Pregnant Azerbaijani archer shoots a ten after receiving a lucky signal from her unborn child

Aside from the wins and losses, there have been several marvelous moments at the 2024 Paris Olympics. One such moment was when a six-and-a-half-month pregnant archer from Azerbaijan shot a 10 (the maximum score) after she got a sign from her unborn child. Archer Yaylagul Ramazanova recounted the incident to Xinhua News after she defeated Chinese archer An Qixuan in the 1/32 elimination round. It was the archer's first Olympics as per the outlet and she has left a lasting impression on the audience.

“I felt my baby kick me before I shot this last arrow, and then I shot a 10,” Ramazanova told the outlet. She added that her baby gave her strength and luck. The two archers had a 5-5 tie leading to a shoot-off. An had shot 9 points so Ramazanova needed a 10 to surpass her score and ended up doing it after what she called a signal from her unborn child. "During the training for the Olympics, I didn't feel uncomfortable with my pregnancy. Instead, I felt that I was not fighting alone, but fighting together with my baby," the archer expressed. The 34-year-old is the second archer to represent her country at the Olympics after Olqa Senyuk at Rio 2016.

Unfortunately, Ramazanova later got eliminated in the 1/16 round while competing with Germany's Michelle Kroppen. The woman had started out as a shooter but her coach suggested she take up archery instead after noticing her long arms. "I wanted to get a medal. Every athlete does but not everyone can, but that's okay as long as I did my best," the archer said and confirmed that she would continue with the sport after giving birth. "I will teach my kid archery if he or she is interested in it," the archer revealed in the interview.

According to a post on Instagram in collaboration with the athlete's account, @yayo_gul, Ramazanove has created history for Azerbaijan sports by clearing two rounds at the games. In another post by @worldofwomen, the archer was appreciated for surpassing limiting beliefs about being pregnant and competing. People took to the comments section to appreciate Ramazanova's courage and determination and for inspiring people to compete.

@mavisblze wrote, "I don't know how you found the strength to compete while you are heavily pregnant; but a big CONGRATULATIONS to you...Yaylagul, YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION!" @nicat_babakhan commented, "If I have a daughter in the future, I will name her Haylagul. I was touched by that shot of being pregnant. To the struggle." @edenbyrequest remarked, "So inspiring and an incredible example of our strength as women." @sasan_seyed joked, "Meanwhile I struggle to get my 10k steps in."

In another similar story, a swimmer who swam for three hours to escape the war in Syria became an Olympic swimmer during the 2016 Rio Olympics. Yusra Mardini represented refugees from around the world and came in with the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. She also went to the Tokyo Olympics hoping for a gold. Even before she took up the sport competitively, Mardini had to depend upon her swimming skills to save her life. In 2015, when Mardini left Syria with her sister, the boat that was supposed to take them to Greece was overcrowded and broke two times in their 45-minute journey. The sisters and their father's friend swam in the water for three hours to take the boat to safety.