"For all the mums out there, I hope that this was a very inspiring day," road bicycle racer, Kristin Armstrong said after her third straight win at the Olympics.
Kristin's can easily be described as one of the most influential characters among the present athletes.
With a win at the Trial Time event (cycling) ahead of women almost half her age, Kristin's message to all the women who had retirement in mind, either due to age or family was loud and clear. “Never give up!”
The victory at Rio etched the American's name above all cyclists - both men and women –becoming the first-ever cyclist to win three straight gold Olympic medals in a single event.
The American cycle racer is just another ordinary woman like you and me - a career oriented matriarch whose family is her top priority. But unlike most of us, her fervour for cycling and her belief that women can have longer careers in any field, proved to be her biggest strength, one that propelled her to make history.
Cycling for her is just a passion, one that she excels at. On any other normal day, she works as the director of a community health centre at Boise's St. Luke's hospital.
Kristin claims she has a dream job in the hospital and trains only when she manages to ride her bike after work.
The two-time World Champion clinched her maiden Olympic gold at the Beijing 2008. She finished 25 seconds ahead of silver medallist, Emma Pooley.
Kristin claimed her second world title in the 2009 World Champions , her last international appearance before she decided to call it quits.
Family takes over Kristin’s cycling career
While the world would have wanted to witness more of Kristin, the racer decided to retire her cycling career stating that she wanted to start a family with her husband Joe Savola.
A year later, she gave birth to her son, Lucas William Savola.
Her love for cycling was replaced by her new bundle of joy. But then another dream took shape in her mind, winning a medal for Lucas.
Lucas gave Kristin a new mission that directed her back to competitive cycling. The 2012 London Olympics was two years away when the athlete decided to come out of retirement.
"What woke me up every cold frigid morning was a vision of having Lucas on the podium with me," a determined Kristin revealed after she bagged the gold for the second time at the Beijing in 2012, this time for her son.
Lucas was a two-year-old toddler, who looked absolutely clueless when he was on the podium during the award ceremony. The tears in Kristin's eyes spoke a thousand words! Her victory restored the faith in all women who retired their sport for a family, as she demonstrated a known fact - a mother's love can do wonders!
Forced to retire a second time!
Shortly after, the racer was forced to quit again. This time, she had to give up on her sport to undergo three hip replacement surgeries.
But Kristin’s beautiful ride with her cycle would soon resume and the aging woman only got better.
"I left the sport on top, twice now. Something keeps driving me back," she said before Rio 2016.
The challenge in Rio, however, was a lot harder than her previous two Olympics appearances.
In Beijing, there was an uphill climb and a descent, in London the track was a flat course and in Rio, the course was undulating with a lot more spikes.
But the spiky road she rode with aplomb, claiming her third consecutive gold.
Kristin’s fight as a mother reminds us of our own home grown Olympic medal winner Mary Kom. The Indian boxer was forced to take a break from her beloved sport after pregnancy but she fought all odds and became the first Indian women to win a gold medal at Asian Games.
These dynamic athletes have broken stereotypes and paved the way for more women to take a step forward.
Don’t hang up your boots for a baby gals, instead, wear them to bring home a shiny prestigious present for your ward.
P.S: Happy Birthday, Kristin Armstrong. You truly are an inspirational character!
