{"id":470741,"date":"2026-02-10T14:19:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T14:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/470741\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T14:19:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T14:19:11","slug":"life-hurdles-overcome-by-amelia-kolev","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/470741\/","title":{"rendered":"Life hurdles overcome by Amelia Kolev"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Harlequins<\/a> Instagram post has described her as \u2018Super Mum\u2019, as Amelia Kolev<\/a> (n\u00e9e Harper) made her long-waited return to the PWR<\/a> after 18 months out, starting at seven against Leicester Tigers<\/a> in December 2025.<\/p>\n

After excelling at the Loughborough Lightning<\/a> AASE programme as a junior before bedding in at Loughborough Lightning<\/a> for four seasons (2017-2021), Kolev made the switch to Harlequins<\/a> in 2021 after winning four caps for England<\/a> in their 2019-2020 Six Nations<\/a> campaign.<\/p>\n

She has earned 28 caps for Harlequins so far but had been absent for a prolonged period, after a complicated return from the cursed ACL rupture, as well as effects of a significant car crash in 2023 involving herself and her now husband. After recovering, she made her return to rugby for Harlequins in 2024, before taking time out to have her baby.<\/p>\n

Kolev\u2019s return to the PWR<\/a> is not only a huge achievement of personal resilience but lays out bare some of the biggest topics affecting female rugby players right now.<\/p>\n

The ill-fated ACL injury occurred in a Cup game against Gloucester-Hartpury<\/a> at Cobham in September 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got surgery done for that on the third of November. When I got that done at the time that went fine. When I went back for my X-ray, there was an unknown, weird, piece of metal which came off from the X-ray,\u201d said the 25-year-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe eventually found out in December, they confirmed to me, that it snapped off during the operation and got missed essentially. They thought it might be attached to the bone, but I was struggling to get my legs straight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in a lot of pain and I\u2019ve never been really injured before (Kolev had injured her MCL previously following the 2020 Six Nations<\/a> and rehabbed successfully). I know it can be quite an intensive surgery and people say it can hurt a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt turned out I need to get a further surgery in February because I had to get the piece of metal out. So that pushed back my rehabilitation time quite a bit. I was walking with a bit of a limp and everything- it just added a double level of complication to my return time and return date.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following her return from an already challenging injury, Kolev was injured in a freak car crash, hit by a drunk driver in August 2023. The impacts of this forced Kolev out the game until 2024. Kolev\u2019s resilience is evident. Despite a series of unfortunate circumstances her desire to return to rugby was unwavering.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though it was a really negative thing, and it shook me and my husband quite a bit, you just become thankful for what you do have and what you do enjoy out of life. Even though some things will be difficult now, I always know that that passes and you just tend to work through things.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason I do rugby, as much as I want to compete at the highest level and always be at the top of my game is because I enjoy playing. So just keeping that on my mind is another thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think by that point I had so many setbacks, I was like, \u2018right, I\u2019ll get through it. It\u2019ll just be on to the next thing\u2019. It\u2019s just unfortunate. I can\u2019t control every single aspect of my life. I could just control how I react to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s exactly what Kolev achieved. She returned to the team sheet for Harlequins through the end of the 2023\/24 season. And at the end of that season in June, Kolev found out she was pregnant.<\/p>\n

Whilst not unheard of, Bristol Bears<\/a> have had a number of high profile players becoming pregnant and returning, Premiership level rugby and pregnancy is still not overly commonplace, yet.<\/p>\n

The landmark RPA and RFU Maternity, Pregnant Parent and Adoption Leave Policy adopted in 2025 offered a new more comprehensive approach at managing elite female players choosing to have children.<\/p>\n

England and Bristol Bears<\/a> lock Abbie Ward<\/a> spearheaded this new scheme, becoming the symbol for the integration of professional female rugby and motherhood.<\/p>\n

More broadly, it signalled the shifting of attitudes towards how female players and pregnancy are approached in elite rugby, securing contracts and maternity leave and navigating training pre and post birth.<\/p>\n

At PWR<\/a> level, ex-Harlequins players such as Vickii Cornborough<\/a> and Davina Catlin paved the way at Harlequins in the pro-era, with Catlin returning to play postpartum. Kolev cites this as a huge influence on her return.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Abbie Ward<\/a>, obviously having Hallie and then going back to play at international standard is really good for the game in general because there are mums across the league, I think we were sitting down and trying to work it out. It\u2019s not common though.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, male players have kids and they can carry on their career, it doesn\u2019t affect them in the same way as women. Not everyone carries, but if you are the carrier of the baby, it can take a toll. There are so many different practices, if you\u2019re breastfeeding or not breastfeeding, if you have a caesarean section or a natural birth. It\u2019s different for everyone, and the return process looks different for everybody.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuins have been quite good with that, providing specialist checks and tailoring things. Going as fast or as slow as I need to go with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Training routines and return to play have undoubtedly changed for Kolev. Remarkably, in her appearance for Quins at Leicester, Kolev was still exclusively breastfeeding on her PWR return.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat in itself is a massive toll on your body, because anything you eat and anything you do goes to breastmilk. For example, building muscle or recovery it adds another layer. I can\u2019t have too much caffeine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe time it affected me most was when I just returned to play and I\u2019d bring him with me because he\u2019d refuse to have a bottle which is stressful in itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was easier to have him with me, and the physios were so good. I\u2019d have him in with me for a physio session, then he\u2019d come in the gym with me, and the girls would play with him. This was before I was back in training fully, so I\u2019d be with him during the day and then leave him in the evening after the team meeting so that worked really well and Quins were so good for that.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the match day, my husband actually drove him up and I had to make sure he was fed afterwards. And before a match, I\u2019ll take him and feed and give him back to someone. But you know what, I\u2019d seen Davina do it, so I didn\u2019t think it was not possible. I didn\u2019t think it\u2019d be an issue. There are Mum\u2019s doing it it\u2019s just not highlighted enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

When nudged about future goals now she\u2019s back playing in PWR, Kolev reflected: \u201cI\u2019m just going to do the best with what I\u2019ve got and I\u2019ll see what the outcome is. If can get back up to the level I was post-ACL, that\u2019d be amazing, but I don\u2019t think I really got back to my formal playing ability after that major injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t even come up to a year of being postpartum so playing a Quins\u2019 game, playing against Leicester, was a massive achievement, and I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d do it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving him has put things massively into perspective. I\u2019m less tense about things. I can\u2019t control everything I can only do what I can in the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cRugby has really gone back to what it used to be for me, a release, fun, with my friends. Obviously still competitive but that joy is back which had been lost because of all those setbacks and hurdles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Players like Kolev and their visibility at the top level in the PWR are essential at ensuring future players understand that motherhood and professional sport do not have to come at the expense of one another, if that\u2019s what they choose.<\/p>\n

Postpartum mothers are trailblazers in every sense, setting a new precedent for the women\u2019s professional game.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Gloucester-Hartpury Women RFC <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Harlequins Women <\/p>\n

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