The temperature at the USATF Outdoor Championships in California was 110 degrees last week, but that didn’t stop Alysia Montaño. Neither did her pregnancy.
The 31-year-old Olympic runner from Queens, New York, wore a Wonder Woman top and bright flowers in her hair for the race at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento Thursday. And, yes, she’s five months pregnant.
“I came here last time at 8 months pregnant in 2014 and it was such an amazing experience,” she told Team USA. Adding: “There is something about coming out to any venue not really expecting to win but going along with the journey and seeing what comes out of it.”
While she might have finished last in her first-round heat with a time of 2 minutes and 21.40 seconds, Montaño beat her 2014 time by nearly 11 seconds, USA Today noted.
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Montaño’s Wonder Woman top speaks to her role as a “fighter for good,” she told Team USA, and those flowers in her hair represent strength.
“The flower to me means strength with femininity,” she is quoted saying in a message on her website. “I think that a lot of people say things like you run like a girl. That doesn’t mean you have to run soft or you have to run dainty. It means that you’re strong.”
Speaking of style choices, Montaño’s daughter, Linnea, nearly 3 years old, was waiting for her at the finish line wearing a “Strong Like Mom” T-shirt.
After running while pregnant back in 2014, she spoke about what life is like for a professional female athlete and mother.
“We see so many people in different avenues of their life start their family and it looks so different for a professional athlete, especially a female professional athlete,” she said, per FloTrack. “This is what it looks like to be a professional athlete as a woman and still continuing on with your career ... this is my normal this year.”
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