By Chinasaokwu Helen okoro
Pregnant Olympian Yaylagul Ramazanova brought both her archery bow and a lucky charm to the 2024 Paris Olympics where she nailed a perfect shot.
Ramazanova, 34, had already achieved significant milestones in her archery career, including two World Championships titles and her best result of 57th place on her debut in 2019.
This time the first-time Olympian faced an additional challenge: competing in the Games while six months pregnant. Ramazanova drew back her bow with determination for her Olympic debut.
“During the training for the Olympics, I didn’t feel uncomfortable with my pregnancy,” the Olympian told official Chinese state news agency Xinhua News. “Instead I felt that I was not fighting alone, but fighting together with my baby.”
In the Women’s Archery Individual event at the Games, Ramazanova scored a narrow 6-5 victory over China’s Qixuan An in the 1/32 Elimination Round, hitting the bullseye when it counted. A perfect 10, the highest score for a single arrow, was exactly what she needed to secure the win.
I felt my baby kick me before I shot this arrow and then I shot a 10,” Ramazanova said.
In her next event, Germany’s archer cut her journey short in the second elimination round, defeating her 6-2. Despite this setback, Ramazanova secured a solid 17th place in the Games.
Competing in the Olympics while expecting a child highlighted her extraordinary dedication to her sport and immense personal strength. The archer also plans to teach her child the sport if they show interest.
Competing in the Olympics while pregnant, she has redefined the limits of possibly, demonstrating to the world that determination and resilience has no bounds,” the platform said.
Ramazanova isn’t the only pregnant Olympian at the Games. Egypt’s Nada Hafez, a three-time Olympian in fencing, is also competing for two.
What appears to you as two players on the podium was actually three!” Hafez said via Instagram. “It was me, my competitor, and my yet-to-come little baby! The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but balancing life and sports was nothing short of strenuous, though worth it.”
The fencer finished the competition ranked 16th, marking her best result in the three Games she has competed in. She also expressed her gratitude for having her husband by her side.
