Women's athletics could receive a major boost in 2027, with several high-profile stars expected to return to competition after maternity breaks and injury-enforced absences.Beatrice Chebet, Faith Kipyegon, Sarah Moraa and Nelly Chepchirchir are among the athletes expected to make their returns, alongside American stars Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Tia Jones.Download Our MozzartSport App for More News1. Beatrice ChebetTwo-time Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet headlines the list of anticipated returnees as she prepares to resume her career following a maternity break.The Kenyan distance-running sensation welcomed a baby boy in June after announcing her pregnancy in January of the same year. She subsequently sat out the entire 2026 track season to focus on motherhood.Chebet stepped away from competition at the peak of her career, having established herself as one of the world's most dominant distance runners.She claimed the women's 5,000m and 10,000m titles at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games before successfully defending her status on the global stage at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.Her anticipated return in 2027 will therefore be one of the most closely followed stories in athletics, particularly as she looks to rebuild her competitive momentum ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.Chebet will also draw inspiration from athletes who have successfully returned to elite competition after motherhood, including compatriot Faith Kipyegon, Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and American legend Allyson Felix.2. Sarah MoraaSarah Moraa is another Kenyan talent expected to attract considerable attention when she returns to the track in 2027.The former World Under-20 champion recently welcomed a newborn baby during the off-season, taking a break from competition after an impressive rise through the ranks.Moraa announced herself as one of the country’s promising middle-distance runners when she won the women's 800m title at the 2024 World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Lima.She followed that achievement with another impressive campaign in 2025, producing a personal best of 1:55.74 at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.The performance saw her finish fourth in the world, narrowly missing out on a medal against a highly competitive field.A successful comeback could see her re-establish herself among the leading contenders in the women's two-lap race.3. Nelly ChepchirchirNelly Chepchirchir will also be targeting a return to the global athletics stage after an impressive breakthrough season in 2025.The Kenyan middle-distance runner welcomed a baby girl, Noellah, in June with her husband, Olympic and world 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi.Chepchirchir enjoyed a phenomenal 2025 campaign, establishing herself among the world's leading 1,500m runners through a series of impressive performances on the Diamond League circuit.She won eight of the ten finals she contested during the season, including victories in Doha, Rabat and Paris.Her biggest achievement came at the Diamond League Final in Zurich, where she claimed her maiden Diamond Trophy after clocking 3:56.99 to edge Australia's Jessica Hull in a thrilling finish.She also showcased her versatility by winning the 1,000m at the Herculis meeting in Monaco in 2:29.77, a performance that elevated her to fourth on the world all-time list.At the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Chepchirchir narrowly missed the podium in the women's 1,500m, finishing fourth in a personal best of 3:55.25.With such impressive performances preceding her maternity break, her anticipated return in 2027 will be one to watch as she looks to reclaim her position among the world's elite middle-distance runners.4. Faith KipyegonThree-time Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon is another major name expected to feature prominently in the 2027 athletics season.Unlike the other Kenyan stars on this list, Kipyegon's absence was prompted by an injury rather than maternity.The world record holder brought her 2026 campaign to an early end in August after revealing that she would miss the remainder of the season because of a persistent hamstring injury.Despite the setback, she had already delivered several notable performances, including a 10km road race victory in Monaco in February, where she clocked 29:47.She subsequently opened her outdoor track campaign with a world-leading 5,000m victory at the Shanghai Diamond League in May, recording 14:24.14.Kipyegon also finished third in the women's mile at the Prefontaine Classic in July, suffering her first defeat over the 1,500m/mile distance since 2021.The Kenyan superstar has consistently pushed the boundaries of women's middle-distance running, setting world records in the 1,500m, mile and 5,000m.A fully fit Kipyegon heading into 2027 would be a major development for the sport, particularly as she continues to pursue new milestones ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.5. Mary MoraaFormer 800m world champion Mary Moraa returned to full training as she works towards rebuilding her form following a year-long battle with injury and illness.In June, Moraa suffered another major setback just days after making her long-awaited return to competition following an extended absence caused by a serious illness.The former Commonwealth Games women's 800m champion sustained a muscle injury during the Athletics Kenya (AK) trials for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, effectively ending her hopes of defending the title she won in Birmingham in 2022.Moraa had been out of action since the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where she later disclosed that she had been battling a serious medical condition that nearly forced her into retirement.The 2023 world champion had shown encouraging signs during her comeback at the AK trials, where she competed in the women's 400m.Moraa finished second in 54.12 seconds to secure her place in the semi-finals before producing an improved performance to win the first semi-final in 53.08 seconds.However, her return was short-lived after she picked up a muscle injury during the competition, forcing her to shelve her immediate comeback plans.She has since resumed training and is making steady progress as she looks to regain full fitness and return to competitive action.6. Tia JonesAmerican hurdler Tia Jones is another athlete whose anticipated return could significantly spice up women's athletics in 2027.Jones, who boasts a personal best of 12.19 seconds in the women's 100m hurdles, is the third-fastest woman in history in the event.However, her career suffered a major setback at the July 2025 Prefontaine Classic, where she sustained an Achilles rupture that brought her season to an abrupt end.The injury subsequently kept her away from competition throughout 2026 as she focused on recovery.Before the setback, Jones had established herself as one of the most exciting hurdlers in the world, possessing the speed and technical ability to challenge the leading names in the discipline.Her return will come in an event that continues to attract fierce competition, with the likes of Olympic champion Masai Russell and world-class hurdler Jasmine Camacho-Quinn among the athletes setting the pace.If Jones manages to regain her previous form, she could quickly re-enter the conversation for major honours and add another exciting dimension to the women's 100m hurdles.7. Sydney McLaughlin-LevroneAmerican superstar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone completes the list of anticipated returnees after taking time away from competition to embrace motherhood.The Olympic champion and 400m hurdles world record holder welcomed her first child, a daughter named Savannah Michelle Levrone, on July 12, 2026, with her husband, Andre Levrone Jr.McLaughlin-Levrone had announced her pregnancy in January 2026, effectively treating the year as an off-season as she focused on her health and family.She stepped away following a remarkable 2025 campaign in which she ventured into the flat 400m and produced one of the greatest performances in the event's history.At the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, she stormed to the women's 400m title in 47.78 seconds, setting a championship record and a North American record.The time was the second-fastest ever recorded by a woman over the distance, missing the world record by just 0.18 seconds.In doing so, she became the first athlete in track and field history to win world titles in both the 400m flat and 400m hurdles.She also anchored the United States women's 4x400m relay team to gold on the final day of the championships, producing an impressive 47.82-second split as the team set a championship record of 3:16.61.Her return in 2027 will be particularly intriguing given the versatility she demonstrated before her maternity break.
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