Pascoe the rock star but Grimaldi’s feat staggering
Tokyo - Gutsy medal-heavy swim queen Sophie Pascoe has been the Kiwi rock star of the Paralympics but long jumper Anna Grimaldi’s comeback feat against adversity today was astonishing.
Grimaldi is now a double Paralympic champion, winning gold in Tokyo today, repeating the same feat in Rio 2016 five years ago.
Five years ago, the then Dunedin teenager won New Zealand’s first gold medal at the Rio 2016, snatching the event at her last attempt. Then Grimaldi’s fortunes plummeted.
Months after Rio, she suffered a serious stress career-threatening broken foot. Her recovery was instead painfully slow, and she wondered if she would ever be fully fit again.
It wasn't until three years later in 2019 that Grimaldi began to improve , with a second-place performance at the world championships in Dubai.
Last year she bettered her 5.62m jump that won gold in Rio. This last summer Grimaldi, born without her right hand, extended her personal best to 5.91m, which is within striking distance of the world record.
The 24 year old Otago polytech quantity surveying student is one of 29 athletes in the Paralympic team.
Today Grimaldi defied the rain to defend her title, twice surpassing the Paralympic record to secure gold with a best of 5.76m.
She was overcome with emotion after winning the event today.
“I’m in a whirlwind. There has been so much that has gone into this for the past five years and I owe a lot to a lot of people. I hope I did them proud out there.
“It has been a huge five years and I just feel the weight of the world has lifted off my shoulders.”
“In Rio I won by accident. But I’ve changed as a person, and I hoped it is obvious to people watching how different I am. I’m really proud.”
Lisa was born in Auckland at the start of the 1970s, living in a small campsite community on the North Shore called Browns Bay. She spent a significant part of her life with her grandparents, often hanging out at the beaches. Lisa has many happy memories from those days at Browns Bay beach, where fish were plentiful on the point and the ocean was rich in seaweed. She played in the water for hours, going home totally “sun-kissed.” “An adorable time to grow up,” Lisa tells me.
Lisa enjoyed many sports; she was a keen tennis player and netballer, playing in the top teams for her age right up until the family moved to Wellington. Lisa was fifteen years old, which unfortunately marked the end of her sporting career. Local teams were well established in Wellington, and her attention was drawn elsewhere.