“Felt really good all the way through” – Kendall Gretsch secures middle distance gold at Beijing Paralympics

“Felt really good all the way through” – Kendall Gretsch secures middle distance gold at Beijing Paralympics

Kendall Gretsch

American triathlete Kendall Gretsch found her mojo back to clinch the gold medal in the Women’s Middle Distance Sitting at the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics. The 29-year-old ace earlier failed to defend her title and settled for bronze in the Para Biathlon Women’s Sprint Sitting but she compensated on Tuesday.

Gretsch, who won the 10km event, edged compatriot Oksana Masters by 8.7 seconds, took sweet revenge over the latter, who had earlier won the Women’s Sprint Sitting event. On the other hand, Germany’s Anja Wicker claimed bronze at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon.

“I haven’t really been feeling that confident the past couple of races so I didn’t really know what to expect today, but I felt really good all the way through.

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“The altitude here and the dry air really gets you, so I’m proud I was able to stay strong throughout the whole race,” said Gretsch, who had three Paralympic golds to her name before this.

“Have skied so many times with Oksana Masters”

Oksana Masters
Oksana Masters

The Illinois native Gretsch’s success comes a little over six months after winning a Paralympic triathlon gold medal at Tokyo 2020. During the chat, she also revealed that both she and Masters know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. 

“Knowing there were a lot more shots to go, I was really focussing on every single shot and taking my time today. We practise it so much. 

“I’ve skied so many times with Oksana and I know she can really turn it on in the last lap. You have to push her every second. She’s so strong. I just tried to hold it together on the last lap. I just keep pushing. It was so close that you couldn’t let up a little bit. You had to keep pushing throughout the whole thing. I was so excited, and I’m so excited to have Oksana on the podium with me.”

Also Read | Ukraine-born Oksana Masters wins USA’s first gold of 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics