British cyclist Elinor Barker has revealed that she won silver in the team pursuit at the Tokyo Olympics in August while pregnant.
Barker, who hails from Cardiff, was part of the Great Britain team that finished second to Germany at the Izu Velodrome in the team pursuit.. She announced on social media on Tuesday that she is expecting her first child, after only realising she was pregnant mid-way through the Olympics.
"Casper and I are excited to announce that we are expecting our first child," Barker exclaimed. "We can’t believe how lucky we are and are so excited to start the next part of our lives together."
The 27-year-old added: "For the eagle eyed among you who have done the maths… yep, I was pregnant at the Tokyo Olympics."
A former world and European champion, Barker went into the Tokyo Olympics looking to defend her team pursuit gold medal from Rio 2016. Though she had to settle for a silver medal, she came away expecting her first child with her partner.
She also offered her thanks to a number of organisations and people on social media for providing her with confidence to become a parent while also performing as an elite-level athlete.
"I’d like to say a sincere and heartfelt thank you to Lizzie Deignan, Laura Kenny and Sarah Storey," Barker said. "Because of these women (and many more) I didn’t doubt the future of my career for one second.
"I’d always been in awe of what they’ve each achieved since becoming parents, but only recently have I fully understood the full power of what each of them has done.
"I’d also like to thank Uno-X Pro Cycling and British Cycling for not hesitating to offer their full support. I’m fully aware that I’d be in a totally different situation if this had happened just a few years ago, and I’m so grateful for the difference that visibility for athlete mothers has made."
