Oznur Cure Girdi crowns a dream performance with Paralympic gold
26-year-old Turkish archer Oznur Cure Girdi has secured para-archery star status at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. She broke the compound women’s world record over 700 in the ranking round and maintained her impressive form in the elimination round.
Oznor won her first Paralympic gold medal by defeating Iran’s Fatima Hamti 144-141 in the final.
They were tied in the first end, but as the match wore on, Cure Gurdy shot 10s and nines to build a 2-point advantage. Before the finale, he led by 3 points and didn’t let the gold slip away.
He confirmed his dominance and role as the top contender in every match. She just seemed stuck. And she was.
“I was convinced of the medal only after the ranking round and my world record,” said the 26-year-old athlete.
After the last arrow, Cure Gardi shed tears of joy.
“I was sure I would get to it! And now it’s around my neck! I’m so happy. I worked so hard for it. It’s great!
He celebrated very passionately, crying and shouting, but kept a cool head in the decisive moments.
“Actually, we worked really hard on that too,” claimed the newly crowned Paralympic champion.
“We have a great team, and we practice a lot with our psychologist. During the preparation period, we did a lot of exercises to control our nerves. It helped me during the competition,” he said. Oznor said.
“I tried all these things, I tried to feel the pressure during my training, and then it was easy to handle it during the competition. I was used to it. I am happy that I can handle the pressure. I am.”
The silver medal went to Iran’s Fatima Hamti, who defeated defending champion Phoebe Peterson-Pine in the semi-finals. The British archer went without a medal, as she lost out to her partner in a thrilling bronze medal contest.
Judy Garnham’s incredible run to bronze drew applause and cheers, as she was 6.5 months pregnant.
Patterson Pine took the lead in the third end and stayed ahead. He needed ten to win the bronze medal or nine to tie with his last shot. He shot an eight.
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“Especially with archery, you have to shoot the last arrow. The match isn’t over until the last arrow,” Greenham claimed.
She was dominant as she drew two 10’s to end the match.
“I knew going into that last stretch that I needed to make good shots. I needed 10. And, thankfully, that’s exactly what I did.”
“I put pressure on Phoebe, which is heartbreaking, she’s my team-mate, but it worked in my favour. And it meant I came home with bronze.
Garnham won his first individual Paralympic medal. She will soon become a mother, but she directly requested that she compete in the next Paralympics in Los Angeles, USA.
Competition in Paris continues on Sunday with the W1 and Compound men’s elimination and medal matches.
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