The first athletics competitor has been named for the Commonwealth Games squad this year, and it is none other than Anna Grimaldi.
She is a three-time Paralympic gold medallist but is making her Commonwealth Games debut as it is the first time one of her disciplines has been competed for at the Games - in this case, the 100m T47.
She joined D'Arcy to discuss.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk zed B.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
The news talker z B. First athletics competitor has been
named for the comm Games squad this Yeah, and it
is Anna Grimaldi. She's a three times Paralympian, a gold
medalist and a couple of events. She's making a Common
Game's debut because the first time one of our disciplines
has been competed at competed four excuse me, at the Games.
(00:33):
In this case, it's the one one hundred meters forty seven.
She joins us now to discuss. Hey Anna, Hi, how
are you going. I'm going very well, not as good
as you're going. You're off to the Commonwealth Games. And
I've got to say, as soon as I saw that
news and it's the first time you've been to the
Common Games, I'm like, Okay, how come you're a paralympian?
Why now? What what change, if anything at all? How
(00:56):
come you just get in there? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I know, it's so interesting, like this being my first,
like Calvalief, twelveys into my career, I'm still having first
but yeah, we The Pairer and Able Body program at
the con Games is integrated so they run together. But
there's only a very select amount of events available. So
I've actually never had an event at the Common Math
Games that I could compete in before, so yeah, this
(01:21):
is my first opportunity and I kind of can't believe it.
I'd kind of given up hope. You know, every time
the con Games events got announced for power, I'd like
watch and hope it would be mine, and it even
was until you know, last year we sort of found
out that that'd be including my one hundred meters and
the event program. So yeah, another big tech on the
career sort of bucket list happening now, which is accliding.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Always one hundred meters, but that is the T forty
seven category. That's how you managed to get in And okay,
and could you just explain that to everyone out there
because there are all sorts of categories and people go wah, of.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Course, yeah, no, it's actually it seems complicated, but it's
actually quite easy. TEA stands for track and so if
you were doing, you know, any sort of running event,
you'd have a tea classification. If you're doing any sort
of throwing, you'd have an IF for field, and then
forty seven is my classification, which is for upper limb
I guess amputations, impairments, lack of range of motion, like
(02:17):
of muscle control, all of those sorts of things.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
So it levels out the playing field for us.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
And sort of groups us together and into groups of
people that make it a little bit more fear for everyone.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
So yeah, I'm a forty seven.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Because I was born without my right hand, So yeah,
I fit into into that classification nicely.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
So when it was released that the forty seven is
going to be in one hundred meters, that you're like,
I'm in because you're a gold medalist at the Paralympics,
so you you wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
I was pretty excited to have the opportunity. I remember,
I don't.
Speaker 5 (02:51):
Actually remember how I if someone sent it to me
or I just saw it online and it was like
seven am in the morning, and I remember like looking
through it like ferociously and then squealing like so excited,
and my.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Boyfriend next to me woke up thinking so awful had happened,
But it was just actually I was just.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
So excited to have the opportunity to compete the common games.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
I grew up watching the comm maass games.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
You know every four years and kind of had the
dream of being able to do it one day, and.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
I sort of thought that that was not going to happen.
But here we are.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
So your reaction's not really a squeal of delight. It
sounds like you're screaming and Terri, if that's what wake
your boyfriend up.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
No, it was, it was definitely.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
I think I was just in such shock, you know,
like I've had such an awesome year the last few years,
and and then it just kept getting you know, just
cool things kept happening.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
So I mean, it's just keeps going and I'm really excited.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Expectations. I'd expect they'd be through the roof, right, Annah.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Yeah, I mean, look, it's always any any opportunity to
represent New Zealand as like a huge privilege, and it
never gets you know, it never dies, that opportunity, the
feeling of getting the opportunity. But I think, like, yeah,
I would love to do well. I'd love to run fast.
I think it's been an interesting couple years since the
Games and I feel like I haven't quite got back
(04:10):
to where I'd love to be, So I'd love for
that to happen this year at the common Games, and
we'll see what happens with that. I don't actually know
who else I'll be competing against you The fields aren't
you know, released into a little bit closer. But I'm
trying to keep an eye out on other countries' announcements
and get engauged for where we're sort of sitting back, Yeah,
I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Define interesting couple of years. What exactly does that mean?
