We should celebrate the athlete who fought for breastfeeding mothers at the Olympics

‘I can confidently assert that it increases bonding, creating strong foundations for a child’s emotional resilience,’ says Hannah Wickens, as she acknowledges the dedication of Olympian Clarisse Agbegnenou.

As humans we make sport out of categorising people, confidently classifying those in the public eye into roles such as athlete or mother, but when confronted with a high profile crossing of these lines, we baulk a little. One may attribute strength, resilience and discipline to an archetypal athlete, but mothers may be perceived differently, even though they share the same attributes, and especially so with persevering in nourishing a babe from the breast.