NAJA Karolina

General
MOTHERHOOD
After giving birth to her son Mieczyslaw in December 2017, she was training again with the Polish national team three months later, and began taking her son with her to training camps and competitions. She says becoming a mother has allowed her to develop as an athlete. "I knew it would be fine, because my canoeing talent would not just disappear. I receive so much support from my partner Lukasz, my teammates and coach [Tomasz] Kryk. Also [Mieczyslaw's] grandparents help a lot. I have to admit that combining maternity and a sporting career is no easy thing. I thought it would be easier, but we have been able to handle it. I have an opportunity to fulfil myself in both sport and as a mother. Becoming a mother helped me in sport. Because I have less time and more responsibilities, I am more focused on things that are really important in realising my goals. There is no time for worries, to think about unimportant things. I learned to look at sport in a different way, to not think only about goals, but to really enjoy the journey, training and all that we have achieved with this team." (tvp.pl, 15 May 2019; sportowygorzow.pl, 05 Jul 2019; siodma9.pl, 23 Nov 2020)