Anna Grimaldi

Anna Grimaldi
MNZM
Grimaldi in 2017
Personal information
Born (1997-02-12) 12 February 1997 (age 27)
Dunedin, New Zealand
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
SportPara athletics
Disability classT47, F46
Events
ClubHill City-University
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  New Zealand
Summer Paralympics
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Long jump T47
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Long jump T47
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris 200 m T47
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris 100 m T47
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Dubai Long jump T47
Silver medal – second place 2023 Paris Long jump T47
Silver medal – second place 2024 Kobe Long jump T47
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Doha Long jump T47
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Paris 100 m T47
Bronze medal – third place 2024 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]

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

Event Result (wind) Date Location Notes
Long jump (T47) 5.91 (+1.8 m/s) 14 February 2021 Dunedin, New Zealand NR[20]
100 m (T47) 12.79 (+1.0 m/s) 6 April 2019 Sydney, Australia NR[20]
200 m (T47) 26.73 (+0.8 m/s) 27 October 2015 Doha, Qatar NR[20]
400 m (T47) 1:04.26 8 February 2015 Hamilton, New Zealand NR[20]

Long jump seasonal bests

Year Performance Competition Location Date World
ranking
2014 5.00 m Weekly meeting Dunedin, New Zealand 20 December
2015 5.41 m IPC Athletics World Championships Doha, Qatar 23 October
2016 5.62 m Summer Paralympics Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 8 September
2017 5.58 m New Zealand Championships Hamilton, New Zealand 18 March
2018
2019 5.50 m World Para Athletics Championships Dubai, United Arab Emirates 9 November
2020 5.72 m Twilight meeting Dunedin, New Zealand 22 October
5.77 m (w) Interclub meeting Dunedin, New Zealand 31 October
2021 5.91 m Otago Championships Dunedin, New Zealand 14 February

Source: Athletics New Zealand Records and Rankings[21]

References

  1. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c McMurran, Alistair (28 May 2014). "Grimaldi fast out of the blocks". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  5. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d "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.