Pregnancy No Barrier to Malaysian’s Olympic Journey

Big Don

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July 16, 2012
Pregnancy No Barrier to Malaysian’s Olympic Journey

By LIZ GOOCH

NYTIMES EXCERPT:
KUALA LUMPUR — As she prepares to make her Olympic debut later this month, Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi’s greatest fear is not that she may succumb to the pressure that comes with being the first woman to represent Malaysia in shooting.
Rather, Nur Suryani is worried about whether the baby girl inside her will kick just as she pulls the trigger: The Olympian will be eight months pregnant when she competes.
The 29-year-old Malaysian, who is ranked 47th in the world in the 10-meter air rifle event, is set to join an exclusive club of women who have competed in the Olympics while pregnant.
The International Olympic Committee does not keep records on the number of pregnant athletes, but news reports suggest there have only been a handful between the Summer and Winter Games combined. And Nur Suryani looks likely to set the record for the most heavily pregnant competitor in Olympic history.
Shooting may be less strenuous on a pregnant body than many other sports, but it is also a sport in which fortunes can hinge on fractions of millimeters, with breathing, balance and concentration considered paramount.
Nur Suryani has a solution when she steps onto the rifle range in London: “I will talk to her, say, ‘Mum is going to shoot just for a while. Can you just be calm?”’
While pregnancy has presented few physical problems during her training for the Olympics, more challenging was the task of convincing the Malaysian sporting authorities that she would be fit enough to travel to London and be able to perform at her best.
As she strapped her belly into specially modified pants during a recent training session at an indoor shooting range at Kuala Lumpur’s national sports complex, Nur Suryani described how Malaysian sports officials had been concerned about her health and her baby’s, and had initially suggested that another shooter could take her place.
But after her doctor gave her the all-clear to travel, Nur Suryani, who won gold in the 10-meter air rifle event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India, was adamant that she would compete.
END EXCERPT
OK, that is pretty damn cool
 
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Carol

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I didn't realize she was 8 months along! Wow!

Nur Suryani has a solution when she steps onto the rifle range in London: “I will talk to her, say, ‘Mum is going to shoot just for a while. Can you just be calm?”’

:lol2:
 

Takai

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Saw this the other day. Now that is dedication (and quite a bit of optimism).
 

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