Olympic gold medallist Jess Learmonth issued a reminder to women athletes that ‘careers and motherhood aren’t mutually exclusive’ as she announced the news that she is pregnant with her second child.
The 37-year-old Briton made the announcement on her Instagram page earlier this week, alongside an image of her young son Fred, who was proudly wearing a jumper that had the words ‘Big Brother’ on the front.
Learmonth, who is yet to compete in 2026, achieved four podium places last season, including a win at IRONMAN 70.3 in Nice and a trio of third places at T100 Triathlon World Tour races in Vancouver, Spain, and Dubai.
Top six finish in T100 rankings
She ended the T100 campaign in sixth place after failing to finish in the top ten only twice across the seven races that she competed in.
An advocate for women athletes keen to combine parenthood with their careers, she has helped pave the way for sponsors and race organisers to make major improvements to their pregnancy policies.
A part of the successful Team GB mixed relay team at the Tokyo Olympics, along with Jonny Brownlee, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee, she took time off to have Fred in September 2023 before then struggling with a series of hip and calf injuries that blighted her return in 2024.
Her switch to T100 in 2025 was a major step in the right direction, as she enjoyed an injury-free season – even if she has made it clear that travelling for the long-haul Australian events with a toddler in tow just wasn’t going to happen.
Finding the right balance
Indeed, it is that life balance that she is now happy to seek, an experience that she wants to share with other women competitors who might feel concerned about the prospect of pausing their careers to have children.
“I’m excited to share that we’re expecting baby number two,” she announced on Instagram. “After going through my first pregnancy with Fred, I’ve built a lot of confidence in my body. Watching other women navigate motherhood and still chase their ambitions and be successful has been inspiring.
“I hope it can be a small reminder to other women that careers and motherhood aren’t mutually exclusive.
“Your path may look a little different for a while, but it’s certainly not over! If it takes a while to return and it’s not straightforward, you won’t care; you’ve got a precious gift. ❤️”
Everyone at TRI247 wishes Jess well in her pregnancy.
