15 Female Athletes Who Are Actually Moms (And 10 Who Might Be Soon)
Chloe Ramirez Quick Links
Pro female athletes have to contend with a lot. To us outsiders looking in, it might seem like a pretty cushy life. You do some training, watch your diet, and compete to the best of your abilities. But of course, the life of an athlete isn’t that simple. To get to that level, to be your best, you’ve got to be willing to go above and beyond. Even that might not be enough.
Athletes have to make a lot of sacrifices. It is a selfish profession. Pretty much every athlete in the world of sports will testify to that. To be the best it has to be all about you. You may not be able to spend as much time with your loved ones as you’d want to. You may have to banish certain foods in the house, go to bed at a certain time every night, and stick to a strict schedule. Partners of pro athletes have to be very understanding. Another major thing the athletes themselves and their families have to contend with – female athletes that is – is whether or not they want to start a family. The sporting window of a pro athlete is pretty short. Having kids could minimize this window significantly. Also, if the athlete decided to make a comeback after giving birth, she might not be able to pick up where she left off.
It’s a tough decision. But some athletes have made it. They’ve started families, and there are other female athletes out there that must be thinking about it. Either they’re already pregnant, or due to their relationships and the stages they’re at in their respective careers, they might be having kids soon. Some female athletes are moms and we know all about it. Take Serena Williams, for example. Even non-sporting fans couldn’t escape the news that Serena had become a mom. But with some athletes, it may come as a surprise to learn that they’re mothers. Here are 15 female athletes we didn’t know were moms, and 10 we’re predicting probably will be soon.
VICTORIA AZERENKA
Victoria Azarenka, affectionally known as Vika, is a Belarusian tennis player and former world number one. In 2012, she enjoyed her best year as a pro. She finished the year at the top of the women’s rankings having won her first Grand Slam title. She successfully defended her Australian Open title the following year and continued her fine form. But she’s currently ranked at 97 in the world. That’s in large part to her taking time off to give birth and care for her baby.
Vika might not be the most popular player on tour. She has a number of strange mannerisms, not to mention her ear-splitting grunting. But everyone felt for her when news broke of her custody dispute. She gave birth to little baby Leo in December of 2016. But things didn’t work out with her baby daddy. They broke things off and a custody battle ensued. She’s missed a lot of tennis since then because of all the legal proceedings. They’re still ongoing. As Tennis.com reported, she doesn’t know when her next event will be. The legal issues are affecting her travel itinerary. Her son is her priority and she wants to remain by his side until everything is rectified.
WILL BE SOON: SANIA MIRZA
Sania Mirza has got to be one of the most popular tennis players on the planet. Actually, scrap that; she’s one of the most popular athletes in the world. That might surprise a whole lot of you who haven’t heard her name. She’s a tennis player but only applies her trade on the doubles circuit. But sticking to doubles events has worked well for her. She’s won tons of competitions and due to her fan following in her home nation of India, has been propelled to global superstardom.
Sania’s revered like a major A-list celeb in India. Walk the streets and her face will be beaming down at you on ad campaigns. Turn on the TV and she’ll be endorsing a product, be in an ad, or on a celebrity talkshow.
It was headline news when Sania got hitched to Pakistani cricket player Shoaib Malik in 2010. If you know your history, you’ll appreciate why that was such a big deal. But by and large, people have embraced the couple. They’re both sporting superstars in their own right. Sania announced on social media a matter of weeks ago that she’s pregnant and that her and Malik are expecting their first child together. The baby’s due to arrive later this year. As Times of India reported, the child is going to be one of South Asia’s highest profile babies.
MICHELLE WATERSON
Michelle Waterson is regarded as one of the most beautiful women in the UFC. That’s resulted in Michelle acquiring a large fan following. She’s got a tremendous amount of popularity on social media. That’s because of the way she looks but also because of her success in the octagon. Those of you who are MMA fans and follow Michelle on social media will probably know that she’s a mom. She’s a proud mama who regularly posts pics of her and her family. But to the rest of you, learning that she’s a mom would probably come as a surprise. Firstly, it might be surprising because Michelle is in tremendous shape. Secondly, she’s still fighting. A lot of fighters reevaluate things after they become moms. They no longer want to fight, and instead choose a different career path. Not Michelle. She just can’t give the fight game up.
