Not many women can say that they’re competing in the Olympics, especially while pregnant.
According to BBC News, Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi, a shooter from Malaysia, will compete at the Royal Artillery Barracks while eight months pregnant.
Though three women have performed in the Games while pregnant before, Suryani will be the heaviest one to compete.
“Since I started shooting in 1997, I’ve been dreaming of going to the Olympics,” she said. When she found out she was going to have a child in January, she thought her golden ambitions were over but her husband convinced her to keep her sights on London. Two days later, she qualified for the Games in the 10-metre air rifle.
While getting into her thick suit is somewhat of a task, her baby-carrying bod has offered up an advantage. “Now I have balance at the front and the back,” she said. “So the stability is there.”
In the time leading up to the Olympics, Suryani has racked up a solid tournament record, with a gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, and a bronze at the Asian Games. All she asks is that her unborn daughter doesn’t kick. “On the morning of the competitions, normally, I will say to my baby, ‘Mummy’s going to compete today so I need you to calm down, and then afterwards if you want to be active and you want to kick a ball or something that’s OK!'”
Regardless of whether or not she brings home the gold, she’s content with having the memories. “When the baby is born, I will tell her you are very lucky,” she said. “You were not born yet, but you competed with me in the Olympic games.”
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