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A third successive gold, following three children and over four years of retirement, would be rower’s greatest sporting achievement but a deeper satisfaction is inspiring so many mums
“Everyone likes a daydream and something that’s just so ridiculous it excites you anyway,” Helen Glover says as she contemplates making history. The double Olympic rowing champion in the women’s pair then sinks back in her chair and rocks with amusement as she cracks a joke: “But I’ve sometimes felt like it’s this lockdown project that’s just gone too far …”
This is an Olympic story like no other, for Glover will try to defend her title in Tokyo while becoming the first mother to have been selected for the GB Olympic rowing team. Glover’s face lights up as she remembers the circumstances which led to her remarkable comeback after she had been retired for four years while giving birth to three children. The GB rowing coaches only knew she was serious about getting back into a boat last Christmas. After returning to competitive rowing this April, when she and Polly Swann became European champions as if she had never been away, Glover now dreams of a third successive gold medal. Continue reading...