“Her Main Sponsor Dropped Her”: Olympic Runner Eilish McColgan Pens Down Athlete Mother’s Journey in an Emotional Note

Olympian Eilish McColgan looks up to her mother, Liz McColgan, a retired Olympic runner, as her inspiration. In honor of International Women’s Day, the official Instagram account of the Olympics included a touching tribute from the British athlete to her mother, who overcame adversity to achieve greatness.

The Instagram account of the Olympics delivered a message in the caption, and wrote, “For many, our mothers are our first inspiration. Long-distance runner @eilishmccolgan’s mum @lizmccolgan continues to inspire her on and off the track. #RoadtoParis2024 #GenderEqualOlympics #IWD2024”

The British Olympian credits her mother for being her role model and her trainer. Since giving birth to her first child, Liz McColgan has always been by her side. The retired athlete’s pregnancy once caused her to lose her crucial sponsor, which was highlighted by her daughter.

 

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Sponsors provide athletes with financial support. In a roundabout way, it helps the organization promote its products, including nourishing athletes with great potential. But, if the athlete gets dropped by a sponsor, it becomes a dark patch in their career.

“My mum was also a professional athlete, approaching her peak in the late eighties. But after falling pregnant, her main sponsor dropped her because back then it was seen as almost like a career ending choice starting a family.”

However, Liz was a fighter. Despite facing many obstacles, she managed to give birth to her healthy daughter, Eilish, while even going through immense training throughout her pregnancy. The retired British Olympian also made a massive comeback. Eilish McColgan, as a proud daughter, recalled:

“Mind-blowingly just 17 weeks after giving birth to me, my mum won a medal at the World Cross country Championships. And even more insane is a year after giving birth to me, she was crowned world champion at the 1991 Tokyo World Championships.”

Women athletes, like Eilish McColgan’s mother, have the power to motivate and inspire many others. Only under her mother’s guidance has the British Olympian accomplished so much, and she shows no sign of slowing down.

A similar story to the mother of Eilish McColgan

The life of American sprinter Elle St. Pierre is just one more example of the incredible power of female athletes. The runner missed out on the 2023 season, which included the World Athletics Indoor Championships as she was pregnant. Nevertheless, St. Pierre showed unwavering determination.

Along with giving birth to her son, Ivan, she prepared tirelessly for her quest for gold. And, recently, at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, the Olympic runner stunned the world by winning the 3000-meter finals. The athlete was also spotted enjoying her son’s first birthday with her spouse, Jamie St. Pierre, just a few days after her gold medal feat.