Ali hopes to do a victory lap at world championships - with all three kids in tow

BUDAPEST : American Nia Ali defied expectations when she raced to a silver medal in the 100-metre hurdles at the 2016 Rio Olympics barely a year after becoming a mother, and did it again when she won a world title after the birth of her second child.

Ali is now a mother of three and, armed with the world's fastest time this season, is favourite for gold at the World Championships.

She would love nothing better than to shatter some more pre-conceived notions.

"When I first did it, there weren't many sprinters, if any, who had (returned after childbirth), so it was a lot of mentions of 'career suicide,'" Ali told Reuters.

"So I was like: okay, something that people haven't seen, but I think I can do it."

The women's 100-metres hurdle heats are on Tuesday and the field includes champion and world record-holder Tobi Amusan, with the Nigerian cleared to race by a disciplinary tribunal after she had been charged with missing three drug tests during a 12-month period.

"I look forward to seeing her on the start line," Ali said of Amusan. "All the better for us as it means faster times."

Ali projected a powerful image when she went on a victory lap after winning the worlds in Doha in 2019, with daughter Yuri cradled in her arms, son Titus jogging alongside and an American flag draped around her shoulders like Superwoman's cape.

She gave birth to son Kenzo two months before the delayed Tokyo Olympics took place in July and August 2021, where her Canadian partner Andre De Grasse raced to gold in the 200m.

She is aiming for another victory lap - this time with all three children in tow - in Hungary, and said it is those moments that inspire her to keep competing.

"That's my favourite thing to do, honestly," the 34-year-old, who won last