Para-archer Jodie Grinham becomes first athlete to win Paralympic medal while pregnant – NBC Chicago

Britain’s Jodie Grinham has become the first pregnant Paralympian to win a medal.

Grinham’s historic victory was announced on the official Paralympic Games Instagram account on August 31 after she won bronze in the women’s individual compound event while seven months pregnant at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

On her way to bronze, Grinham beat teammate Phoebe Paterson Pine, who won the gold medal in Tokyo.

After the event, Grinham spoke to the Guardian about competing while pregnant with her second child, telling the outlet: “The baby hasn’t stopped (moving), the baby says, what are you doing?”

“It was a real honor to know that the baby was there and that I had this little bubble of support in my belly,” she continued.

Grinham then shared her concerns about how her baby could potentially affect her performance, adding: “I was really starting to worry that the baby was going to move while I was in full draw and that it was going to affect my shot, but my coach and I spent a lot of time doing some pregnancy prep with her to move me and my belly around so I could get used to that feeling.”

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She said that during her matches, she would greet her baby by saying things like “mommy loves you, I’ll hug you in a minute” before continuing the competition.

“Then I gave him a little pat and told him it was okay, I know it was a lot of noise, a lot of heartbeat,” she said.

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Grinham made her Paralympic debut at the Rio 2016 Games and won a silver medal, but missed the competition in Tokyo due to injuries sustained in a fall. Ahead of the 2024 Paralympics, Grinham told the IPC she was “hoping to medal” and would be “disappointed” if she didn’t.

The Paralympian has made no secret of her experience with fertility issues and miscarriage. She competed in the 2016 Paralympics rather than trying to conceive due to the Zika virus and other risks, forcing her to wait until after Tokyo, but those Games were ultimately postponed.

“Obviously, after everything was broken and the Games were postponed, we already delayed our attempts to have a baby,” she said. “Then we had problems being able to conceive, which was heartbreaking.”

Despite the difficult road to parenthood, Grinham and her partner welcomed their first child together, son Christian, in 2022.

“I’m not going to delay starting a family for the sake of my career any longer,” she told the IPC. “I should be able to do both. And that’s exactly what we’ve decided. Here I am, seven months pregnant, competing.”

Grinham will again compete in the quarterfinals of the compound mixed team event on September 2, giving her a second chance at a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games.

Grinham returned to the Paralympic stage on Thursday for the first time since Rio 2016, this time seven months pregnant.

Grinham completed her first competition Thursday morning in the women’s compound open individual event. She finished fourth and shot a personal best score of 693. Later in the evening, she and Nathan MacQueen placed second in the compound open mixed team standings.

“I know I can do better, it’s a personal best, but there’s still a lot of improvement to be made,” Grinham said. “The main thing for me was to finish in the top four, which gives me a day off to focus on making adjustments and improving.”

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Grinham will be back Saturday for the heats, which will give her a rest from Friday’s competition. After a scare earlier in the week, rest is luxurious. On Monday, she went to the hospital because the baby had stopped moving. Her doctors assured her everything looked normal and the baby was healthy. She said her doctor knew there was no point in asking her to rest now, but implored her to rest from everything once the competition was over.

For Grinham, winning a medal in Paris isn’t just about her. She hopes to set an example of female strength by bringing that medal home.

“I want to be a mother and an athlete,” Grinham said. “I’m not willing to sacrifice either, but at home, I’m a mother.”

Grinham has found a balance between her passion and her responsibilities, but it has been challenging. With her partner Christopher Greenan, she has learned the importance of separating family life from work, which she says allows her to spend more time with her 2-year-old son, Christian.

“If I’m wearing a mummy hat and an athlete hat and I’m in athlete mode, then that’s it,” Grinham said. “You know, I’m in an athlete mindset.”

Grinham had previously won silver at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games with partner John Stubbs in the compound mixed team and placed 10th in the individual competition.

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