In Conversation With: Bianca

Bianca’s journey into motherhood came just as the world was about to pause.

Two days before the UK went into lockdown, she welcomed her son, Zuri, into a life that had been meticulously structured around training for the Olympics.

In this conversation, she reflects on the surprises of pregnancy, the unexpected solitude of early motherhood, and the challenges of returning to elite running without the support she had counted on.

Listen: Can you take us back to your pregnancy – what were the biggest surprises, physical or emotional?

Bianca: My biggest surprise is when I was pregnant, was actually just being pregnant.   to be honest also to shock because I was pregnant in 2019 and the Olympics were meant to be the following year in 2020 so that was where I wanted to be. I wanted to go to Olympics and not be pregnant or have a baby. 

Listen: How did giving birth just before lockdown influence your experience of early motherhood?

Bianca: I actually really enjoyed having my son just before lockdown. He was born two days before the UK shutdown and it was weird at first but then it was nice to be in our bubble. You know we go out for fresh air when we need it, there was no pressure. 

Listen: What were the hardest challenges of navigating post-natal recovery during the pandemic?

Bianca: Not being able to see if Physio or anyone to help with pelvic floor that was hard. I remember I had a video consultation and it just didn’t make any sense.

Listen: Did the lack of in person support (physio, pelvic floor specialists, etc.) alter your return to training?

Bianca: I really do believe the lack of in person support whilst I was coming back from having Zuri was a reason why my journey back into elite running was much harder, I look at athletes now and I honestly envy me that they have had a baby and can make a quick return within like a couple of months whereas me I found it so hard. My body just felt a lot different and it wasn’t the same. It’s so weird. It felt like I’d literally was starting from scratch.

Listen: How did you decide to return to elite training, what motivated you?

Bianca: You know I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to return back to elite sport once I had Zuri. I fell back into a routine again as his dad was still training for the Olympics the next year that year before it got cancelled and then when it got cancelled it then he was trying to put his effort in so I just happened to roll with the punches and just continue going to the track when he did. 

Listen: You ran again, regained funding and made it back to competing for GB – what was the emotional journey like for you through this? 

Bianca: I honestly never thought it was possible to be back running for Great Britain again after I had my son. it was so hard that first year two years, I feel like I just struggled mentally I was training hard and then nothing was showing on the track and it felt like a rollercoaster I didn’t know if I wanted to stop. I didn’t know what the outcome was going to be, I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel and I remember in 2022 after that season I was so ready to be done you know I said I’m done I’m not coming to Track again,  then my partner was like just come to the Track and you know you don’t have to do much just come and just sit there basically but then I ended up training and I don’t even know why I kept telling my friends and my training partners you know I don’t even know why I’m here. I’m just here because whatever and then we went on a training camp in Dubai 2023 January and I just started to really love it again.

Listen: Can you describe the moment you found out you’d made Team GB for the Paris post birth?

Bianca: I remember I cried when I made the got the call for Paris. I pulled my hamstring six weeks before the British champs and it was just looking like I wasn’t going to make the team. I even came like seventh at the British champs and the 200 although I had a standard I didn’t know if anybody else would run a standard and if they did then that would just I’ll be out of it, so when I did get the call my son was next to me and I literally cried and he was looking at me like why are you crying But to go through what I’ve gone through as a full-time mother as a full-time athlete and to get these glories that come after you’ve worked so hard and putting so much time and effort and especially after having a child where your body goes through so much And for my child to be with me at one of the highest moment of my career was just magical

Listen: How did standing on the podium at the Olympics feel?

Bianca: Being on the podium in Paris was such out of this world experience everyone dreams of becoming an Olympian and everyone dreams about becoming an Olympic medallist but only the fair few get to do so and being a part of that was just amazing. It was just an incredible feeling I was so close to tears it was just amazing. 

Listen: How do you feel the British athletics system supports (or fails to support) mothers returning to elite performance?