Michelle had her baby in 2014. She was planning to have one more. But the time just wasn’t right. She had spent over a year out of the octagon and wanted to get back to competing.
She told MMA Junkie, “I feel like fighting is such a sacrifice on your body and on your family. If you’re just training with nothing in front of you, sometimes it’s hard to stay motivated. I started thinking, man, if I’d known I was going to be out this long, I could have had another baby already.”
CANDACE PARKER
32-year-old Candace Parker has spent a decade on the court, playing in the pro leagues of NBA. During this time the power forward has established herself as one of the best players around. She’s a highly influential figure and has won a stack load of awards during her time in the WNBA. Pretty much all of these awards and accolades came after Candace became a mom. It’s normally the other way around. Athletes give birth and their priorities change. Their sporting careers slowly draw to a close. Not with Candace. She gave birth to her daughter in 2009. Her baby daddy is Shelden Williams, an ex pro baller. The two are no longer together.
Candace’s daughter is like a lucky charm for her. Motherhood has been good for Candace, although she admits it’s a struggle.
She’s told MyBrownBaby, “Lailaa is a beautiful, loving, energetic, talkative, curious toddler that has racked up more frequent flyer miles in her almost three years of existence than most people do in a lifetime. My heart smiles when she grabs her purse, backpack and Playschool basketball and tells me she is 'headed to practice.' I die laughing when she returns five seconds later to tell me 'I forgot my keys!' Just the simple fact that she pays attention lets me know that she is watching me. Regardless of whether she plays basketball or not, I want her to grow up and be a strong, educated, kind, giving, and confident African-American woman. At times, I admit I am a bit ambitious, but when you are juggling something as precious and fragile as a family and career, it is well worth the hassle.”
MIGHT BE SOON: DANICA PATRICK
Danica Patrick is one of the world’s most famous female athletes. She’s a professional racing driver, one of the most successful women in that sport of all time. When it comes to open-wheel racing, very few are better than Danica. She’s paved the way for other women to get into the sport. Danica also markets herself superbly, hence she has widespread star appeal.
We can predict that Danica will be a mom soon. That’s because things in her life are changing. Over the past decade or so, her life’s been all about racing. Now she’s slowly making the transition into retirement.
She announced her intention to retire. Her race next month at the 2018 Indianapolis 500 is set to be her last. Things are also going swimmingly for Danica in her private life. She’s currently all loved up with American football quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. She said in 2011 to Yahoo Sports about the prospect of motherhood, “I think it is something which is probably not for me at this point and realistically, I don’t know when that point would ever be. My focus is on racing and of course I have a lot of outside interests which take up my time.” Things are changing in her life. Her opinion on motherhood has probably changed too.
SYDNEY LEROUX
Sydney Leroux is regarded as being one of the most beautiful women in the world. Plenty of people know her name. She’s the face of women’s soccer in the U.S. Sydney has only just gotten back onto the soccer field. At the start of 2016 Sydney announced that she was pregnant. She was playing for FC Kansas City at the time. Sydney ended up missing the entire 2016 season due to her pregnancy. She returned to the pitch in 2017 and is now with Orlando Pride.
Sydney has been with MLS player Dom Dwyer for four years. They wed in 2015 and had their little bundle of joy a year later.
As reported by Excellesports, Sydney absolutely loves being a mom: “My entire life is that baby. Before he was born, soccer was everything in my entire life. If I was in a hole, it was an awful hole. If I was doing well, it was the best. But now I have my son, and no matter what, it’s always the best. The losses suck still, but they don’t hurt as bad. I have something else, now. And I think that balance is so important. It’s what I needed.”
WILL BE SOON: EUGENIE BOUCHARD
Despite not tasting a whole load of success over the years, Eugenie is still one of the most popular athletes in the world. She’s rated as being one of the most beautiful athletes in the world. Her looks combined with her vibrant and cheeky personality, and her young exuberant attitude have made her a hit amongst pretty much every sports fan. The fact that her game doesn’t measure up is irrelevant – probably not to Genie, but it is to us.
The Canadian superstar tennis player creates headlines whatever she does, wherever she goes. She’s an A-list celebrity in her own right.
