Anna Grimaldi

Last updated

Anna Grimaldi
MNZM
Anna Grimaldi (cropped).jpg
Grimaldi in 2017
Personal information
Born (1997-02-12) 12 February 1997 (age 27)
Dunedin, New Zealand
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
Sport Para athletics
Disability class T47, F46
Events
ClubHill City-University
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Summer Paralympics
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Rio de Janeiro Long jump T47
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2020 Tokyo Long jump T47
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2024 Paris 200 m T47
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2024 Paris 100 m T47
World Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2019 Dubai Long jump T47
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2023 Paris Long jump T47
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2024 Kobe Long jump T47
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2015 Doha Long jump T47
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2023 Paris 100 m T47
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2024 Kobe 100 m T47

Anna Grimaldi MNZM (born 12 February 1997) is a New Zealand para-athlete, primarily competing in the long jump and sprint events. She has won two gold medals at Paralympics in the women's long jump: at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, and at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. [1] [2]

Contents

Personal life

Grimaldi was born in Dunedin to Tony and Di Grimaldi, and has one sister, Abby. [3] She was born with a withered right forearm and no functional right hand. [4] [5] She attended Bayfield High School in Dunedin; she played netball and basketball for the school and in her final year was a sports prefect. [4] [6] Grimaldi studied quantity surveying at Otago Polytechnic. [7]

Athletics career

Grimaldi started para-athletics after attending a Paralympic talent identification event in October 2013. She initially was reluctant to attend, having had no formal athletics training and fearing she would be "shocking". [4] [5] She is classified T47 for track events and long jump, and F46 for field events. [8] She won her first international competition medal, the bronze in the women's long jump T47, at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar. She set a personal best of 5.41 m, while her second-best 5.38 m secured her the bronze medal over Russian Alexandra Moguchaya on countback. [9] Grimaldi also placed fifth in the women's 200 metres T47 final. [10]

Her long jump distance at the 2015 World Championships ranked her in the top five in the long jump T47 during the Paralympics qualifying period, earning her a slot at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. She was officially confirmed to represent New Zealand at the Paralympics on 23 May 2016. [11] At the Paralympics, she won the gold medal in the women's long jump T47 with a distance of 5.62 m, breaking her personal best by 21 cm. [1] [12] She also placed fourth in the women's 100 metres T47 final, [13] and competed in the 200 metres T47 where she was disqualified in the heat for a lane infringement. [14]

At the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships, Grimaldi ran the 200 m heats before pulling out of the 200 m final and 100 m due to a recurring foot injury in order to concentrate on the long jump. She placed fourth in the long jump, missing the medals by one centimetre. [15]

Returning to New Zealand after the 2017 championships, Grimaldi's foot injury was discovered to be a stress fracture in her left navicular bone. She subsequently missed the entire 2018 season. [15] [16]

At the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships, Grimaldi placed second with a distance of 5.50 m, two centimetres behind Kiara Rodriguez of Ecuador.

At the 2021 Otago Athletics Championships Grimaldi set a personal best of 5.91 m, ten centimetres short of the T47 world record and placing her second in the overall (able-bodied and para) annual national rankings. [17] At the delayed 2020 Summer Paralympics, Grimaldi won the gold medal in the women's long jump T47 with a distance of 5.76 m, setting a new Paralympic Games record. [18]

Awards

Grimaldi was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2017 New Year Honours, for her services to athletics. [19]

Statistics

Personal bests

EventResult (wind)DateLocationNotes
Long jump (T47)5.91 (+1.8 m/s)14 February 2021Dunedin, New ZealandNR [20]
100 m (T47)12.79 (+1.0 m/s)6 April 2019 Sydney, AustraliaNR [20]
200 m (T47)26.73 (+0.8 m/s)27 October 2015 Doha, QatarNR [20]
400 m (T47)1:04.268 February 2015 Hamilton, New ZealandNR [20]

Long jump seasonal bests

YearPerformanceCompetitionLocationDateWorld
ranking
20145.00 mWeekly meeting Dunedin, New Zealand20 December
20155.41 m IPC Athletics World Championships Doha, Qatar23 October
20165.62 m Summer Paralympics Rio de Janeiro, Brazil8 September
20175.58 mNew Zealand Championships Hamilton, New Zealand18 March
2018
20195.50 m World Para Athletics Championships Dubai, United Arab Emirates9 November
20205.72 mTwilight meeting Dunedin, New Zealand22 October
5.77 m (w)Interclub meeting Dunedin, New Zealand31 October
20215.91 mOtago Championships Dunedin, New Zealand14 February

Source: Athletics New Zealand Records and Rankings [21]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Paralympic gold for Kiwi long jumper". Newshub. 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Tokyo Paralympics: Long jumper Anna Grimaldi wins gold with record leap". Stuff. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  3. ↑ Cheshire, Jeff (10 September 2016). "Grimaldi's our golden girl". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 McMurran, Alistair (28 May 2014). "Grimaldi fast out of the blocks". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  5. 1 2 Leggat, David (7 September 2015). "Paralympics: Grimaldi shaping up as future star". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Searle, Jamie (4 September 2014). "Bayfield teen's single-handed determination". The Southland Times. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  7. ↑ Pearson, Joseph (1 September 2016). "Rio Paralympics 2016: Anna Grimaldi leaps on to world stage after bronze in Doha". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  8. ↑ "Classification Master List, Summer Season 2016 – New Zealand". IPC Athletics. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  9. ↑ "Results – Women's long jump T47 final – 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships" (PDF). International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "Results – Women's 200 metres T47 final – 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  11. ↑ "Paralympics New Zealand name six track and field athletes for Rio". Stuff.co.nz. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Results – Women's long jump T47 final – Rio 2016 Paralympic Games" (PDF). International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  13. ↑ "Results – Women's 100 metres T47 final – Rio 2016 Paralympic Games" (PDF). International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  14. ↑ "Results – Women's 200 metres T47 heat 2 – Rio 2016 Paralympic Games" (PDF). International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  15. 1 2 Cheshire, Jeff (21 September 2017). "Stress fracture in foot 'huge shock' for Grimaldi". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  16. ↑ "Leap of faith: How long jumper Anna Grimaldi hauled herself back from the brink". Stuff. 6 March 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  17. ↑ Cheshire, Jeff (17 February 2021). "Grimaldi feels like 'a real long jumper' now". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  18. ↑ van Royen, Robert (3 September 2021). "Tokyo Paralympics: Long jumper Anna Grimaldi wins gold with record leap". Stuff. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  19. ↑ "New Year Honours List 2017". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "New Zealand Para-Athletics Records" (PDF). Athletics New Zealand. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  21. ↑ "Athletics New Zealand Rankings and Records". www.anzrankings.org.nz. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
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