Paralympian archer makes history for winning 2 medals while pregnant
British archer Jodie Grinham received the distinction of becoming the first-ever athlete to win not one, but two Paralympic medals while pregnant.
Grinham's first win came after she emerged victorious against teammate Phoebe Paterson Pine in the women’s individual compound, allowing her to take home the bronze.
However, her success doesn't end there as the seven-month pregnant athlete also clinched the coveted gold medal when she triumphed with Nathan Macqueen in a 155-151 win over Fatemeh Hemmati and Hadi Nori of Iran in the mixed team compound open.
"I knew that if I shot as well as I could, we could bring a medal back, baby or not, and that's what I've done," Grinham told the International Paralympic Committee.
Throughout the match, she shared that she could feel her baby doing little kicks in her belly, which further motivated her to do her best.
"The baby hasn't stopped, it's like the baby is going 'What's going on, it's really loud, mummy what are you doing?' But it's been like a little honor knowing that the baby's there and just a reminder of the little support bubble that I've got in my tummy," the Para archer said.
While this is so, she couldn't help but be worried that her baby was going to affect her chances of securing her victory.
"It was really starting to worry me that the baby was going to move when I was at full draw and it was going to affect my shot, but my coach and I spent a long time doing little pregnancy prep with her moving me and the bump so I could get used to that feeling," she said, per The Guardian.
"Even during matches today up at full draw I acknowledged it, mummy loves you, I’ll cuddle you in a minute, then carried on doing my processes. Then I gave him a little stroke afterward and said it’s all fine, I know it’s a lot of noise, a lot of heartbeat," she added.
Sharing her thoughts on pregnant women participating in these intense sports games, Grinham said, "There is no stigma. The stereotype of things is completely irrelevant, if you feel you can do it, it doesn’t matter. If the doctor says it’s fine, then go and do it."
The 2024 Paralympic Games began in Paris on Aug. 28 and will continue through until Sept. 8.