After what was a rollercoaster of a year for most in 2020, Daniela Bleymehl has announced she is expecting her second child. In a recent Instagram post she announced the exciting news.
“Especially during pregnancy, I notice more and more how much I miss the sport and competitions,” Bleymehl says. “For example, it was really difficult to watch the PTO World Championships in Daytona in December from home instead of being at the starting line myself. But the fact that it actually ‘hurt’ a bit was also the best and most important sign for me and means that I am far from ending my career. Even if it’s the best reason in the world why I couldn’t take part, I am already looking forward to the time when it all starts again.”
While Bleymehl has made it clear that her racing will be delayed until 2022, the 32-year-old winner of 2018 Challenge Roth did highlight her training regime during pregnancy:
“I am far from a ‘normal’ training plan, but I keep myself fit, listen to myself and just train according to my feelings. And if you assume that every training session counts twice during pregnancy, I’m not that bad at all …”
Bleymehl will be amongst the first athletes who will be able to take advantage of the Professional Triathletes Organisation’s maternity leave policy, which was announced last year. The policy allows athletes to take 15 months of leave and allows her ranking to be “fixed” during that time. Athletes also receive monthly payments based on the PTO Annual Bonus Plan. Bleymehl is currently 14th in the PTO ranking.
