Track and field athlete Femita Ayanbeku has qualified for her third Paralympics, just six months after giving birth to her daughter. This achievement comes after an emotional and triumphant performance in the 100-metre dash qualifying race.
Femita Ayanbeku Qualifies for the Third Paralympics Six Months After Giving Birth
Ayanbeku, an American Paralympic athlete of Haitian and Nigerian descent, is a world bronze medalist and has previously competed in the 2016 and 2020 Summer Paralympics. After her qualifying third Paralympics win, Ayanbeku shared the significance of her victory. "I was taking my daughter to the track with me, taking her to lifts. It was a lot. But I was so determined," she said during an interview with the Team USA broadcast crew.
I’m just so proud, I can’t even put it into words. It’s like I knew I could do it, but to actually do it... I can’t even describe this feeling.
When asked about her immediate reaction after finishing the race, Ayanbeku reflected on the challenges she faced. "Everybody was telling me to take the year off. To be able to come here and be the national champion again, I’m just so proud of myself. It was an incredible performance,” she said.
Coming back from having a baby just six months ago and getting in shape to run was one of the best times of my life. But I was so determined. I can’t even put into words how proud I am. It feels indescribable.
Ayanbeku's journey to the Paralympics is one of resilience and determination. She lost her right leg in a car accident when she was 11 and spent years trying to make others comfortable with her disability. “I was insecure about my physical appearance and didn’t wear shorts,” Ayanbeku told People in an old interview. At 18, she decided to embrace her body and wore shorts for the first time since her life-changing surgery.
Her racing career began at age 23 when a non-profit organisation gifted her a custom-fit running blade. It was love at first sight for Ayanbeku, who found the blade felt more natural than any prosthetic she had worn before. "When I ran, it felt like I had two legs again. I chase that feeling every time I run," she said.
Soon after receiving her running blade, Ayanbeku met her coach, and her career took off. What started as weekly training sessions quickly turned into local competitions, Paralympic trials, and eventually, the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016.
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