I feel like I’ll still have time to be a mum and then I’ve got a long time afterwards to train.
“I never wanted it to be all rushed, or have either of them half-heartedly done.
“I wanted to settle and then start training afterwards.”
The couple started trying for a baby as soon as they were married but publicly denied they had plans to start a family.
MOST READ IN SPORT
She said: “I’ve always wanted kids and said that would happen so I would have been gutted if it hadn’t.
You feel a lot more pressure [to have children] when you get married.”
“It happened really quickly. Even though [the pregnancy] seemed like it took a long time. I was always like, come on, is it this month? But it just happened.”
Laura became Team GB’s greatest ever Olympian at Rio after scooping four gold medals in the velodrome.
She picked up two of her gold medals at Rio 2016 while husband Jason won three.
Both are taking time out from training.
Jason, 29, who has five golds to his name, is taking a break while he decides if he wants to continue his cycling career.
Laura is not sure how long she will need to wait to get back on the track after giving birth.
She said: “I’m going to wait and see because it’s different for everyone.
“Everything’s going to be new to me. I know I want to get into the team pursuit, but anything after that is a bonus. If I’m good enough to compete in the individual one, then I will, but it was never a target.”
The couple have not announced the sex of the baby.
Laura hopes being a young mum will make it easier for her to bounce back to peak fitness after giving birth.
She said: “I like that when the little one’s growing up, we’ll be really active. I had an active childhood and I’d like my child to have that.
“It should be easier to bounce back. I’ll let you know next year.”
Other Olympians who bounced back after having babies
OLYMPIC golden girl Jessica Ennis-Hill gave birth to son Reggie between the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics.
She scooped heptathlon gold in London but only managed silver four years later.
The 31-year-old Sheffield athlete retired in October.
Paralympic gold medallist Sarah Storey, 39, returned to cycling just a year after giving birth to her daughter in 2013.
In the Rio 2016 Paralympics she became Britain’s most successful female paralympian when she won the C5 3000m individual pursuit final.
British long distance runner Jo Pavey won gold at the 2014 European Championships just 10 months after giving birth to daughter Emily in 2013.
At 40 years and 325 days , she currently holds the record for being the oldest female European champion.
Gold medallist swimmer Dana Vollmer, 29, raced in Arizona on Friday – at six months pregnant.
After winning gold in the 100m butterfly in the 2012 London Olympics, the American took time off to have her first child, son Arlen, and returned in time to qualify for Rio where she won her seventh Olympic gold.
Leave a comment