Age: 29

Event: 100-metre hurdles

In between winning a bronze medal in 100-metre hurdles at her second Olympics (Beijing 2008) and training to qualify for the Games in London, Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, 29, accomplished what most returning Olympians don’t: She had a baby. But that didn’t take her off the track to her Olympic dream. “I trained all through my pregnancy to stay in the best shape I could and to help make the transition back as seamless as possible.”

Her daughter Nataliya (born in September 2011) is her newest inspiration for getting back in the Olympic race, which sometimes involves training for seven hours a day while a nanny looks after her baby. “Nataliya gives me that motivation to push even harder,” says Lopes-Schliep. “I know I can win for my family because I’ve been doing it the past couple of years. But this year with Nataliya, I want it to be extra-special. Not to mention that all of Canada will be watching me, too!”

Like any new parents, Toronto residents Lopes-Schliep and husband Bronsen Schliep (who is studying to become an orthodontist) are faced with the busy days of life with a baby—frequent diaper changes and interrupted sleep. Lopes-Schliep’s mom often comes into the city from the family’s hometown of Whitby, Ont.—where Lopes-Schliep went to high school—to help out with the night shift so her daughter can sneak in more shut-eye than the average new mom might get. But even though sleep patterns have changed, Lopes-Schliep says her ultimate goal has not: “I want to do my best to make my family and country proud.”

One of her biggest challenges had been determining the right moment to jump back into competition. “I left the sport in 2010 as the World Number One, and there’s an expectation that I will pick up where I left off,” she says. “I was cautious about when to open my season. I didn’t want to come out too soon and not be ready, as the entire world of athletics would be commenting on how they feel I will fare later in the year.” But she is obviously ready. At the prelimin¬aries for a race in Quebec in late February, Lopes-Schliep ran the best season opener of her career (she ended up in second place).

Lopes-Schliep is confident that she will stay in top form when it’s time to qualify for her third Games at her sport’s Olympic trials in Calgary in June. “I’ve been working with my coach Anthony McCleary for years, and am fortunate to have such a great group [called Project Athletes, comprised of other Olympians, including fellow hurdlers Phylicia George and Nikkita Holder] around me—they constantly motivate and push me to where I need to be.”

With five world-class female hurdlers on the Canadian track and field team—Lopes-Schliep, Perdita Felicien, Phylicia George, Nikkita Holder and Angela Whyte—but only three Olympic berths, the trials are sure to be something of a showdown. “The great thing about hurdles is that on any given day, anyone can win,” says Lopes-Schliep. “It’s not just running a straight line, but hurdling over 10 obstacles [each 0.84 metres high] along the way.” Whether it’s motherhood or Olympic competition, Lopes-Schliep has shown that, so far, she’s capable of clearing the obstacles and coming out on top. ’

Tweet her: @gopriscilla

Photo courtesy of Claus Andersen