Lyons and Darby break barriers in sport and motherhood

TWO elite athletes from the Surf Coast have spoken candidly about the challenges and triumphs of balancing sport, motherhood and injury on the latest episode of the Women Out Loud podcast.

Olympian Jenny Lyons and Geelong Cats AFLW player Kate Darby shared their stories with hosts Amy McElgunn and Courtney Weybury, offering insight into the sacrifices and successes of women in high-performance sport.

Lyons, a three-time Winter Olympian in Alpine and SkiCross, revealed she is training for a fourth Games at age 47.

“It’s been 11 or 12 years since I last competed, and I just thought, if I don’t try now, I’ll regret it,” she said.

The mother of two reflected on the shift from government-funded ski programs to self-funded development models.

“Back when I came through, most of us didn’t come from wealthy families. The scholarships made it possible,” she said.

“Now, if you don’t have money, it’s nearly impossible. We’re missing out on incredible athletes because of it.”

Darby described her unconventional path back to AFLW after the birth of her daughter Ella, including being delisted and fighting for reinstatement.

“I knew I still had more to give. I wanted to play, and I didn’t want being a mum to mean the end,” she said.

Her determination contributed to a new AFLW policy that guarantees players returning from pregnancy a contract the following season.

“Now, any AFLW player who gets pregnant automatically gets a contract to support their return,” she said.

Lyons and Darby also spoke about the physical risks of their sports. Lyons compared SkiCross crashes to “being in a car accident without the car around you”, while Darby agreed there are concerns about concussion testing and the need to consider the menstrual cycle in assessments.

Despite the setbacks, both said sport had been a vital source of purpose and joy.

“After I had Ella, I had the best pre-season of my life,” Darby said. “Whether I had a good game or a shocker, I still had to get up and breastfeed at 3am.”

Lyons added: “They called me the grandma of the team. But I was still winning races.”

Weybury said it shouldn’t be groundbreaking that women want to keep playing, keep competing, or have kids and come back – but it still is.

“We’re watching the rules get rewritten, right here in our own backyard.”

Women Out Loud is available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major podcast platforms. Follow @women_outloud for new episode alerts, resources and local events.

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