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Anna Nicholson battled through tough weather conditions to claim her first Paralympic bronze in shot put after years of dedication.
British shot putter Anna Nicholson overcame a deluge at the Stade de France to claim her first-ever Paralympic medal taking home a hard-fought bronze in the women's shot put.
The 26-year-old athlete, who has been training for a decade to reach the podium, delivered a best throw of 9.44 meters, despite battling torrential rain and tricky field conditions.
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Nicholson’s path to bronze was not easy as she faced not only world-class competition from Ukraine’s Mariia Pomazan, who took gold, and China’s Jun Wang, who claimed silver, but also uncooperative weather that threatened to derail her performance.
“It was difficult in the rain.It was always set to rain on the forecast, so I did some training in it, and I knew that I still had some big throws, but it was heavier than I was expecting," she said.
The downpour was relentless, and Nicholson struggled in the early stages as her first practice throw went disastrously wrong as she slipped and fell out of the circle.
But showing the grit and determination that has defined her decade-long journey to the Paralympics, she quickly regrouped steadied her nerves and delivered the throw that earned her a spot on the podium.
"My first practice throw was absolutely shocking, and I fell out of the circle, so I just needed to reset and calm down," she recalled.
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Nicholson's bronze medal marks a significant improvement from her debut at the Tokyo Paralympics where she finished in sixth place.
Following that event she was determined to take her performance to the next level.
Nicholson’s dedication over the last three years has been relentless, with her coaches identifying her weaknesses and honing her training accordingly.
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The hard work culminated in an impressive season that saw her set a new personal best of 9.47 meters at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix earlier this year.
"The last three years, I've been on fire and training so hard. We looked at what all my weaknesses are and tried to pull that into my training," Nicholson explained.
"This year has been such a good year with PBs galore, and I knew that if I went out and did what I could do, then there was a chance of a medal."
Though the rain presented an additional hurdle, Nicholson was prepared.
"I did some training in the rain.But it was heavier than I was expecting. Still, I knew I had some big throws in me," she said.
The bronze medal felt like a fairytale ending to what has been a career-defining season for Nicholson.
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After coming close to the podium with two fourth-place finishes at the 2019 and 2023 World Championships finally securing a Paralympic medal was a moment of pure joy.
"It feels absolutely amazing. I don't think I will believe it until I get that medal around my neck," she adde.d
The athlete, who is part of Aldi’s Nearest and Dearest program in partnership with ParalympicsGB, credited her support system with helping her focus solely on her performance.
The program has been designed to eliminate distractions for athletes and allow them to give their best when it matters most.
"It’s worth all the hard work that I’ve put in for the past 10 years."
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