# Pregnancy No Barrier to Malaysians Olympic Journey



## Big Don (Jul 20, 2012)

July 16, 2012
*Pregnancy No Barrier to Malaysian&#8217;s Olympic Journey*

*By  LIZ GOOCH*

NYTIMES EXCERPT:
             KUALA LUMPUR &#8212; As she prepares to make her Olympic debut later this  month, Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi&#8217;s greatest fear is not that she may  succumb to the pressure that comes with being the first woman to  represent Malaysia in shooting.        
  Rather, Nur Suryani is worried about whether the baby girl inside her  will kick just as she pulls the trigger: The Olympian will be eight  months pregnant when she competes.        
  The 29-year-old Malaysian, who is ranked 47th in the world in the  10-meter air rifle event, is set to join an exclusive club of women who  have competed in the Olympics while pregnant.        
  The International Olympic Committee does not keep records on the number  of pregnant athletes, but news reports suggest there have only been a  handful between the Summer and Winter Games combined. And Nur Suryani  looks likely to set the record for the most heavily pregnant competitor  in Olympic history.        
  Shooting may be less strenuous on a pregnant body than many other  sports, but it is also a sport in which fortunes can hinge on fractions  of millimeters, with breathing, balance and concentration considered  paramount.        
  Nur Suryani has a solution when she steps onto the rifle range in  London: &#8220;I will talk to her, say, &#8216;Mum is going to shoot just for a  while. Can you just be calm?&#8221;&#8217;        
  While pregnancy has presented few physical problems during her training  for the Olympics, more challenging was the task of convincing the  Malaysian sporting authorities that she would be fit enough to travel to  London and be able to perform at her best.        
  As she strapped her belly into specially modified pants during a recent  training session at an indoor shooting range at Kuala Lumpur&#8217;s national  sports complex, Nur Suryani described how Malaysian sports officials had  been concerned about her health and her baby&#8217;s, and had initially  suggested that another shooter could take her place.        
  But after her doctor gave her the all-clear to travel, Nur Suryani, who  won gold in the 10-meter air rifle event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games  in India, was adamant that she would compete.        
END EXCERPT
OK, that is pretty damn cool


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## Carol (Jul 27, 2012)

I didn't realize she was 8 months along! Wow!



> Nur Suryani has a solution when she steps onto the rifle range in London: &#8220;I will talk to her, say, &#8216;Mum is going to shoot just for a while. Can you just be calm?&#8221;&#8217;



:lol2:


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## Takai (Jul 27, 2012)

Saw this the other day. Now that is dedication (and quite a bit of optimism).


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