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Paralympian Vanessa Low holds many titles, but there’s one that she holds closest to her heart, a mum.
Low will spend Mother’s Day celebrating with her husband, three-time Paralympian Scott Reardon and their son Matteo.
She describes the almost two-year-old as sweet and a little bit precocious and says he’s going through a phase of not only choosing his clothes in the morning but also hers, and making sure she sticks with it.
Low won gold in the long jump T42 at Rio 2016 for her native Germany and gold again at Tokyo 2020, this time for Australia. She has been embracing motherhood and her sporting career since giving birth in June 2022.
“Since being a mum, things have definitely got a lot more perspective and I’m really grateful to be able to do this journey with him,” she said.
“I think I’m now a better athlete because I’m a more whole person and I’m really excited to see what I can do in Paris.”
Finding the balance between motherhood and sport is something Low faces daily. She respects the hard-working athlete mothers who have come before her.
“I didn’t really appreciate how much of a balancing job it is to be a mum and an athlete at the same time,” Low said.
“So, I definitely take my hat off to all these women out there doing an amazing job and doing something that they still love while giving motherhood their all.”
Hoping to join Low in Paris and celebrate her successes with family is Sarah Edmiston.
The discus F64 Tokyo Paralympics bronze medallist is a mother of four and grandmother of two.
“Since I’ve been doing Para-athletics my children were school age, so I would just try and fit in all of my training and everything around their school hours,” Edmiston said.
“It’s definitely a juggle, it always is. Kids always remain the priority and then everything else has to kind of work in around them really.
“All your schedule and everything just has to kind of adjust when you have children.
“You just make it work.”
Edmiston will celebrate Mother’s Day at home in Western Australia where she’s hoping to get some much-needed rest. Her family will come together to celebrate her youngest’s 18th birthday with a party the night before.
She said she’s just happy to be spending time with her family and enjoying whatever comes up during the day.
“The best thing about being a mum is all of the little milestones, just watching them grow and become their own individual people,” she said.
By Natalie McGarry, Paralympics Australia.
Published: 12 May, 2024.
