Hannah Martin returns to competition after giving birth: “I still had a fire in me”
Martin, a judoka for Team USA, has been competing at the elite level for over 14 years. In 2022, she made a remarkable return to competition, shortly after welcoming her daughter Zoey into the world in 2021, just before Tokyo 2020.
Despite the demands of motherhood, Hannah felt an undeniable urge to return to the judo arena. Reflecting on her decision, she shared, “I decided to come back to judo because I still felt like I had a fire in me to compete again. I wanted to see if I could compete at a high level as a mom. And I’m still here, so I am pretty happy with how far I’ve come.” However, like many athletes, she acknowledged the perpetual desire for more.
Contrary to her expectations, getting back into shape wasn’t the greatest challenge in Martin’s return to competition. “Coming back, fitness wasn’t the hardest part. I was surprised. It was easier than I thought,” Martin explained. “The biggest challenge was actually not sleeping properly. Because my daughter doesn’t like to sleep. She’s a wild child. So this is the hardest part, I don’t get to recover as much as I used to. But I’m not the priority. She’s the priority.
Judo is deeply ingrained across all areas of Martin’s life, from competing to working at the European Judo Union, to the dynamics of her personal life. Martin’s husband, Miguel, works as a coach for the German team as well as coaching Martin herself. They don’t call it the “judo family” for nothing.
“It’s just me and him. We have no family here [in Germany], so we are the only ones really taking care of my daughter. She’s coming to judo, to the tatami, with us. So juggling this has been probably the hardest for us as a family. Both as an athlete and coach.”
Thankfully, some members of Team USA help out. “I have some babysitters on the team who look after her if she is at a competition,” Martin shared.
Source: USA Judo’s Hannah Martin on mom guilt, competition and hopes for Paris 2024