It certainly created headlines when she accepted a bet and ended up going on a date with John Goehrke. It wasn’t just the once either. They’ve been spotted numerous times together since that initial date. It’s sparked rumors that the two are actually dating. Last month, MediaMass.net reported that John might be more than Genie’s new boyfriend. The site suggested that he might be her baby daddy. According to Mediamass, Genie’s been spotted with a baby bump. Sources close to her have revealed that she’s now toasting with water and not the customary wine. When put to her by journalists, Genie has remained coy about the whole thing, hasn’t taken to confirming or denying anything.
ALEXIS DAVIS
Alexis Davis is one of the world’s best female fighters. She competes in the UFC and is a force to be reckoned with. The Canadian MMA artist is a black belt in Japanese jujutsu and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She competes in the bantamweight and flyweight divisions and has racked up an impressive record of 19 victories in 26 fights. She’s enjoyed a good spell after giving birth as well. She lost her initial fight, which was her comeback fight, but has then gone on to enjoy two victories.
Alexis announced she was pregnant in 2016. Understandably, she put her fighting career on hold. She had her baby with Flavio Meier who’s also an MMA champion. People were a little surprised when she revealed the news. That’s because Alexis was coming off one of her biggest wins. But she said on Instagram, “Big news to announce today a slight delay in my return to the octagon! I planned on spending as much time back home as possible to help with my niece anyways. But we are over joyed by this news and should be expecting our new arrival early 2016! And planned to back in the Octagon by the end of the year!” But of course, motherhood takes precedence. When she gave birth, she joined multiple women on the roster who are mothers. She certainly hasn’t let it affect her.
MANDY MINELLA
Mandy Minella probably isn’t the most well-known tennis player on this list. She’s certainly considered to be one of the most beautiful players on tour. She’s gained a lot of attention over the years because of her looks. But her game just isn’t up to scratch. She hasn’t done anything significant in tennis. She doesn’t spend enough time in the big tournaments for her to get recognized. There are also plenty of beautiful women in the WTA, and so Mandy tends to get lost amongst them.
But those who do know about the Luxembourgish professional tennis player do know her because of her looks, the modeling photoshoots she’s done over the years. In 2018, at the age of 32, she still looks amazing. She still has the looks and has the physique, and that’s despite having a baby last year. Mandy married her tennis coach Tim Sommer in 2014. Mandy gave birth in October 2017 to a baby girl. She’s already back on the tennis circuit. As WomensTennisBlog.com reported, Mandy played at Wimbledon last year. She was four and a half months pregnant. She took some time off to give birth, but just three months later she was back playing tennis.
WILL BE SOON: HOPE SOLO
Hope Solo is a woman who divided opinion. There’s no doubting her ability between the sticks. As a soccer goalkeeper she was one of the best. Being capped over 200 times by team USA proves that. For 16 years she was a permanent fixture in her national team. She was also one of the most high-profile stars in the world of women’s soccer. She’s still making noise despite having been inactive for a couple of years. Hope is a controversial figure. She’s had issues with the law various times and has found herself facing the wrath of US soccer various times for her conduct and her comments. In 2016 she had her contract terminated for again getting on the governing body’s backs.
As the NY Times reported, Hope said in a statement released by her publicist: "I could not be the player I am without being the person I am, even when I haven’t made the best choices or said the right things. My entire career, I have only wanted the best for this team, for the players and the women’s game and I will continue to pursue these causes with the same unrelenting passion with which I play the game."At the age of 36, although nothing official has been said, that pretty much marks the end of her soccer career. Hope now has different hopes and dreams – she wants to run for president of the US Soccer Federation, the same federation that burned her.
Throughout all these difficult moments, Hope’s had little support. There’s been one person who’s been in her corner, since 2012 at least. That person is ex NFL pro, Jerramy Stevens.
The two are hitched, and despite there being plenty of drama between the two, are still together. Now that Hope is no longer playing soccer and she is in what appears to be a loving relationship, perhaps she has motherhood on her mind. If she ever gets to be president of the Soccer Federation, sure that will keep her busy. But the time is right for the 36-year-old. Perhaps she’ll be looking forward to the next stage of her career with a little one to take care of.
