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"When I moved into the UK, I couldn't come with him because of the restrictions and I was a student (so) it was difficult to do it on my own."
Ugandan netball grandee Mary Nuba Cholhok is one of the athletes who have perfected both their game and the harder task of parenthood.
Mother to a son, Nuba, who plies her trade with Loughborough Lightning in the United Kingdom, has excelled at both ends and has moved to inspire fellow athletes on handling the responsibilities.
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"There are so many mothers who are athletes who sacrifice a lot, obviously I had to sacrifice the majority of my career," Nuba spoke in an interview with the BBC.
"When I moved into the UK, I couldn't come with him because of the restrictions and I was a student (so) it was difficult to do it on my own."
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14:39 - 29.01.2024
NETBALL She Cranes stars react to their adventures in England and Wales
At the latter tournament, while they lost all four games, they competed massively against England, New Zealand and Australia, teams that are ranked third, second and first globally.
Nuba moved to the UK at Loughborough University in December 2018 and made her debut with her current side a year later.
However, after years, she brought her son to the UK, identified as Jackson, last year in 2023.
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"But now I feel so fulfilled, everything makes so much sense even when it doesn't because you come back home tired and he has this lovely smile, we have a big cuddle, so it's so good."
"We're counting ten months now. I'm inspiring a lot of mothers that it can be possible to balance it all."
"It has been beautiful and now there are mothers in sports and especially netball, so embracing motherhood and taking on a career should be inspiring to all women."
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"There was always the feeling of whether I was sacrificing a lot. It's always at the back of your mind even when he was with my mother and I knew he was safe," Nuba adds.
"But I always knew this would be all worth it in the end. I was doing this for myself and him. It's all worth it now," she noted.
Nuba further recounts her first encounter with Jackson on foreign land.
"The second week here, he went through to school. He has made a lot of friends here and speaks so much English. He didn't then because his first language was Dinka. He's forgetting it and my mom and I are worried."
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"My boyfriend has been supportive, he's always playing with him to make sure he's tired when it's netball time," added Nuba.
Nuba has represented Uganda and excelled at various international tournaments including the 2023 Netball World Cup.
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