Speaker 3 (04:36):
I think for years after the Games are always such
a bit of a like there're always a roller coaster
people took about like the Olympic and Paralympic Blues, and
they're definitely a thing, and they're not necessarily a negative thing,
but there's such a big colmdown period, Like every decision
I made in the four years six years leading into
the Games were for that one moment, and then when
(04:57):
it's over, you're sort of a bit like, Okay, well
what I mean we can move on to the next goal,
But like what happens now, Like we've achieved it, we've
done what we sort of set out to do. What
do we do with it now? And took a big break,
which I've learned from my previous campaigns is a really
important thing for me to do and then get back
into training, and it's never you know, training always comes
(05:17):
with it's ups and downs, and I guess that's been
my year. I have didn't really perform that well in
the domestic season here, you know, just not where I
would want to be. And I think, yeah, it's taken
me a lot longer to pop out of the post
Paralympic cycle than I potentially thought. Not necessarily in a
bad way either, I just think in an interesting way,
(05:39):
interesting good and bad.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
I think it's just been yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
I think also sort of switching my focus to running
for the cycle has been a real positive, but it's
also been challenging as well, you know, stepping away from
my comfort of long jump that I've had for so
long and really diving head first into I mean, we
were lucky, obviously to be able to make that decision
from such a high point, you know, not often that
(06:03):
that's the option, So I was really grateful that we
were given that opportunity from such a successful standpoint. But
it just takes takes its toll mentally and physically decisions
and training and competing. It's you know, it's I'm getting
older now as well, and the more you do it,
the bitter you get at it.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
But it just also it's also takes its toll too.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
I was glad you mentioned the long jump. Is there
no long jump in T forty seven or two hundred
at the Calm Games?
Speaker 5 (06:32):
No?
Speaker 3 (06:32):
No, So, as I said, there's a really limited calendar,
and I've never had an event. I've never had a
one hundred, two hundred, long jump, four hundred anything. I
think there's been a javelin because Holly Robinson did it
for a while a couple of cycles ago, but there's
never been any event for me. So no, I'm just
happy with the one.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
So why is it though?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
How did that turn up? Did people like lobby for it?
Was it the decision of the organize they wanted to
see one hundreds?
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Have it come about?
Speaker 3 (07:01):
I think the I think the organizing committee has a
big say in what power events get in. I guess
they just look at the events that are quite strong
in the common Mouth and I guess me taking on
the sprints kind of in the last couple of years
has kind of obviously put another common Mouth athlete up
in the up in the top sort of standings.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
And yeah, I mean they did.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
It for you, Anna, is that what you're saying.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
I don't know, but maybe I hope so I'll take it.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
But I mean, I think we've just I think like
we've not had quite a strong or we've not really
had the numbers necessarily in my classification over the years
in the in the Common Mouth. But I think we're
really starting to branch out into some different countries, which
is cool to see. I think we'll have a nice
spread of different different nations there, which I think will
be exciting.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
And finally, you touched on it, you get that flat
cycle after a major event. What are you going to
be like when you retire, you know, to do with yourself?
Speaker 4 (07:56):
I don't know, Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
I think that's I don't know, to be honest, Like, obviously,
right now, everything we're kind of doing is, you know,
to get ready for this year's Common Games and the
next years World Champs and then the next years Paralympic Games.
So it's sort of we're really deep in this process
at the moment and just really enjoying it, to be honest, Like,
I think there'd been time in the past where I'd
(08:19):
sort of thought, you know, maybe retirement would be sooner
rather than later. But I think I'm at a period
of time where I'm like, I'm really enjoying this. I
want to see where we can get going with it,
and like the new sprinting era is just sort of
getting started, and I think that's exciting too, So don't.
I don't foresee retirement very soon at all.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
So I think that's been.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Really nice to be able to kind of lean on
that as well.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Although that was a bit rood of me, but I'll
qualify it with this s no no, you said you're
getting older, So I'm like, okay, fine, I'll jump on
the bat. How old are you getting? Are you going
to retire? Like you're not even thirty yet? A back off.
I'm sorry I said that, and you carry it on,
spreading as fast as you looking forward to it is okay?