KERRI WALSH JENNINGS
Kerri Walsh Jennings is an American volleyball player. She’s been around for a very long time. In fact, she started to represent USA at the Olympics back in 2004. That’s when she had her first major achievement. She won gold, and since then it’s been gold after gold, win after win. No matter who she partners with, Kerri tends to end up victorious on the beach. She’s rightfully acquired the tag of being one of the greatest volleyball players of all time. What’s even more amazing is that Kerri is still going strong at the age of 39. Most people tend to think of beach volleyball players as young and beautiful.
Kerri fits the latter category, but at 39 she’s one of the oldest beach volleyball players around. That’s testimony to her drive and determination to succeed. She could have easily chosen a different career path when she became a mom. Most female athletes do, or they slow down and then eventually transition into something else. But not Kerri. She married a fellow beach volleyball player, Casey Jennings in 2005. They have two sons and a daughter together, the last of which was born just after the London 2012 Olympics. She was actually five weeks pregnant during those games, and went on to win gold. Kerri told The Post Game her daughter is what made her win gold: “She knows she’s golden.” In an interview with NBC, she said, “I feel like I was born to have babies and to play volleyball.”
WILL BE SOON: ALLISON STOKKE
A lot of athletes embrace fame and popularity. Many strive to achieve just that and when it comes their way they just lap it up. Not Allison Stokke. She has a different personality. Allison is the more reserved, quiet type. She wants to be left to get on with business in the world of athletics as a pole vaulter. When she was a teenager, around a decade ago, she first became an internet sensation. Her photos began to get picked up by the media, and it wasn’t long before people were talking about Allison as being one of the most beautiful women in the world. At the time she found all of this pretty hard to take.
As ESPN reported, Allison wasn’t thrilled about being objectified and being spoken about in that manner. But over the years, she’s slowly come out of her shell. She’s learned to embrace it a tad. Now that she’s in a high-profile relationship with golfer Rickie Fowler, she doesn’t really have a choice. The two have become a massive couple and are super loved up. It wouldn’t come as a big surprise if things progressed quickly for the couple. Marriage and possibly babies could be on the cards for Allison and Rickie in the not-so-distant future.
AMANDA BEARD
Amanda Beard is one of the greatest swimmers America’s ever had. She’s a former world record holder, has won seven Olympic medals, and has won 21 medals in major swimming events. Among her other accolades, she’s also won American Swimmer of the Year, twice. That’s no mean feat since America is one of the best nations in the world when it comes to churning out top world-class swimmers. She’s also acquired a great deal of popularity as a model. Amanda has posed in many photoshoots over the years and has attracted a whole new fanbase because of them.
Despite all of the successes, Amanda’s had her fair share of troubles. She’s had mental health problems, has battled addictions, and has dealt with body dysmorphia. Someone who helped her overcome these issues was photographer Sacha Brown. She’s said that he’s the best thing to have come into her life. You can add their kids to that too. They have a boy and a girl. She didn’t do too well on the swimming front after having kids but has transitioned more into modeling and advertising.
Despite the trials and tribulations, she’s faced in the swimming world, Amanda has said her biggest challenge and triumph has been motherhood. She’s told Celebrity Baby Scoop, “Motherhood has taught me a lot about accepting myself; when I became a mom for the first time, it really rearranged my priorities. My kids are at front of my mind at all times and my most important job is being their mom. It’s all so fun and exciting!”
JENNIE FINCH
Jennie Finch is arguably one of the most famous softball competitors around. She’s represented the US in softball events and has won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens’ Olympic Games. She began playing softball at the age of five and it subsequently became her career. You wouldn’t think that softball would get a lot of coverage. You’d be wrong. Jennie’s someone who changed all that. Because of her, people began to tune in. They began to give softball players the respect they deserved. One of the reasons Jennie was so popular, aside from her prowess on the softball field, was that she was beautiful and glamorous. Understandably she gained plenty of attention. But she also had the personality to match.
Fans were distraught when she announced in 2010 that she’d be stepping away from the sport. She wanted to put all her focus into her family life. Jennie told the Associated Press, “I just feel like it gets harder and harder every year with Ace getting older and time away from my husband and even family events such as birthdays and friends' weddings and things that I've always just missed out on because of softball." Ace is Jennie’s son. She, along with hubby, then-MLB pitcher Casey Daigle, also have another son and a daughter who was born in 2013.
