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The Toughest Athletes: Nike's new film on motherhood celebrates female strength

After what has been an exhausting week for many of us (as we remember the fight is far from over), Nike has just released its latest campaign, a film entitled 'The Toughest Atheletes' which captures the power and strength of women during one of the most transformative stages of their lives: pregnancy and early motherhood.

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Created with Wieden+Kennedy London, the spot takes a closer look at the correlation of sport and motherhood through the lens of more than 20 mothers across various stages of their pregnancy and postpartum journeys and is underscored by the likes of Serena Williams, Alex Morgan, Perri Edwards, Bianca Williams, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Nia Ali – along with everyday female athletes.

Filmed during the pandemic, the short film was compiled from more than 22 hours of intimate footage shot by the mothers featured and their friends and families. "Each respective shoot was directed via Zoom to keep each individuals health and safety a priority," says Wieden+Kennedy London.

Those featured come from the United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, France, Australia, Jamaica and more. "Moms from across the world helped illustrate how motherhood is an ultramarathon," the advertising firm adds.

The film coincides with Nike's first dedicated maternity collection, Nike (M), available in North America, Europe and Africa at nike.com. The collection will release in select Asia Pacific and Latin American markets beginning in late 2021. In addition, Nike has partnered with pre-and post-natal exercise expert Jane Wake to create four audio-guided workouts specifically for motherhood in the Nike Run Club app.

Pregnant woman in Nike sports bra sitting on exercise ball surrounded by colourful cushions on a bed
Two women in dark clothing practice a martial arts move with their palms pressed together in a sparse indoor gym space with blue and pink matting
Mother breastfeeding her newborn baby while sitting on a bed in a Nike maternity sports bra
A mother lying on grass in a park lifts her young child in the air above her, both smiling at the camera
Pregnant woman in black Nike sportswear jogging in a residential backyard surrounded by green plants and wooden fencing
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