Anna Grimaldi has ticked off a childhood dream with a medal at her debut Commonwealth Games. The three-time Dunedin Paralympian won bronze in the women’s T47 100m, clocking 12.46sec in Glasgow on Friday. Canadian Sheriauna Haase won gold in 12.23sec and compatriot Chloe Dunbar won silver in 12.33sec. While Grimaldi, who was wearing the black singlet for the 10th time, was disappointed with her performance, she soaked up the opportunity to compete at the pinnacle event. “It’s been really, really special,’’ Grimaldi told Sky Sport. “Before I came out of the tunnel, I was like this was a childhood dream to get to come to the Commonwealth Games. “I genuinely thought that this wasn’t going to happen. I’m now a Commonwealth Games New Zealand rep — and I think that’s really special. “This is kind of a dream come true to be here.’’ Shot putter Tom Walsh admits he let the occasion get the better of him as his bid for a historic third straight Games title ended in silver. Nigeria’s Chukwuebuka Enekwechi snatched gold with a fifth-round throw of 21.07m. “I’m not here to get second. Between me and my team, we want to achieve some things in the next two years and today wasn’t up to that standard,” Walsh said. “Physically, I’m in great shape. Just mentally I didn’t quite put it together today. I let the occasion get the better of me, which is very disappointing, but it also gives us some room to improve.” Despite the frustration, Walsh said the result had not shaken his confidence and was already looking towards the Diamond League finals before building to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “LA is my goal at the moment, and we’ll see what comes after that. If I’m still loving it and still enjoying it, I’ll keep going if I can make it work.” Asked whether that could include a fifth Games appearance, Walsh joked “I mightn’t have a marriage if I do a fifth”. The two-time Commonwealth champion looked on track to make history after opening with 21.03m, to lead through the first three rounds. But after fouling in the third and fourth, Enekwechi edged ahead. Walsh said experience had helped him appreciate the achievement. “One thing with age is I understand how rare these things can be, so having the weight of a medal around my neck is a pretty cool feeling. “With age and having a young family it does bring perspective . . . obviously I’m disappointed with how I threw and not getting the job done, but I don’t think I’m going to be as hard on myself as I was earlier in my career.” — Additional reporting RNZ
