Pregnant Olympian Finishes 34th Place Only Weeks Away From Labor
Nur Suryani Mohammed Taibi has made her own sort of Olympic history on Saturday, after she successfully competed in the 10-meter air rifle while being eight months pregnant.
Although Taibi may not have won the gold medal, the Olympian managed to keep her true prize nearby while she competed in precision shooting, attempting to hit a coin sized bull's-eye from a 10-meter distance. While Taibi is not the first pregnant woman to compete in the Olympics, she does win first place when it comes to being the most pregnant woman to compete.
Despite criticism, Taibi did not let her nine month commitment keep her from achieving a lifelong dream.
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"Mommy is going to shoot here," Taibi told her daughter Saturday, before the competition began without the slightest hint of fear that all of the excitement may induce an early labor.
"If she wants to come out here I say with an open heart, no problem," Taibi has said.
Taibi explained that she had perhaps her first disciplinary talk with her daughter before all of the action began. She was confident that her daughter would listen.
"It didn't put me off. I told her, 'Behave yourself, be a good girl, be calm, and don't move so much,'" Taibi told the Associated Press.
"She always listens to me," the 29 year old mother added.
Unfortunately for Taibi, she and her daughter did not take home an Olympic victory, which was instead largely secured by China. Finishing in 34th place was enough however, for Taibi, who said it was only her dream to compete.
"I did my best, but the range got the best of me today," Taibi told AP. "My dream came true. I got to take part in the Olympics."
China took home first and third place. Yi Siling won the gold, Polish contestant Sylwia Bogacka won the silver, and Yu Dan earned the bronze.
