UK Sport recently released enhanced pregnancy guidance, pledging to “increase and improve support” for female athletes.
Mwandumba’s British team-mate Amber Rutter was one of the first to receive this additional assistance in the lead up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she ultimately won silver, three months after becoming a mother.
“British Shooting have been so supportive from the beginning and I think the experience with Amber before the Olympics means they can use a lot of the same support and resources,” said Mwandumba, who was a travelling reserve for the Paris 2024 Games.
While optimistic about the future, one area of concern is becoming a parent and bringing black children into the world.
The shooter, who has Malawian heritage, has been a prominent figure in the push for greater diversity in the sport, launching the #TargetChange initiative in 2022, while she has also previously spoken about her own concerns around racism in the UK.
“I think we’re still very much in a scary world, and it definitely is something that scares me,” she said.
“Change might be slow, but it is happening and I’ll always be open with them about how they might be viewed or how they might approach certain situations, but hopefully by the time they are teenagers, things will be a bit different.”
Well before her children reach their teen years though, Mwandumba is hoping to not only return to the sport, but become an Olympian.
She was the reserve to Seonaid McIntosh in the 10m air rifle event at the 2024 Games and has set her sights on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
“Once upon a time, I felt as though pregnancy within elite sport automatically meant retirement, and obviously we’re at a point now where that’s not the case,” said Mwandumba.
“So many people have been successful at their sport, gotten pregnant, had a family, then come back and have still managed to be just as successful, if not more so and I think that’s so inspiring to those of us who are going through the journey.
“It’s definitely motivated me to because my plan is to come back and still hopefully aim for those major competitions, with the Olympics the long-term goal.
“To do it with my twins watching on, would be all the more special.”
