It’s a bit of an understatement to say it’s been a great year for Olympic hero and double gold medallist Mahé Drysdale.
Along with defending his Olympic single sculls title by the tightest of margins – five 1000ths of a second to be precise – Mahé and his gorgeous wife, Olympic bronze medallist Juliette, have exclusively announced to New Zealand Woman’s Weekly they’re expecting their second child!
The newest Drysdale is due early next year, with Mahé telling the Weekly that he and Juliette, and their gorgeous daughter Brontё could not be more thrilled to welcome their new arrival.
“It’s been a pretty big year,” smiles Mahé. “We’re incredibly excited for the baby; it’s a really special time.”
But, as the Cambridge couple tell the Weekly, their second pregnancy journey has been far from smooth, with the Rio Olympics and the threat of Zika virus complicating matters.
Of course, the couple already have their hands full with their adorable two-year-old Brontё, who’s proving to be quite the little adventurer, with a keen interest in rowing. The intrepid toddler was front and centre in Rio, and was one of the first to congratulate her dad on his incredible race, proudly wearing the gold medal around her neck.
“She loved being in Brazil, and we took her to Slovenia too beforehand, when Mahé was training,” Juliette says.
“We’d walk Mahé to rowing each day, and we’d be waiting on the pontoon when he came in. Brontё knows all about rowing now. She was trying to carry not just Mahé’s oars, but all of the rowers – which didn’t work out so well, as you can imagine! But she loves being down there and by the water.”
For more about Mahé and Juliette’s golden year, including more gorgeous pictures from our exclusive photoshoot at the couple’s Cambridge farm, see this week’s issue of New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, out now.

Watch: Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis welcome their second child