Sacha Kahaki.
It’s been almost two years since rowers Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors powered across the finish line and became globally celebrated for showing that motherhood is no barrier to elite sporting success.
After giving birth three months apart, the Cambridge athletes became the first crew of mothers to win a gold medal in the women’s double scull at the Paris Olympics.
For a while, their elation hid their exhaustion. They didn’t know if they would return to the water, either individually or together.
“What we needed was a rest because, honestly, we felt so cooked,” shares Lucy, 35. She has recently returned from 18 months living in Australia with son Rupert, three, and her husband, former Olympian rower Brook Robertson, who has been coaching at the Sydney Rowing Club.
“I think Brooke and I both thought if we are ever going to do this again, we need a proper reset. For me, being in Sydney, it has been. The best way to completely switch off is to be away.”
Brooke, 31, agrees. She’s since had another baby, Flynn – who is now one – and has been living in Rotorua, enjoying family time with husband Jeff and daughter Keira, three.
in them.
“When we started training for Paris, we had fresh babies, so we were already exhausted going into the Games. Having time away from the sport, we’ve gone and refreshed ourselves, so it’s made this decision easier.”
They’re talking about a comeback with their sights set on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
They’re chatting to Woman’s Weekly mere hours after their first practice session back on the water together at Lake Karapiro. Fuelled by flat whites and savoury brioches, it’s clear they’re buzzing to be back in each other’s company.
Brooke is bouncing a smiling Flynn on her lap – while he sticks a chubby arm out to clap Lucy’s hand continually. It’s not long before he grunts and goes red in the face, while his mum says, “Sorry, I think he’s doing a poo,” forcing the pair into giggles.
Their “unfiltered” friendship, mutual respect and encouragement help them endure gruelling practice sessions and any parenting curveballs thrown their way.
In a time when rivalries often dominate headlines, theirs is a story of a bond between athletes that thrives beyond medals and records.
“Our first row today didn’t include singing any Wiggles songs, but trying to debrief, and download the past two years as quickly as we could in an hour and a half on the water,” laughs Brooke. “There was more talk than row this morning!”
Adds Lucy, “I think we took for granted how close we are and how inside out we know each other until we were apart.”
Lucy first rowed with Brooke in 2016 when they were in a quad trying to qualify for the Rio Olympics. They quickly made a connection in and out of the water, first as athletes, then as mums.
When they’d arrive for early-morning training on the misty banks of Lake Karapiro, the duo would simply give each other a look that conveyed what kind of night they’d had with the kids.
“Last time, we learned we had to be so flexible,” tells Lucy. “Even this morning, we were discussing what days were going to be daycare days, and what time drop-off and pick-up would be – the logistical things. We’ll have to again move on the fly. It’s the way it’s got to be when you’re mums.”
Brooke reflects, “It’s crazy how much time and effort we have to put into logistics, just to get to training. People probably don’t realise that.
“We are quite different from the rest of the team because no one else at the moment is juggling kids and rowing. So we do need to be a voice for each other. It’s hard to plan a step ahead of where your feet are.”
They’ll be heading to the Henley Royal Regatta in England in July, where the pair made a triumphant return to international racing, claiming victory in the Stonor Challenge Trophy. The day they left coincided with Flynn’s first birthday and Brooke hadn’t spent a night away from him.
Step two will be re-joining the summer quad team at Rowing New Zealand to train alongside the other women before “having a good crack” at the national trials in March next year.
If the determined duo qualifies for LA 2028, they’re excited about the prospect of their children understanding more about their mums’ Olympics journey.
“Last time, Keira and Rupert were too young, and really had no concept of the win in 2024 other than they could identify the medal,” says Brooke. “This time around, I would love for them to witness and understand a bit more of how it unfolds.
“It also blows my mind that they will both start school in Olympic year. In some ways, getting them ready for school is a bigger task than getting ready for the Olympics.”
Given that their extended families also gave so much for the sportswomen to get to Paris, these past two years have also been about giving the grandparents a rest, they point out.
“I’ve had talks with my parents about needing their support again,” shares Lucy. “After finishing Paris, I left, saying to Brooke and other close friends that I was going to try for baby number two.
“But then, with moving to Sydney and because I was so sick during my pregnancy with Rupert – vomiting up to 10 times a day – I couldn’t work out in my mind how I’d cope being pregnant over there without any family support.
“I got to a point where I decided I wouldn’t put myself in that same high-pressured runway space as last time. So now I’ll wait to have another baby after Los Angeles.”
Lucy’s also fully aware of how difficult it is to be an elite athlete in your mid-thirties, returning to international competition.
“So we’ll see how many times I’ll need to go to the physio over the next while! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t aiming for gold again. I’m motivated by what seems a really massive challenge or too scary to comprehend happening twice.”
It’s the same feeling for Brooke, who adds, “I wouldn’t come back if I didn’t believe that I could be better or faster than last time. I still really enjoy that as my motivation to see if I can keep improving.”
And what they always come back to is that their children get to see what drives them in life, along with the importance of keeping women involved in their sporting careers if they decide to have a family.
Brooke explains, “After Paris, we had a lot of mums giving us kudos. When you’ve been in the depths of motherhood, there’s this unspoken understanding
of what it takes just to get out the door some days.
“Excitingly, there are currently a few Kiwi Olympians – particularly in cycling and the Black Ferns Sevens – who are either pregnant or have just had a baby.”
The down-to-earth pair will have plenty of advice for other competing mums, but Brooke acknowledges what works for each family might be very different.
“Absolutely!” nods Lucy. “We were figuring out a lot going into Paris. But this time, we can take confidence from what we’ve learned and it’s a nice feeling to know we have each other’s backs on some of the big decisions we are going to have to make. I truly can’t imagine doing it with anybody else.”
Quick fire
Tell us your regular go-to snack post-training. Lucy: We go to the café at the lake called Podium for a coffee and brioche. It’s a nice moment of our day. We joked we should start counting how many brioches we eat in a year because it would probably be quite shocking.
What do you listen to in the car? Brooke: I put on a podcast – the best are Between Two Beers and Kiwi Yarns. I love hearing about other people’s sporting journeys. Lucy: You can’t suggest a podcast to Brooke she hasn’t already listened to! Whereas I have music on.
Share something funny your child has said lately? Lucy: I did the TikTok trend, where you ask your kid, “If I was lost and a policeman asks you what does your mummy look like, what would you say?” Rupert goes, “My mum will be wearing pink sneakers and she’ll be running really fast! Brooke: I walked into Keira’s daycare and she wanted to show me a collage she’d made from cutting out pictures from a magazine. She was proudly saying, “Mummy, look, it’s Emma!” And she’d cut out photos she’d found of Emma Twigg at the Tokyo Olympics. I don’t know how many three-year-olds could recognise an Olympic champion and know
them personally!
