Tokyo Olympics: pregnant Lindsay Flach joined US track and field trials to ‘prove what women are capable of’

Flach drew flak for competing, which doctors say is due to the fear of risks from sports – though exercising while pregnant is beneficial for most women, they add

Athletes such as Malaysia’s Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi and the Netherlands’ Anky van Grunsven have taken part in previous Olympics while sporting a baby bump

Reading Time:4 minutes

Lindsay Flach (right) walks from the track after dropping out of the US Olympic track and field trials. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

Published: 11:00am, 4 Jul 2021Updated: 2:47pm, 5 Jul 2021

Our Tokyo Trail series looks at key issues surrounding the 2020 Olympics, which are scheduled for late July.

When track and field athlete Lindsay Flach from the United States took part in trials for the heptathlon last week, the 31-year-old didn’t think she could qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. But she was determined to prove she could compete in the seven events that make up one of the Games’ most gruelling competitions – while she was 18 weeks pregnant.

Flach – who had days earlier revealed on Instagram that she was expecting – had the step patterns for the 100-metre hurdles on her mind, as well as the back arching needed for the high jump. The heptathlon includes five other events over two days: the shot put, a 200-metre run, broad jump, javelin throw and an 800-metre run.

With the trials in Eugene, Oregon, taking place amid a torrid heatwave, Flach ended up leaving the track after 100 metres of the 800-metre race on the second day, feeling that it was the best move to keep her and her baby healthy as the temperature hit 43 degrees Celsius.

“It was hard mentally because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to compete at the level I was capable of 18 weeks ago, but I just wanted to prove what women are capable of,” Flach told Yahoo Sports when asked why she had decided to go ahead with the trials after revealing her pregnancy. “To end one chapter and begin another on my terms was amazing.”