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The 26-year-old Turkish archer Oznur Cure Girdi emerged as a para archery star at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. She set a new world record in the compound women’s ranking round with a score over 700 and maintained her exceptional form throughout the elimination rounds.
In the final, Oznur secured her first Paralympic gold by defeating Iran’s Fatemeh Hemmati 144-141. The two were tied after the first end, but Cure Girdi pulled ahead with a series of 10s and 9s to establish a 2-point lead. By the last end, she was ahead by 3 points and held onto her lead to claim the gold.
Cure Girdi demonstrated her dominance and solidified her status as a top contender in every match. Her performance was nothing short of unstoppable.
“I believed in the medal after the ranking round and my world record,” the 26-year-old athlete said.
After her final arrow, Cure Girdi couldn’t contain her emotions and burst into tears of joy.
“I knew I could achieve this! And now it’s around my neck! I’m so happy. I worked really hard for this. It’s incredible!”
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She celebrated with deep emotion, crying and shouting, yet remained composed during the crucial moments of the competition.
“Actually, we worked very hard on this, too,” the new Paralympic Champion shared.
“We have a large team, and we train extensively with our psychologist. During the preparation period, we did many exercises to manage my nerves, which really helped me during the competition,” Oznur explained.
“I practiced all those techniques and tried to experience the pressure during training, so it was easier to manage it during the competition. I was accustomed to it and am glad I could handle the pressure.”
The silver medal went to Iran's Fatemeh Hemmati, who defeated the defending champion Phoebe Paterson Pine in the semifinal. Paterson Pine left without a medal, having lost to her teammate in a dramatic bronze medal match.
Jodie Grinham’s remarkable pursuit of bronze earned widespread applause and admiration, as she competed while 6.5 months pregnant.
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Paterson Pine took the lead in the third end and maintained it throughout. She needed a ten to secure the bronze or a nine to force a tie with her final shot but ended up shooting an eight.
“In archery, the match isn’t over until the last arrow is shot,” Grinham noted.
Grinham clinched victory by delivering two 10s to finish the match.
“I knew I had to make good shots in the final end. I needed those 10s, and fortunately, that’s exactly what I delivered,” she said.
“Putting pressure on Phoebe was tough because she’s my teammate, but it worked in my favor and earned me the bronze.”
Grinham earned her first individual Paralympic medal and, despite expecting to become a mother soon, has already committed to competing at the next Paralympics in Los Angeles, USA.
The competition in Paris continues with W1 and compound men's elimination and medal matches on Sunday.