Speaker 4 (09:07):
Yeah, yeah, I was.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
I was thinking maybe he wants me to hang out
the hang out the Spikes.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
I've got a few more years listed me.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
I reckon For more from sports Talk, listen live to
news Talks there'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk zed B.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
The news talker z B. First athletics competitor has been
named for the comm Games squad this Yeah, and it
is Anna Grimaldi. She's a three times Paralympian, a gold
medalist and a couple of events. She's making a Common
Game's debut because the first time one of our disciplines
has been competed at competed four excuse me, at the Games.
(00:33):
In this case, it's the one one hundred meters forty seven.
She joins us now to discuss. Hey Anna, Hi, how
are you going. I'm going very well, not as good
as you're going. You're off to the Commonwealth Games. And
I've got to say, as soon as I saw that
news and it's the first time you've been to the
Common Games, I'm like, Okay, how come you're a paralympian?
Why now? What what change, if anything at all? How
(00:56):
come you just get in there? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I know, it's so interesting, like this being my first,
like Calvalief, twelveys into my career, I'm still having first
but yeah, we The Pairer and Able Body program at
the con Games is integrated so they run together. But
there's only a very select amount of events available. So
I've actually never had an event at the Common Math
Games that I could compete in before, so yeah, this
(01:21):
is my first opportunity and I kind of can't believe it.
I'd kind of given up hope. You know, every time
the con Games events got announced for power, I'd like
watch and hope it would be mine, and it even
was until you know, last year we sort of found
out that that'd be including my one hundred meters and
the event program. So yeah, another big tech on the
career sort of bucket list happening now, which is accliding.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Always one hundred meters, but that is the T forty
seven category. That's how you managed to get in And okay,
and could you just explain that to everyone out there
because there are all sorts of categories and people go wah, of.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Course, yeah, no, it's actually it seems complicated, but it's
actually quite easy. TEA stands for track and so if
you were doing, you know, any sort of running event,
you'd have a tea classification. If you're doing any sort
of throwing, you'd have an IF for field, and then
forty seven is my classification, which is for upper limb
I guess amputations, impairments, lack of range of motion, like
(02:17):
of muscle control, all of those sorts of things.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
So it levels out the playing field for us.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
And sort of groups us together and into groups of
people that make it a little bit more fear for everyone.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
So yeah, I'm a forty seven.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Because I was born without my right hand, So yeah,
I fit into into that classification nicely.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
So when it was released that the forty seven is
going to be in one hundred meters, that you're like,
I'm in because you're a gold medalist at the Paralympics,
so you you wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
I was pretty excited to have the opportunity. I remember,
I don't.
Speaker 5 (02:51):
Actually remember how I if someone sent it to me
or I just saw it online and it was like
seven am in the morning, and I remember like looking
through it like ferociously and then squealing like so excited,
and my.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Boyfriend next to me woke up thinking so awful had happened,
But it was just actually I was just.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
So excited to have the opportunity to compete the common games.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
I grew up watching the comm maass games.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
You know every four years and kind of had the
dream of being able to do it one day, and.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
I sort of thought that that was not going to happen.
But here we are.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
So your reaction's not really a squeal of delight. It
sounds like you're screaming and Terri, if that's what wake
your boyfriend up.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
No, it was, it was definitely.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
I think I was just in such shock, you know,
like I've had such an awesome year the last few years,
and and then it just kept getting you know, just
cool things kept happening.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
So I mean, it's just keeps going and I'm really excited.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Expectations. I'd expect they'd be through the roof, right, Annah.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Yeah, I mean, look, it's always any any opportunity to
represent New Zealand as like a huge privilege, and it
never gets you know, it never dies, that opportunity, the
feeling of getting the opportunity. But I think, like, yeah,
I would love to do well. I'd love to run fast.
I think it's been an interesting couple years since the
Games and I feel like I haven't quite got back
(04:10):
to where I'd love to be, So I'd love for
that to happen this year at the common Games, and
we'll see what happens with that. I don't actually know
who else I'll be competing against you The fields aren't
you know, released into a little bit closer. But I'm
trying to keep an eye out on other countries' announcements
and get engauged for where we're sort of sitting back, Yeah,
I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Define interesting couple of years. What exactly does that mean?
