Millrose Games: Running Helped This ‘Once’ Pregnant American Olympian Silence Haters

The discussions about women athletes, their pregnancies, and their athletic careers have become very prevalent these days thanks to several brave sportswomen. Women athletes have now proven multiple times that motherhood doesn’t take away their athletic prowess. Elle Purrier St. Pierre emerged as the latest example of this at the 2024 Millrose Games in NYC. The 28-year-old got to hear several things about her pregnancy. But that was not new to her.

“Through all of the comments, “it’s funny seeing you line up next to all those long-legged girls” “your kinda buff for a runner” I’ve just kept running,” the Olumpian once said about her school and college days. That resilience paid off as she came back with a bang and clinched the gold medal at the Millrose Games. In fact, a previous interview of hers showcases the proof of her steely resolution.

Hoisting the American flag a notch higher at the 2024 Millrose Games

The Millrose Games witnessed Elle Purrier St. Pierre blaze through the tracks at The Armory and win the high-voltage race. The US athlete appeared for an interview with Time in March 2023. Interestingly, the superstrong and determined athlete chose to attend the interview on her due date. Speaking at the interview, Pierre mentioned that despite getting pregnant, she didn’t quit running until a few weeks away from her due date. Her point behind this was fairly clear.

“Just because you couldn’t run when you were pregnant doesn’t mean that somebody else can’t…That goes for not just running, but for any other kind of physical activity or job—pregnant women should still be able to do it without being judged,” she argued on that occasion. While the Millrose Games winner wanted to welcome her child into this world, the love for running she harbored was also great. 

Moreover, the young athlete grew up working at a dairy farm since her school days and thus, had high resilience. Despite the increasing awareness of these chapters in women’s lives, many still believe that pregnancy is the end of their careers, despite legends like Allyson Felix and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, proving otherwise. Along similar lines comes Pierre. The Millrose Games Champion has once again nullified the popular notion with her performance. Not only that, but her phenomenal Wannamaker Mile run ended up shattering the national record.

Hitting the reset button on the American Wannamaker Mile record

Pierre clocked 4:15.41 in the Wannamaker Mile at the Millrose Games to set a new American record. Interestingly, the previous national record also belonged to the strong and proud mother, which stood at 4:15.85. Thus, while the quote “Not back, but better” belongs to Sha’Carri Richardson, it applies perfectly to the 28-year-old right now as well. However, amid all adversities, support was there for her.

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Pierre’s coach and her sponsor, New Balance, were supportive of her pregnancy. In fact, Pierre received congratulatory messages from her coach and the vice president of New Balance Running. This shift in attitude along with the Millrose Games victory showcases that the efforts of Pierre’s predecessors are yielding good results. A complete change isn’t here, but its incubation has already started.

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