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Olympian Brooke Buschkuehl has a steely gaze.
The Australian long jumper stares straight ahead before a heat, undeterred and laser-focused before sprinting and launching herself into the sand.
But when the 32-year-old Victorian Institute of Sport athlete competes at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, she’ll allow herself a millisecond to glance into the stands at her biggest fan – her 12-month-old son Bobby.
“I always said that if I had a baby while I was still an athlete I’d make sure they’re at every competition I do and involve them in my sport and career as much as I can,” she told this masthead.
With the support of her husband Nathan and her team, Bobby will travel to Scotland with a personalised T-shirt to cheer his mum on.
“I’ll definitely be looking at him [in the stands] and, just remembering why I’m doing what I’m doing, and I think the biggest reason is wanting to make him proud and set a really good example for him,” she said.
Buschkuehl (formerly Stratton) will represent Australia in her third Commonwealth Games, roughly 13 months after giving birth via vaginal delivery.
The silver medallist returned to training four weeks after having Bobby, starting with light work on the elliptical trainer. Within eight weeks, she was back at the VIS doing gym work before progressing to running drills on the track a few weeks later.
“I got back into it pretty quickly. I probably needed to because the longer I left it, probably the harder it would have been,” Buschkuehl said.
“I lost a lot of conditioning in those few weeks postpartum, just because I was in a world of hurt, I’m sure most women are, but I could barely walk.
“Just seeing my muscles deteriorating by the day, so when I was comfortable enough, I was able to get back into it.”
While acknowledging the messy nature of motherhood – the sleepless nights and her changed body – Buschkuehl said watching her son grow up has been the greatest experience.
“He’s such a happy little boy … the whole experience of being a mum has just been incredible, I didn’t know a love like this before I had Bobby,” she said.
“It just makes me want so many more kids, but being a female athlete, it’s hard to know when the right time for it is.”
Throughout her recovery and training, Buschkuehl was supported by the VIS with a large team of physiotherapists, sport psychologists and biomechanists.
Physical preparation coach Corey Innes has a decade-long partnership with Buschkuehl, having worked with her since the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Innes had assisted postpartum athletes before, but Buschkuehl’s return was the first time he’d helped an athlete return to a power speed event, which involves explosive bursts of energy rather than endurance.
Initially, Innes focused on horizontal exercises to limit the amount of time Buschkuehl had to be on her feet while also focusing on strengthening her pelvic floor.
“We had to wait until her pelvic floor was restored before we could actually start doing exercises where we upped the weight,” Innes explained.
“Early on it was a lot of pelvic floor stuff every day, and then she was going to the gym three days a week with basic horizontal exercises.
“The return of the pelvic floor was one of our key kind of criteria to being able to push more towards athletic movements.”
After feeling burnout from the Paris 2024 Olympics, Buschkuehl used her pregnancy as an opportunity to rest and reset, admitting she “needed a really good break away from structured training”.
In the early months of her pregnancy, the 32-year-old said she had no idea how important it was for female athletes to look after their pelvic floor muscles.
“After having a natural birth, as well as being a long jumper – the impact that comes with a lot of that training has really put my body through some hard times,” she said.
Lead VIS biomechanic Aaron Balloch supported Buschkuehl in her return to the track, analysing her runway speed, take-off and flight dynamics.
“There’s obviously quite a large impact with the landing phase for long jump so they need to be physically prepared to be able to withstand some of the forces, both during take-off and at impact,” he said.
Nine months after giving birth, Buschkuehl was back on the podium, winning the long jump in the Australian Athletics Championships. She produced a 6.70-metre jump in the fifth round to win by one centimetre.
The upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow are extra special for her, and there is a sense of déjà vu.
Buschkuehl was selected to compete in the Glasgow Games in 2014, but had to withdraw from the team due to a stress fracture in her back a week before leaving. She made the next two Commonwealth Games teams, winning silver on the Gold Coast and another silver in Birmingham.
“It’s always an honour to put on the green and gold and represent your country, but I think doing that as a mum and knowing that the road back has been really hard, it’s such a fulfilling feeling.”
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