Yes, you can breastfeed and train for the Olympics.

With apologies to the American judo team, I know who I'm rooting for in the 2008 Olympic judo competition.

Ryoko Tani of Japan is going for her fifth olympic medal in judo next year, with an attempt at a third gold medal.  The 4 foot 10 inch athlete is nursing her 15 month old son.  She's shown below on a Japanese stamp. 

Yahoo News reports:

Japan's petite judo queen Ryoko Tani believes her struggles in raising her first baby will only boost her comeback bid for a third straight Olympic gold medal next year.

"I wake up three times a night and breastfeed my son," the 31-year-old said here Monday as she started full-scale training for national trials next month ahead of the world championships in September...

"But my biggest worry is how to find time for breastfeeding and caring for my son at a contest," she said. "I am at a stage of building up my rhythm for that cycle now."

The master of the seoinage shoulder-throw also said that parenting could have athletic virtues.

"While holding my son, who weighs 12 kilograms [26 pounds], I have to bend and stretch about 300 times," she said with a smile. "At times, I also have to stay still with my son in my arms for 20 minutes or so and it has boosted my grip."

"Indeed, breastfeeding saps quite a lot of energy but that does not affect my condition," she said. "It's like I am growing with my child. When I look at him sleeping and playing, I feel like hanging in there."

There is a neat video of Ryoko Tani on this Japanese commercial (for beef?).  No idea what they're saying, but she looks quite fierce, even as a kid!

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