Bianca: I don’t think there is much support in the system for Mother‘s returning to sport. You’re given a year extra once you’ve had the baby to kind of come back to fitness and I just don’t believe that’s enough time especially going on how my journey went,  I said there have been some women who have had babies and have come back quicker and which is obviously very incredible but not every journey is the same and people can have you know a vaginal birth for a Caesarean section And there are two completely different paths of recovery for that and again when you have one year and you don’t come back and don’t run quick enough you then cut from funding and it’s quite sad because I felt very lost once I lost my funding and I didn’t know what to do because I had a baby that needed to provide for I needed to look after myself like how could I do that if I don’t have any money or without the medical help. Though I was able to get some medical help, but I have to speak through head of sprints before I could access that.  

Listen: What role has Zuri played in your continued career – as motivation, perspective, or something else?

Bianca: Zuri is literally my biggest motivator. He loves watching me compete he always says like I did really well even if I didn’t, he’s just my number one supporter. And he’s also giving me life outside of Track. I’m now so busy with him, I have to do school runs, homework and  I don’t really have time to think about my bad performances or you know when training is not going well, I don’t have time to think about that because I now have to be a mum And I love that that I can have that divide and split my time. 

Listen: During your pregnancy and after, where did you turn for mentorship or advice – did you find it easily or was there a gap?

Bianca: During after pregnancy I actually spoke to Allyson Felix because she had a daughter and her return to Track wasn’t as easy but she made it work and she won medals afterwards , I spoke to her about her return to sport. I also spoke to Jess Ennis-Hill just to get some guidance because those are two women that I’ve had babies and have come back at elite level and got medals.. 

Listen: What systems or policies would you like to see change to better support athlete mothers?

Bianca: Athlete mothers face really big challenges when it comes to return him back to sport from having a child in terms of financial hardship and childcare. It would be good to see some travel grants for mothers and which can be used for training camps or competition competitions abroad. Maybe frozen world ranking points or frozen funding if that was possible.

Having a return to sport program. 

Listen: Looking ahead, what are your goals as an athlete and personally?

Bianca: Looking ahead for the future my goals personally and as an athlete I guess we’re just to be keep running fast and keep you know running personal best and continuing to inspire young women that want to be an athlete and also inspire women who have had children and are struggling to continue their Work you know I want to show them that you know it is possible to achieve your dreams once you’ve had a child.

Listen: During pregnancy you experienced SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction), can you walk us through how that impacted daily life and your training? 

Bianca: I did actually have SPD when I was pregnant and it was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. I really try to run and keep fit as much as possible during the pregnancy and I’d say I was running up until honestly say seven months I could be wrong but I had SPD and it was really hard to run. It was really hard to like climb out of bed climbing into bed it was very painful. I was able to stay fit in the gym but I just wasn’t able to run or jog. 

Listen: You’ve recently had surgery, how is the recovery going, how are you feeling and how are you managing to balance everything ?

Bianca: The recovery for my knee surgery seems to be going ok. It was really hard at first because I wasn’t able to do anything so I felt a bit lost for the first couple of weeks. I would say even now it’s been five weeks post now and it does feel a bit weird  not having much to do when I’m so used to having a really fast routine, you know wake up take Zuri School, train Back home and by then it’s like time for pick up where I take him to school now and  if I don’t have rehab on that day what do I do now? I don’t really get out of the house and it feels weird feeling lost.

Listen: What does rehab look like post surgery?

Bianca: They wanted me to start bending my knee and using my quad as soon as. I had been really slow and because of the nature of the injury I’m really taking it slow. 

Listen: Do you feel the funding system adequately supports medical and recovery care for athletes coming off pregnancy or surgery and if not, what would you change? 

Bianca: I would say the funding system doesn’t really support athletes coming off pregnancy but again I’m speaking because I had a bad experience and it was obviously lockdown and I wasn’t able to get much help.  There was one Physio who did zoom calls with me and we did some Pilates over zoom which was very nice, but it’s so hard to do things over a camera. But I have to say with this knee injury that I’ve had and the surgery it’s been so good.  I had my MRI on a Wednesday and then I had a zoom call with the surgeon on the Thursday evening and then have the surgery the Monday so it was so very quick and I felt really looked after.