Speaker 3 (04:36):
I think for years after the Games are always such
a bit of a like there're always a roller coaster
people took about like the Olympic and Paralympic Blues, and
they're definitely a thing, and they're not necessarily a negative thing,
but there's such a big colmdown period, Like every decision
I made in the four years six years leading into
the Games were for that one moment, and then when
(04:57):
it's over, you're sort of a bit like, Okay, well
what I mean we can move on to the next goal,
But like what happens now, Like we've achieved it, we've
done what we sort of set out to do. What
do we do with it now? And took a big break,
which I've learned from my previous campaigns is a really
important thing for me to do and then get back
into training, and it's never you know, training always comes
(05:17):
with it's ups and downs, and I guess that's been
my year. I have didn't really perform that well in
the domestic season here, you know, just not where I
would want to be. And I think, yeah, it's taken
me a lot longer to pop out of the post
Paralympic cycle than I potentially thought. Not necessarily in a
bad way either, I just think in an interesting way,
(05:39):
interesting good and bad.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
I think it's just been yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
I think also sort of switching my focus to running
for the cycle has been a real positive, but it's
also been challenging as well, you know, stepping away from
my comfort of long jump that I've had for so
long and really diving head first into I mean, we
were lucky, obviously to be able to make that decision
from such a high point, you know, not often that
(06:03):
that's the option, So I was really grateful that we
were given that opportunity from such a successful standpoint. But
it just takes takes its toll mentally and physically decisions
and training and competing. It's you know, it's I'm getting
older now as well, and the more you do it,
the bitter you get at it.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
But it just also it's also takes its toll too.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
I was glad you mentioned the long jump. Is there
no long jump in T forty seven or two hundred
at the Calm Games?
Speaker 5 (06:32):
No?
Speaker 3 (06:32):
No, So, as I said, there's a really limited calendar,
and I've never had an event. I've never had a
one hundred, two hundred, long jump, four hundred anything. I
think there's been a javelin because Holly Robinson did it
for a while a couple of cycles ago, but there's
never been any event for me. So no, I'm just
happy with the one.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
So why is it though?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
How did that turn up? Did people like lobby for it?
Was it the decision of the organize they wanted to
see one hundreds?
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Have it come about?
Speaker 3 (07:01):
I think the I think the organizing committee has a
big say in what power events get in. I guess
they just look at the events that are quite strong
in the common Mouth and I guess me taking on
the sprints kind of in the last couple of years
has kind of obviously put another common Mouth athlete up
in the up in the top sort of standings.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
And yeah, I mean they did.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
It for you, Anna, is that what you're saying.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
I don't know, but maybe I hope so I'll take it.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
But I mean, I think we've just I think like
we've not had quite a strong or we've not really
had the numbers necessarily in my classification over the years
in the in the Common Mouth. But I think we're
really starting to branch out into some different countries, which
is cool to see. I think we'll have a nice
spread of different different nations there, which I think will
be exciting.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
And finally, you touched on it, you get that flat
cycle after a major event. What are you going to
be like when you retire, you know, to do with yourself?
Speaker 4 (07:56):
I don't know, Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
I think that's I don't know, to be honest, Like, obviously,
right now, everything we're kind of doing is, you know,
to get ready for this year's Common Games and the
next years World Champs and then the next years Paralympic Games.
So it's sort of we're really deep in this process
at the moment and just really enjoying it, to be honest, Like,
I think there'd been time in the past where I'd
(08:19):
sort of thought, you know, maybe retirement would be sooner
rather than later. But I think I'm at a period
of time where I'm like, I'm really enjoying this. I
want to see where we can get going with it,
and like the new sprinting era is just sort of
getting started, and I think that's exciting too, So don't.
I don't foresee retirement very soon at all.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
So I think that's been.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Really nice to be able to kind of lean on
that as well.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Although that was a bit rood of me, but I'll
qualify it with this s no no, you said you're
getting older, So I'm like, okay, fine, I'll jump on
the bat. How old are you getting? Are you going
to retire? Like you're not even thirty yet? A back off.
I'm sorry I said that, and you carry it on,
spreading as fast as you looking forward to it is okay?
Speaker 4 (09:07):
Yeah, yeah, I was.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
I was thinking maybe he wants me to hang out
the hang out the Spikes.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
I've got a few more years listed me.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
I reckon For more from sports Talk, listen live to
news Talks there'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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