WILL BE SOON: LINDSEY VONN
Lindsey Vonn is one of the most famous female athletes on the planet. Alpine ski racers don’t normally get a lot of popularity and the sport doesn’t get a lot of coverage. Lindsey Vonn has changed all of that. She’s put alpine skiing as a sport on the map, so to speak. That’s down to her achievements on the slopes but it’s also due to her attitude, her looks, and ultimately her popularity, which has grown exponentially over the years. It’s grown to the point where she’s one of the most famous athletes in the world. All the major sponsors want a piece of her, and all the fans want a bit of her. Lindsey is that type of woman, so she’s happy to oblige.
This year Lindsey stated that she’d probably raced in her last Olympic Games. Fittingly, she bowed out with a medal. It’s a new period in Lindsey’s life. At the age of 33, she’s slowly winding down her career on the slopes. That could mean she’s turning her focus more to family life. She hasn’t really been able to do that in the past. As CNN reported, Lindsey once said, “Life is a lot different. You can’t have a family at home and keep racing. It’s one or the other.” As she slowly transitions away from racing, it could now be the other.
NIA ALI
Nia Ali is an American 29-year-old track and field athlete. She competes in various events, specializing in 100m hurdles and the heptathlon. She’s also tried her hand at various other events over the years. Nia Ali is all about competing. She’s shined on the world stage and has tasted a great deal of success, especially in hurdles events. In recent years she’s been racing at her peak. Nia won gold at the 60m hurdles at the World Indoor Championships in 2016. She emerged second best at Rio, claiming the silver medal. Nia turned pro in 2011, and turned her attention to competing full time. Due to all of her achievements, it’s hard to believe that she’s been around for such a relatively short period of time, and that she’s only 29. Her 20s have been a monumental decade for Nia Ali. She had her son Titus Maximus Tinsley in May 2015. He evidently proved to be a lucky charm for Nia as she achieved most of her success after motherhood. Her son’s already started to relish the limelight. Despite winning silver in Rio, it was Titus who stole the show.
As reported by RedBookMag, Nia spoke to the International Association of Athletics Federation about motherhood: "In our sport, it's considered a career [ender]. Being a mom and an elite athlete is difficult, but it's very rewarding. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my son, love coming back home after long days. It puts what I do on the track in a perspective, and I have an amazing support system that helps make it happen. I can't take the full credit."
WILL BE SOON: NATALIE GULBIS
Women’s golf has started to pick up. It has begun getting a lot more coverage and popularity in recent years. The female golfers themselves certainly get a lot of attention. Natalie Gulbis is one of those athletes who have been receiving a lot of attention. She’s been around on the LPGA tour since the early 2000s. But with the rise in popularity of women’s golf, Natalie’s profile has also increased. The fact that she’s not shy about posing in modeling photoshoots has certainly helped her popularity shoot up. She knows what people want to see and obliges. I’m sure her hubby isn’t too thrilled about that, though. Natalie’s been hitched to Josh Rodarmel since 2013. A few years into marriage, Natalie began to speak about wanting to become a mother. She’s now 35, and is happily married, so one feels that now is a good a time as any. Natalie revealed to NY Times that she loves kids and is eager to start a family: “I’ve been trying to have a baby. I’ve gone through a whole bunch of different ways to try and have children.” Keep your fingers crossed for Natalie. 2018 Could be the year it finally happens. Only time will tell.
KELLY GRIFFIN
Kelly Griffin might not be the most well-known person on this list. Her sport doesn’t exactly get a lot of coverage in The United States. In the US, people tune in to American football when they want to see some high octane physical action. Rugby is more the rest of world’s version of football, although rugby fans might take offence to that. Rugby is popular, but only in certain countries. The UK, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, France, Australia are just some of the nations that are big on rugby. The US is definitely not one of them. Women’s rugby is even less popular. Nevertheless, someone who’s done her bit for the sport is Kelly Griffin. The 31-year-old has been playing for her home nation since 2011.
