Akinradewo back stronger after becoming a mother

Foluke Akinradewo has been one of the faces of the USA’s women’s national team for more than a decade. The middle blocker hadn’t been with the squad for more than two years until she returned for the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Nations League and says she is stronger after becoming a mother.

Before being named as part of the squad that’s competing in the secure ‘bubble’ in Rimini, Italy, the 33-year-old Akinradewo had last appeared in a national team uniform during the 2018 FIVB Volleyball World Championships, when the Americans finished fifth.

She gave birth to her first son, Olukayode Ayodele, in December 2019 and then started working on her return to the team. There were some uncertainties and doubts along the way, but she has already featured for the USA in this tournament.

“I’m so happy to be back,” she said after a 3-0 win against the Netherlands in which she scored nine points. “It’s been a long journey to get back after having my son. I just didn’t know if I’d be able to come back to this level and it took me an exceptional amount of hard work to get back here. My teammates have been nothing but supportive about my return and they were so excited in my first match back against Brazil.”

One of the most athletic players in international volleyball, Akinradewo saw her routine change after the birth of Olukayode Ayodele. If until 18 months ago volleyball was her absolute priority, now she has to put her family first.

Instead of slowing her down, or making it more difficult for her to prepare for tournaments, however, her son’s birth has actually been another source of motivation for her as she continues to play at the exceptional level she’s been at throughout her career, which includes a victory at the 2014 World Championship and the Olympic medals she won at London 2012 (silver) and Rio 2016 (bronze).

“My routine has been quite different,” she added. “The biggest thing for me is having less downtime. I have a fantastic support system with my husband, who’s really stepping in, and my mother, and I couldn’t do what I’m doing without them. It makes it even more difficult to be away from home and it’s not easy having to be a mom after a hard practice, but it’s so worth it. And my son is a big motivation for me. I hope one day when he gets older he can be proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish with my team.”

On her return to the national team, Akinradewo found a deep roster of middle blockers to compete for playing time with. During her absence, players like 26-year-old Chiaka Ogbogu and 25-year-old Hannah Tapp and Haleigh Washington took advantage of the opportunity to solidify their names as part of the squad.

Instead of seeing them as competitors, though, the veteran prefers to work alongside her teammates and get better every day in practice.

“When I decided I wanted to return, I wanted to make a really big impact on the team, not only to be back,” she explained. “And these younger players push me so much every day in practice, I feel like we learn from each other every day. They’re doing an amazing job now and the best thing is that they’re still going to get so much better, which is great for the future of our programme.”