The Olympics often bring us some dramatic breakthroughs that leave behind a trail of inspirational stories, but only a few as unusual as this one.At the Paris 2024 Games, Azerbaijani archer Yaylagul Ramazanova stepped onto the field six and a half months pregnant, competing against rivals half her age and twice her experience.What happened next turned her into an unlikely fan favorite. Down to the wire in a tiebreaker against a heavily experienced Chinese opponent, Ramazanova felt something unexpected, and what happened next was anything but ordinary.Her story is no less miraculous, almost like a blessing from above.Let’s dig in to find out who she is and what her story is about.
Who is Yaylagul Ramazanova
Yaylagul Ramazanova is an archer from Azerbaijan who made headlines at the Paris 2024 Olympics. At 34, she competed at the games while being six and a half months pregnant, becoming only the second archer from her country ever to reach the platform. Ramazanova actually started out as a shooter before switching to archery, after a coach noticed her long arms might suit the sport better. Her story at the games became an example of motherhood and the bond a mother and baby share with each other even before the child is born in the world.
Ramazanova’s baby kicked, and she hit a perfect score
Ramazanova, 34, was competing in her first Olympics, but her toughest test came early, in the women’s individual elimination round against China’s An Qixuan, an archer who had entered the match as the favourite. The two were locked at 5-5, forcing a tiebreaker where each competitor gets just one arrow to decide the outcome. That’s when Ramazanova says her baby stepped in.“I felt my baby kick me before I shot this last arrow, and then I shot a 10,” Ramazanova told Chinese state news agency Xinhua News. While An Qixuan scored a 9, Ramazanova’s perfect shot sent her through to the round of 16 of the games.
She trained throughout her pregnancy
Ramazanova, who initially competed in shooting before switching to archery, said she never saw her pregnancy as something working against her during preparation for the Games. Instead, she described it as a source of strength.“I didn’t feel uncomfortable with my pregnancy,” Ramazanova said to Xinhua News. “Instead, I felt that I was not fighting alone, but fighting together with my baby.”ID@undefined Caption not available.That mindset carried her through months of demanding training, all while visibly pregnant in front of the world. Ramazanova was ultimately eliminated in the round of 16, losing to Germany’s Michelle Kroppen. Still, by that point, her run had already made her one of the most famous and inspirational stories of the Paris Games.
Her baby also now loves the sport
The Olympics’ official handle reveals that a few months later her daughter Alifa was born and she “likes to shoot and I’m thinking she will maybe do archery, I hope so!”
She drew support from fellow competitors
She also earned admiration from fellow competitors, including American archer Casey Kaufhold, who at the time was ranked world No. 1, said to the Associated Press, “I think it’s awesome that we see more expecting mothers shooting in the Olympic Games and it’s great to have one in the sport of archery”. She further added, “I think it’s awesome for this archer that one day, she can tell her kid, ‘Hey, I went to the Olympic Games, and you were there, too'”.She added that Ramazanova’s coach was also a mother, and that seeing that kind of support system made the moment feel even more meaningful.