She used to play soccer and basketball, but when she attended UCLA it became all about rugby for Kelly. Due to the success she’s tasted on the rugby field, it’s fair to say she doesn’t regret transitioning to the lesser known sport. Kelly absolutely loves rugby. Another thing she loves is her family life. She’s married with a loving wife and has a son. In 2016, Kelly told USA Rugby, "Fortunately, my wife has moved to Chula Vista with me. I have a son who is one and a half years old [...] I get a lot of support at home. I love to go home and be a parent. It's something other than rugby that brings me a lot of joy."
KRISTEN ARMSTRONG
Kristen Armstrong is a road bicycle racer. She’s arguably one of USA’s best and most successful athletes. People have a tremendous amount of love and admiration for her because of what she’s achieved. Kristen has tasted a lot of success over her almost two decades in the sport. One thing that’s truly remarkable about Kristen is her hunger and desire to still compete. Kristen continued to race professionally when she was in her 40s. That’s pretty much unheard of in the strenuous sport of road racing. But Kristen’s known for pushing the boundaries. Not only was she racing in her 40s, she was winning medals too. She won gold in the time trial at Rio, and by doing so she became the oldest cyclist to win an Olympic medal. She’s proven age is nothing but a number.
Kristen did actually retire for a period, though. She stepped away from the sport in 2009 and 2010 in order to give birth and focus on raising her son, putting more focus on family life. But that retirement was short-lived. Kristen just couldn’t stay away from the racing circuit. As reported by KTVB, Kristen said in a statement, "I love cycling and I love competing. I stopped racing after the 2009 World Championships not because I was burned out, but because my husband and I wanted to start a family. I told myself from the beginning if everything went smoothly with the birth of our son, Lucas William, I would consider racing again.” Everything did go smoothly and Kristen got back on the bike.
WILL BE SOON: ELENA DELLE DONNE
Elena Delle Donne is a female basketball player who plays in the WNBA. She currently plays for the Washington Mystics. Before moving to Washington, Elena was with Chicago Sky. She’s also represented her country. Her biggest achievement with USA was winning gold at the Rio Olympics. Elena’s not just a great basketball player. She’s been a highly influential figure in the sport. She’s a headstrong bolshie woman who’s spoken out on a number of issues affecting the women’s game. She’s not one to stay quiet and the vast majority of people respect her for that. It would take a strong woman to be with Elena. She’s found her partner in Amanda Clifton. They got engaged in 2016 and tied the knot late last year.
Elena’s had to contend with a lot. She’s had numerous health issues over the years. Elena also cares for her disabled sister.
It’s made her appreciate everything she’s got, not take anything for granted. Her difficulties are also what has meant she loves kids. She wants to give back, and she does a lot for kids. As Publishers Weekly reported, Elena does a lot for kids through her own basketball camp, her very own Delle Donne Academy. She’ll be a great mom. Elena’s currently in a loving relationship. That and the fact she loves kids means it could happen sooner than we think.
LASHINDA DEMUS
Lashinda Demus is a massive name on the US athletics’ scene. Over the years new athletes have risen through the ranks and have shone. Old athletes have had their time in the limelight and have faded from memory. Not Lashinda. Lashinda’s remained a constant presence in women’s athletics. She’s been around since the early 2000s. When she graduated through the ranks to senior level, that winning mentality stuck with her. It hasn’t deserted her, even though she’s now in her 30s. Her most recent big achievement was winning a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics in the 400m hurdles. That’s one of her biggest achievements on the athletics track.
Some would say that her biggest achievement has been raising twin boys, all the while balancing motherhood with a professional athletics career.
It’s rewarding, but Lashinda hasn’t found it easy. Her twins were born in 2007. As reported by Celebrity Baby Scoop, when asked about how she does just that, trains and raises two kids, Lashinda said, “I always tell people that I’m still trying to figure it out. All I do know is that I would not be able to keep the amount of balance I do have without my other half, my husband. Time management is definitely the key.”
WILL BE SOON: AMANDA NUNES
Surprisingly, there are actually quite a lot of mothers competing in MMA. It’s a violent sport, and a lot of athletes choose to step away from fighting when they become parents. Either that or their career’s slow down as they begin to reassess their priorities. 29-year-old Amanda Nunes isn’t even contemplating that at the moment. The Brazilian MMA competitor is the reigning UFC Women's Bantamweight champion. She’s one of the best fighters in the industry, a fierce competitor. After some slip-ups during the initial stages of her career, Amanda has been decimating opponents with ease. She’s had a number of high-profile victories, including against Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.
