USA’s 6X Wrestling World Champion Adeline Gray Looks Back at Her Inspiring Comeback to the Mat Post-Pregnancy

Adeline Gray has been a long admired figure with her many accolades and her brimming excellence. However, the reason wouldn’t be all. Almost 6 months into motherhood, the 2-time Olympian returned to the mats and a couple of months later, took home a bronze at the Wrestling World Championships. Thus, solidifying her resilience and extended stance added on by the demanding journey towards it.

Today, as she heads stronger on the road to Paris 2024, the 6-time wrestling champion reflects on the grueling path, revealing the grit she held throughout.

Adeline Gray reflects on her journey to a wrestling comeback

Adeline Gray recently took to her Instagram stories to reminisce about her training journey. “This feels so long ago that I was watching others as I healed and got stronger enough to step on the mat,” the wrestling icon writes, sharing a reel of training routine from a year ago. “Proud of the progress,” the post reads. But the update that followed essentially highlighted the touch Adeline had lost and the grit it took for her to grow where she stands today.

“My feet were on the ground and no longer able to support my whole body weight,” she added. The story was accompanied by a clip of her trying a hand at a pull up only to make little progress. Adeline Gray remained optimistic nonetheless. “This is what a baby step looks like,” were her words.

Today marks a little over a year since Adeline Gray returned to training grounds following her pregnancy. The 33-year-old had also suffered an ab separation in the process, making it rather difficult. However, the wrestling icon braved through despite the uncertainties that engulfed her. For her, recovery and getting back on mats seemed her only focus. And with that, she today stands another chance of getting her hands on the missed Olympic gold.

On the road to defying doubts

In Tokyo 2020, the 76kg champion was denied a gold to Germany’s Aline Rotter-Focken. To gain what she missed by a margin, Adeline Gray pressed on after much speculation. “Just having to sit and rest, that was really hard,” she tells Team USA. “I felt like I was getting left behind. I felt like I had lost control about getting back (in time) for Olympics.”

Also Read: 6x World Champion Wrestler Adeline Gray Draws Inspiration from Tennis Star Naomi Osaka’s Powerful Words

Since her return to the mats, Adeline Gray set her foot at the U.S. Open Wrestling Championships for 2nd finish, World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, and Final X for a win. All by June. She then clinched a bronze in the World Championships in September, solidifying her stance for the upcoming Olympic trials.

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