When Mitch Joynt’s leg went through a wood chipper, little did he know it would set him on a path to glory. Kea Kids News reporter Robbie finds out the gory details.
By Peter Thornton for LockerRoom
Raylene Bates always had high hopes for Anna Grimaldi.
Little did she know that the T47 long-jumper would go on to become a Paralympics great.
When the ACC previewed athletes to watch before the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Bates, the Paralympics athletics head coach at the time, expected big things from the then-raw, fresh-faced 19-year-old.
“Anna was picked up from a talent development camp and showed natural ability, and has basically gone from strength to strength,” said Bates.
“Anna’s strongest event is the long jump. She was a bronze medallist in Doha in 2015, she has proven that she can compete at international events, she has proven that she can rise to the occasion.
“We have high hopes for Anna.”
Flying high – Anna Grimaldi is looking to make history in Paris for New Zealand. Photo / Alisha Lovrich
Grimaldi, Paralympian No 195, heads to Paris this month on the cusp of greatness.
Now 27, the Dunedin athlete is aiming to become the third New Zealander to win three consecutive Paralympic gold medals in track and field.
Eve Rimmer won 14 medals from 1968 to 1980 (in javelin, shot put, pentathlon, and discus), claiming four golds in consecutive Paralympics. And Peter Martin won three golds in a row in the shot put from 1996 to 2004.
The down-to-earth Grimaldi is in a good headspace as she looks to continue her remarkable run at the pinnacle event in her sport.
“This campaign feels like a new chapter in my career,” she says. “Yes, it’s my third Games so I know what I’m up to. But every Paralympics is different, and I go into this one with a good understanding of who I am and what I have achieved.
“This time around I am not scared. That was the biggest thing holding me back – the fear of not winning and what that would mean.”
Before the Games begin, Grimaldi will have a special honour bestowed upon her.
She will be one of the New Zealand team’s flagbearers alongside Cameron Leslie for the opening ceremony.
“I couldn’t be more honoured to be one of the team flagbearers with Cam. When I was asked, I was really emotional,” she says.
Grimaldi will be one of two Paris 2024 Paralympics flagbearers for NZ. Photo / Alisha Lovrich
“To have been thought of as a leader in this space makes me proud of how far I’ve come. It is going to be one of the highlights of my career.”
For most of her glittering career, Grimaldi has battled with imposter syndrome.
She surprised the world when she won gold on her Paralympics debut in Rio. She then backed it up in spectacular fashion at the Covid-affected Games in Tokyo.
“It has been nice to be able to take a step back and really appreciate what it took to get here and all the people who have supported me,” she says.
“I got way too bogged down in Tokyo thinking I had to win to still be classed as a champion or to be a gold medallist but it’s not the case. Those medals are in a safe at home and I will always have them.
“There is a nice freedom in that, to know I am not defined by that success. I am looking forward to another opportunity to represent my country on the world stage.”
Grimaldi is focused on jumping as far as she can.
She has set her sights of clearing 6m in the T47 long jump for the first time.
“Six metres for me in long jump has always been the goal, the old world record sat at 6.01m for nearly my whole career, and 6m is one of those goal distances, to unlock another level.”
At the Para World Championships in Kobe, Japan, Grimaldi finished second in the T47 long jump.
Her best jump of 5.84m (-0.9) could not deny Kiara Rodriguez a hat-trick of Para world titles. The Ecuadorian athlete soared out to a best of 6.17m (0.1) to clinch gold.
The world record for the T47 long jump is 6.23m.
“We have a great mutual respect for each other,” Grimaldi says of Rodriguez. “She is young and a great athlete, but I have the experience of competing at this level and I am looking forward to that challenge.”
It is a new chapter in more ways than one for Grimaldi.
Aside from her refreshed mental perspective and self-belief, she has also qualified for New Zealand in the T47 100m and T47 200m.
At the Worlds in Kobe, Grimaldi showed that she can keep pace with the best, taking home the bronze medal in the T47 100m.
This time she is working with former strength and conditioning coach Michael Jacobs. She parted ways with longtime coach Brent Ward at the end of 2022.
“Wardy fostered my love for the long jump, and I will always be grateful for that,” she says.
“Working with Mikey has given me a fresh perspective and a different take. It was good going to Kobe to try out a few things so we can be at our best in Paris.”
But like the previous campaign – where she had to overcome stress fractures in her foot – her journey to Paris has been far from straightforward.
In October last year she suffered stress fractures in both of her fibulas which has been something she has had to manage to be able to compete in Paris.
“We have had to manage the amount of load we have been able to do this year. I decided that we didn’t have time to do it twice, so I wanted to do the recovery well and only do it once.
“My body is feeling good, and I will be ready to go.”
Grimaldi feels fortunate that athletes in New Zealand are supported by a scheme like ACC. She says it is great to have your recovery supported so you can focus on performance.
“I really relied on the knowledge from specialist people to get me through,” she says. “Having that help from ACC has been so important in my recovery.”
“I can’t wait to get to Paris and carry the flag alongside Cam. It is going to be one of the highlights of my career.” Photo / Alisha Lovrich
She has a proven track record of performing when it matters most. Her quest for a third straight gold medal will be one of the fascinating storylines at these Games.
Whatever happens, she has well and truly lived up to the quiet expectation Bates mentioned on her potential eight years ago.
Grimaldi has taken those “high hopes” and written herself into Paralympics’ folklore.
“I am proud of what I have achieved so far,” she says. “And hopefully there is more to come.”
This story was originally published at Newsroom.co.nz and is republished with permission.
