A Boxer May Miss the Olympics Because of Her Prepandemic Pregnancy

“They thought that women would retire after pregnancy partly because of the economics, but also because they didn’t have the understanding that women could improve into their 30s,” said Victoria Jackson, a sports historian at Arizona State University. “It seems like they’ve messed up, but are not going to walk it back.”

If Bujold does not prevail in arbitration, it will bring her sterling career to an untimely end. In 2004, she took up boxing while still in high school. She trained in college while also becoming a certified coach and judge.

Bujold appeared set to fight in the London Games, the first Olympics to include women’s boxing. After she had won a berth at the Pan American Games, the boxing authorities changed the standards and said boxers had to win spots at the world championships in China. There, Bujold lost her first bout to a top-ranked boxer from North Korea. Then Canada’s only wild-card spot was awarded to another boxer.

Still, after racking up numerous Canadian and international titles, Bujold qualified to fight at the Rio Games, where she was a favorite to win a medal. Before her quarterfinal match, though, Bujold fell ill and spent the night in a hospital. The next day, she unhooked an intravenous feed and went to arena to fight her bout. Having lost five pounds of fluids, she lost to one of the best boxers in the world, Ren Cancan of China.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/09/sports/olympics/boxing-pregnancy-mandy-bujold.html