Amanda lives her life to the beat of her own drum. She’s very open about pretty much everything. Amanda is openly in a very happy, loving long term relationship with Nina Ansaroff, a fighter who competes in the women's strawweight division of the UFC.
This relationship has coincided with her success in the octagon. Although Amanda hasn’t spoken on the topic of wanting to start a family, Nina has been very vocal about her wishes. She’s told MMA Junkie: “I do want a family, and that’s something that I would have to take time off for. If you’re going to tell me that I’m not going to fight in a year, I would use that year to have a child. But if you tell me we’re going to get this going, give (me) three fights in the next year? Let’s do the thing. I’m not picking one or the other at this time. I’m going to go with what it is. But in our situation, it takes planning. It’s not like a normal relationship. You know how this works these days. So, I need to know when I’m fighting next and when I’m not.”
SUMMER SANDERS
Summer Sanders was an American swimmer. She started swimming at the age of three. At the age of 15, she’d already gained worldwide attention. Summer went on to achieve plenty in the swimming world. The 1992 Olympic Games was her best event by far. She won four medals and broke records in the process. This generation of swimming fans probably know Summer more for her media appearances. Since calling time on her career in competitive swimming, Summer’s transitioned to life in the media. She commentates on swimming events, she’s a reported TV host, and she’s done a bit of acting too.
Summer certainly has her hands full. You’ll be able to appreciate just how full her hands are when you learn she has two kids. Summer’s been married to former world alpine ski racer, Erik Schlopy, since 2005. They’ve had two kids together, a girl and a boy, the youngest of which is ten. Summer spoke to Celebrity Baby Scoop about motherhood: “My life is the chaos of motherhood and my work, and I feel extremely lucky that I get to do both of them. I feel each role makes me better at the other. I’m sure my kids will argue, but I have an amazing support system that allows me to do a bunch of things in my life.”
DIDN’T KNOW: KARA GOUCHER
Kara Groucher is an American long-distance runner. Due to her achievements, she’s recognized as being one of the best in the world. Among her achievements, she was three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association champion, she’s won medals at world championships, and has competed for USA in two Olympic Games. Kara prefers competing on the road in marathon races. At the age of 39 Kara is showing no signs of slowing down. She loves competing just as much as she ever did. Retirement isn’t on her mind. That may surprise a lot of people, firstly because of her age, and due to the fact that she’s a mom. Kara fell pregnant in 2010. She took the entire season off.
After giving birth to baby Colt, she was back to competing in January 2011. She’s said speaking to RunnersWorld.com: “There are times when Colt needs to come first, and when I need to put myself first. It’s not easy and I’m always learning. This weekend is about me. Colt is here, but he’s not in my room. For me, I am happier when I am trying to achieve something, and I feel like I’m getting lost if I don’t try to achieve something. Motherhood and running makes me better at the other.”
WILL BE SOON: VENUS WILLIAMS
It must be tough being Venus Williams. She’s had a hugely successful career in her own right. But although she wouldn’t say as much, it must have been tough living in her younger sister’s shadow. Venus is the reason Serena got into tennis. She wanted to follow in her big sister’s footsteps. But no one anticipated that she’d go on to become a tennis phenomenon, arguably one of the greatest athletes who’s ever lived. Even when Serena took a break from the game to give birth, the spotlight was still firmly fixed on her. Venus, despite the fact she’s going to turn 38 this year, has actually been having a decent time of things in recent years.
Things are going swimmingly for her on and off the court and she hasn’t been making any noise about retiring. But it might be at the back of her mind. Things are going well for her off the court. As TennisWorldUSA reported, her love life has picked up. She’s currently dating millionaire, 25-year-old Nicholas Hammond. They’ve been dating for a while now. He even attended Serena’s wedding with Venus last year. We don’t know if Venus has kids on the mind or not. If she does, now would be the perfect time. She’s 37, and her sis has just had a kid and she’s in a happy relationship.
