Cornish Olympic champion makes history as first mum on Team GB
Helen Glover has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics this summer
Last updated 9th Jun 2021
A double Olympic champion from Cornwall says has made history as the first British rower to compete in the games after having children.
Helen Glover from Penzance stepped away from the sport in 2016 after winning her second gold with Heather Stanning in Rio.
During the course of the five year's, Helen went on to have three children with her husband Steve.
But, she decided to come out of retirement in an effort to qualify for the Tokyo Games and she succeeded!
Her decision to attempt to become part of Team GB came from being in lockdown when the coronavirus pandemic started in March.
"It happened quite organically and happened over time. It started after having twins in January 2020 and I was just trying to get fit again.
"The first lockdown it led to a lot of time on the rowing machine because we're at home and that's all I had my disposal, and I started seeing numbers and scores that reminded me of what I was like 4-5 years ago.
"I think that old competitive nature kicked in around March/April time and that's when I thought ‘you know what, the why comes in because nobody does it as a mother."
Helen Glover, Double Olympic rowing champion
Originally, the Tokyo Olympics were due to have taken place last year but was cancelled due to the ongoing crisis, which led to the game being rescheduled to 2021.
Helen will now partner with Polly Swann in the Women's pairs and she's made history as the first mother ever to row in the games.
"I would never want to put a positive spin on what's going on in the moment but for me, I never would have considered coming back I had essentially retired, I hadn’t officially retired but I haven't ridden for four/five years.
"It would have been another four years to Paris would have been too long, six months before Tokyo which wasn't long enough after having the Twins. It wasn't really on my horizon.
"When the games were moved, it seemed like this really short time frame that was quite exciting and would never have been an option for me before."
Helen Glover
Moving forward, Helen hopes to become an inspiration to her children, young girls and new mums, proving that motherhood doesn't have to stop you from achieving great things.
"No British woman has come back and rowed at the Olympic Games or made the team as a mum. I looked at my kids and I thought 'what can I do this year that makes you really proud?' My husband Steve did point out that most people take up crocheting as a lockdown project but for me, I took up trying to get to another Olympic Games.
"I want my daughter to feel that she can do whatever she wants, that there is no barrier for whatever reason, whether it's having children or any other lifestyle factor.
"So for all the young girls out there and the women who have just had children themselves, I would like to feel that I could break another boundary."
Helen Glover