Oksana Chusovitina, Barcelona 1992 - Rio 2016
Derek Redmond, Barcelona 1992
Any story of Olympic parents starts with British 400 runner Derek Redmond and dad Jim. The story starts in Seoul 1988, when Derek hurt his Achilles tendon and withdrew from the race 10 minutes before it started. Five surgeries, four years and one pact with Jim (that he'd finish the race no matter what) later, he was ready for redemption. But then, with 175 meters to go in his semi-final heat of the 400, he heard a pop in his hamstring and fell to the track. After a few deep breaths, he got back up and started hobbling towards the finish line, determined to finish the race. As Derek limped, Jim raced through the audience and towards the track, eluding security guards as he put his arm around his son. Together, the two slowly made their way to the finish line, Derek sobbing on his father's shoulder the entire time.
Aly Raisman, London 2012 & Rio 2016
The story of American gymnast Aly Raisman's nervous parents actually begins at the 2004 Olympics, when she sat watching the games with mom Lynn. When Lynn idly expressed relief that she'd never have to endure the agony of watching her child compete in the Olympics, an outraged Aly responded by informing her mother that she was, in fact, planning to go to the games. Eight years later, the joke was on Lynn and husband Rick. Their incredibly anxious reaction to Aly's bar routine was caught on television and went viral. Four more years later in Rio, the cameras were trained on Lynn and Rick throughout the entire meet—and the couple didn't disappoint.
Joannie Rochette, Vancouver 2010
Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette called mom Therese her best friend and biggest fan. When Therese died suddenly of a massive heart attack just two days before the Games, continuing on and competing was almost unimaginable. With the support of her father and longtime coach, though, she gathered her strength and skated to a bronze medal, which she dedicated to her mother. Joannie later told the media that she knew her mother would have been furious if she had withdrawn from the competition. During Therese's funeral, Joannie briefly placed her bronze medal on her mother's casket.
Wayde van Niekerk & Anna Botha, Rio 2016
The story of South African 400 runner Wayde van Niekerk is a good one — in winning the race, he easily broke a 17-year-old world record — but his coach might be even more inspiring. Anna Botha is a 74-year-old great-grandmother of four, and called "Tannie Ans" (auntie) by her athletes. Despite her mature age, she's relatively new to the international coaching scene. With van Niekerk, she went to her first world championships in 2015, and her first Olympic Games in 2016. As the saying almost goes, you can definitely teach a great-grandmother new tricks.
Kristie Moore: Vancouver 2010
No, it's not the punchline to a joke about curling: Canadian Kristie Moore competed in the Olympics while six months pregnant, and actually managed to win a silver medal with her team. While she wasn't the first pregnant competitor or medalist at a winter games — German Diana Sorter entered the skeleton at nine weeks pregnant in 2006 and Swedish figure skater Magda Julin took home a gold medal in 1920 while in her first trimester — she was definitely the furthest along.
Fanny Blankers-Koen, London 1948
Today, mothers who compete in the Olympics have one woman to thanks: Fanny Blankers-Koen, also known as The Flying Housewife. The Dutch runner was the most successful athlete at the 1948 games, taking home four gold medals. She was also 30 years old and mom to two, which, in an era where women's athletics were generally dismissed, was more or less unprecedented. She was named Woman Athlete of the 20th Century in 1999, and is widely credited for opening high-level sports to older women and mothers.
