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Olympian's widow gives birth after taking sperm from his body after his death
The widow of an Olympic snowboarder has given birth, after conceiving a child using sperm from her late partner after his death.
Alex Pullin had represented Australia at three different Winter Olympic Games and was the flag bearer at the 2014 Sochi games.
Back in July 2020, the athlete tragically lost his life at the age of 32 in a spearfishing accident in Queensland, Australia.
Pullin was found unresponsive on a beach on the Gold Coast and was tended to by paramedics at the scene, but sadly didn't make it.
It's now been 15 months since his untimely death and his wife Ellidy has revealed in an Instagram post that she has given birth to her first child with the deceased snowboarder following IVF treatment. She also shared her baby girl's name, including a special tribute to her husband, with her 132,000 followers.
Alongside an image of the new mom holding her newborn, she wrote: "Our girl, born 25th October 2021. Minnie Alex Pullin."
Since it was posted last week, the snap has managed to rack up nearly 84,000 likes and more than 5,000 comments.
Before the birth of her daughter, Ellidy opened up about her "bittersweet" pregnancy in an interview with Vogue Australia.
She told the magazine: "On one hand, I feel overwhelmed by happiness, thinking, 'Oh my goodness, it's alive, it's really there,' while also knowing Chump's [Pullin] not here to share in it.
"Ultimately, however, hope trumps pain. I feel lucky that Chumpy was who he was; in life and in loss, Chumpy is the gift that keeps on giving."
Ellidy continued: "In many ways, it simply feels like I'm carrying the torch of our future. It sits different to how it did before, but there's still something familiar.
"I still use Chumpy's toothbrush (it's electric!), I still sing out 'Hey Chumpy' whenever I pass his music studio in our home, and someday very soon, a little piece of Chumpy will be back in my arms again."
While Pullin never managed to win an Olympic gold medal, he did win the World Championships in Snowboard Cross in both 2011 and 2013. He was also awarded a silver medal at the 2016 X-Games event.