Elinor Barker – Photo Credit: Wikimedia 

Elinor Barker of Britain said she was pregnant when she won a silver medal in the track cycling team pursuit event at the Tokyo Olympics.

The 27-year old was part of the team that finished second to Germany at the Izu Velodrome in August. She tweeted on Tuesday that she and her husband were expecting their first child.

“We can’t believe how lucky we are and are so excited to start the next part of our lives together,” wrote Barker who won the team pursuit gold at the 2016 Rio Games.

“And for the eagle eyed among you who have done the maths… yep, I was pregnant at the Tokyo Olympics,” the former world and European champion added on Instagram. 

Barker said that she learned she was pregnant just days before her race and said that the timing was initially “stressful.” “I’m really glad I had that team around me of people who knew exactly what to do and what was and wasn’t safe, but also managed to help get my head back in the game and focus on the racing until it was over,” she said.

Barker won silver for Britain in team pursuit cycling in Tokyo. She also thanked cyclists Lizzie Deignan, Laura Kenny and Sarah Storey, who are all mothers, for their support.

“Because of these women and many more, I didn’t doubt the future of my career for one second,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’d always been in awe of what they’ve each achieved since becoming parents, but only recently have I fully understood the full power of what each of them has done.”