Grinham to take prolonged break following pregnancy announcement
World number 12 Natalie Grinham’s hopes of winning a fourth Commonwealth Games gold medal have ended amid the news that she is expecting a second child.
The 35-year-old from the Netherlands won a hat-trick of medals at the Melbourne Games in 2006 but will now put her career on hold after the completion of the Dutch National Championships at the Frans Otten Stadion in Amsterdam this weekend.
The former world number two revealed: “I’ve known for over two months that I was pregnant.
“Unfortunately I was seeing more of the bathroom than the squash court during that time. I’ve gained a lot of weight over the past month and there’s just no hiding it anymore.
“Despite being heavier than usual I’m still playing well and think I have a good chance of defending my title this weekend,” added the three-time Dutch champion.
Grinham gave birth to her first child (Kieran) in May 2010 which coincided with her WSA world ranking plummeting to 69th – he lowest since September 1997.
However,the Australian born ace made a successful comeback in 2011 by winning the Dutch National Championship and European Championship, as well as taking a bronze medal at the World Open in Rotterdam.
Her success continued in 2012 and 2013 where she won back-to-back Tournament of Champions and European Individual titles, before winning a silver medal at the Colombian World Games in August.
Grinham, who’s sister Rachael is a former world number one, also reached world number six in November 2013 and was expected to compete at the delayed 2013 World Open in Malaysian next month.
But despite her second pregnancy, Grinham’s is refusing to make any predictions about the future of her career.
“I haven’t made a definite decision whether I will comeback or not. It’s a decision I won’t be able to make until after the birth, but I would love another shot at a World title”, concluded Grinham, who has finished runner-up four times at the showpiece event.