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Olympic moms: 13 mothers compete for Team USA

The “Celebrating Moms” series of commercials by Proctor & Gamble during Olympic coverage is a tear-jerking ode to sacrifices mothers make to support their kids’ athletic careers. But what about athletes who are mothers, themselves?

Elite athlete moms have the same run-of-the-mill work/life balance as the rest of us. But these 13 Olympic moms do put parenting – both its challenges and rewards – in a new perspective.

5. Tayyiba Haneef-Park – Volleyball

Chris O'Meara/AP
Tayyiba Haneef-Park (3) celebrates with teammate Courtney Thompson (17) after winning a set against South Korea during a women's volleyball preliminary match at the 2012 Summer Olympics on July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tayyiba Haneef-Park's post-baby routine included a lot of private workouts, knowing she still wanted to compete in the 2012 London Olympics after taking a year off when her son Ajani was born in 2010.

“I did the P90X, the ‘Insanity' DVDs, went to the gym on my own," she told the Long Beach (Calif.) Press-Telegram. "I heard other women athletes say they felt stronger after having babies, which calmed my nerves a bit. The pain tolerance now is definitely higher."

Ms. Haneef-Park said she is leaving volleyball after 2012, and her third Olympic Games, in order to be with her son “through all the special moments.”

The tallest player on the U.S. women's volleyball team at 6 feet, 7 inches, Haneef-Park was the second leading scorer for the US in 2008 and the sixth leading scorer with 102 points. The team won the silver medal in Beijing. In Athens in 2004, Haneef-Park led the team in scoring with 96 points, and the US placed fifth.

In her freshman year at California State University, Long Beach in 1998, Haneef-Park helped her team win the NCAA championship. In 2001, her team won second place in the NCAA tournament, losing only the final match during the season. She competed in track and field in college, becoming a three-time NCAA All-American high jumper and placing 10th in the 2000 US Olympic trials.

After graduating in 2001, Haneef-Park went on to play professionally in Italy, Japan, Russia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. She also started playing for the US national team, helping them place second in the 2002 World Championships. In 2005, Haneef-Park was the best scorer at the NORCECA Women’s Continental Championships.

The women's volleyball team will play Korea in the semifinals match on Aug. 9.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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