How motherhood has shaped Helen Glover’s preparations for Paris 2024
Helen Glover is set to contest her fourth Olympic rowing regatta at Paris 2024, two more appearances than she had anticipated in her career.
Gold medals at London 2012 and Rio 2016 prompted the Team GB athlete to retire, turning attention to starting a family.
But when the pandemic postponed the Tokyo 2020 Games to 2021, Glover - at this point a mother of three - decided to pick up her oars once more as a ‘lockdown project’.
An incredible comeback to the sport in the women’s pair alongside Piolly Swann would see her finish fourth, just shy of the podium.
Now, Glover is set for her fourth Games appearance, having been named in Team GB’s squad for the Paris showpiece.
But how has motherhood shaped her preparations?
From mum guilt to striking the right balance between being a mother and an athlete, it has been a process for the two-time Olympic champion.
“I came extremely close to walking away just a few months ago,” she revealed to Mail Sport.
“It was exhaustion and just this never-ending question of ‘Am I doing the right thing?’
“It is a question every single mum asks themselves every day: ‘Am I being the best parent I can be?’”
After discussions with team doctors and coaches, Glover made efforts to adapt her training around her kids, to better manage her time.
Often, this includes training late in the evening once her children are in bed.
“The way I run my training is very different, purely through being a mum,” she told The Guardian.
“I’ve got something much bigger and more important that I’m going home to, so I time training around my kids.
“In a practical sense, it’s very different, and my role in the boat is about having that bit of experience now.”
Half of Great Britain’s rowing team will be making their Olympic debut in Paris, meaning her experience is an invaluable asset for Team GB.
And it will be all the more special for Glover, having her children cheering her on.