Kristin Armstrong just became the first athlete to win the same Olympic cycling event three times in a row [1] after placing first in the women's individual time trial on Aug. 10, one day before her 43rd birthday. But she isn't just a cyclist — she's also a badass working mom [2].

With a full-time job as the director of community health at St. Luke's Hospital [3] in Boise, ID, and a 5-year-old son, Armstrong definitely has a full plate. After coming out of retirement in 2015, she didn't even know if she'd make it to Rio this year, but she said having a full-time job and being a mom to Lucas is her secret weapon [4]. "It provides me balance and it keeps me on track and it keeps me super focused," she told NPR. "For all the moms out there, I hope that this was a very inspiring day."

Upon rushing over to her son in tears after winning her race, Lucas asked, "Mama, why are you crying? You won!" That, Armstrong said, was a great question from a 5-year-old [5]. "That's what we do; we cry when we're happy," she told him. "I'm going to have to explain that one to him a little later."

Armstrong said this last win was the most satisfying of all, especially as this is likely her last Olympics. "It was the hardest of my Olympic journeys. . . . When you've already been two times at the pinnacle of the sport, why risk coming back for the gold medal? The best answer I can give is that I can."

Look through for more heartwarming photos of the gold medalist mama and her son.

Armstrong and Lucas at the 2012 Olympics in London.