Paralympic athlete Tracy Otto announces pregnancy after marriage proposal on the Eiffel Tower

Athlete of the Paralympic Team of the USA Tracy Otto celebrates several important milestones.

Otto, 28, announced her pregnancy after her partner, Ricky Riesslepopped the question under the Eiffel Tower. “We've been keeping a secret… Paralympic competitor ✅🏹 marriage proposal ✅💍… Pregnant!👶,” she wrote on Instagram on Monday, September 2. “Baby Riessle is due in January 2025!!”

Otto posted a carousel of snapshots, including an action shot of her at an archery competition, a picture of her engagement ring in front of the Eiffel Tower and another of the ultrasound scan.

Otto's pregnancy news comes a day after she uploaded a sweet video of Riessle's marriage proposal in the city of love.

In the clip, Otto was shocked when Riessle got down on one knee next to her wheelchair. Through tears, Otto nodded in agreement and the couple shared a sweet kiss. Riessle put the ring on Otto's finger as they kissed again.

Otto shared a separate post via Instagram, uploading a series of snaps from the moment, including a close-up of her engagement ring. “I may not have won a medal today, but I'm going home with something shiny 😉💍,” she wrote.

Otto's life update comes nearly five years after she was attacked by her ex-boyfriend. Otto told the BBC that the incident in October 2019 left her paralysed from the chest down, with limited use of her arms and hands and lost the sight of her left eye.

Otto recalled to the outlet that she was attacked by her ex in her bed at her home in Tampa, Florida. Otto explained that this happened a month after she split from her ex and after she started dating Riessle.

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“I remember rolling over, getting comfortable in bed and slowly falling asleep. And then all of a sudden I heard this loud noise and saw a flashlight in my face and I was so confused,” Otto told the outlet in August. “And then I heard his voice and I realized it was my ex.”

Otto said her ex “decided to buy a high-powered air rifle” after watching her sleeping with Riessle through her bedroom window.

“And then he comes to my house, breaks in, wakes us up and yells at us to get out of bed,” she said. “He tells us he's going to kill us and that if he doesn't kill himself, he's going to call the police.”

According to the BBC, Otto was hit several times and shot in her left eye. She was also stabbed in the neck and sexually assaulted.

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Riessle was also shot in the face and stabbed in the back. The ex called the police and warned them that he had “killed my girlfriend and [her] new friend.” According to the BBC, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

After the incident, Otto and Riessle continued their relationship. In March 2021, Riessle started archery.

“And I thought, 'Why don't you try archery?' Ricky was like, 'Your hands don't work,' but I thought we could work it out,” she said. “I did a little research and found out there was an adaptive archery class in our area. A week later, I shot for the first time.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).