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Updated September 23rd, 2021 at 21:56 IST

Young London aquarium name penguins after tennis star Emma Raducanu and Prof Sarah Gilbert

The penguins will be known as Raducanu, after Emma Raducanu, who just won the US Open and Gilbert, named for Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert

Reported by: Azhar Mohamed
Emma Raducanu
Image: AP | Image:self
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Two penguins at the Young London Aquarium have been named after Emma Raducanu, a British tennis player, and Dame Sarah Gilbert, a vaccine developer.

The Sea Life London Aquarium revealed that their penguin babies, who were born earlier this year, are both female and have been named after two of the year's top performers. One of the penguins will be known as Raducanu, after Emma Raducanu, who just won the US Open. The other will be called Gilbert, named for Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, who worked on the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

Emma Raducanu ended Britain's 44-year wait for a women's Grand Slam singles champion and now is the buzz of the tennis world. She has been projected to become one of the sport's greatest names after winning the US Open.

Her victory at the US Open was momentous for a number of reasons in Britain’s history. She has become something of a sensation in the United Kingdom, earning widespread popular appreciation from all parts of the country.

The aquarium's general manager, Catherine Pritchard, described the naming of the penguins after UK's two most prolific women as a celebratory occasion. “Now the sex of the penguin chicks has been established it is a celebratory moment for the Aquarium and we wanted to name our new females after two standout women of the past 18 months.

“Emma Raducanu’s recent win at the US Open Championship was a massive success for British sport, and Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert has played a life-saving role in the battle against the Covid 19 pandemic and therefore we felt it a fitting tribute to commemorate their successes and mark their moments in time by naming our penguin chicks after them,” said Catherine Pritchard.

Emma Raducanu is hungry to get better and win more tournaments

Emma's 127-place rise to No. 23 in the global rankings necessitated a reassessment of her calendar, as she suddenly had a plethora of events to choose from. After a hectic two months, she plans to take a brief break before returning to the WTA circuit, ready for more success.

"I have a few days' rest and recovery (coming up), I think needed after the last seven weeks. But then I am straight back to training and hungry to get better and come back out and play some more tournaments," said Emma in conversation to American broadcaster CNBC.

Image: AP

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Published September 23rd, 2021 at 21:56 IST

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