British archer Jodie Grinham became the first ever athlete to win a Paralympic medal while pregnant when she took bronze in the women’s individual compound open on Saturday, organizers said.
Competing while seven months pregnant came with a unique set of challenges for Grinham, like asking her baby to stop kicking so that she could concentrate on lining up the shot.
“The baby’s kicking which is great – we got to the third end and I was like, ‘Not right now, mommy loves you but we’ll do kickies in a minute,” she said afterwards, per the Paralympic Games website.
“The baby hasn’t stopped, it’s like the baby is going, ‘What’s going on, it’s really loud, mommy, 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,” she added.
Grinham pipped teammate Phoebe Paterson Pine to the bronze medal after both Brits had narrowly lost their respective semifinals, while Turkey’s Öznur Cüre Girdi won the gold medal, defeating Iran’s Fatemeh Hemmati in the final.
Grinham added that her preparations for the Paralympics involved getting used to shooting and remaining concentrated with her bump constantly changing her normal stance and routine.
“Baby might be in my back today, or it might be really forward. So it’s, ‘What are you doing?’ she told reporters afterwards. “My coach and I spent a long time doing little pregnancy preps of her (the coach) moving me and moving the bump, so I could get used to that feeling.”
Grinham is aiming to win her second medal of the Paris Games on Monday when she competes in the mixed team compound quarterfinals alongside Nathan McQueen.
“I didn’t want people to see it as, ‘Oh, there’s a pregnant lady going to a Games,’” she said. “I want them to say, ‘Wow, a pregnant lady can compete at the highest level and medal,’ showing you anything is possible. Just go and do it. You want to do it? Then do it.”
