Paralympian Jodie Grinham wins historic medal while seven months pregnant

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 — before doubling up with gold in the mixed team event.

Grinham, seven months along, pipped teammate Phoebe Paterson Pine to the bronze medal after both Brits had narrowly lost their respective semi-finals.

The 31-year-old then teamed up with Nathan McQueen to win gold in the mixed team event on Monday.

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“All I wanted to do at the end was jump up and down and cry and scream and shout,” Grinham said.

“But being heavily pregnant, realistically the best thing to do was crouch down and take a second and then I could give hugs and things.

“The emotion was just a wave and it was like being a child at Christmas and getting your favourite toy.”

Grinham has battled with asking her baby to stop kicking so she could concentrate on lining up a shot.

“The baby’s kicking, which is great — we got to the third end and I was like, ‘Not right now, mummy loves you but we’ll do kickies in a minute,” she said after winning individual bronze.

“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 honour knowing that the baby’s there and just a reminder of the little support bubble that I’ve got in my tummy.”

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 said,

“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 struggled with fertility issues and pregnancy loss before giving birth to her first child Christian in 2022.

With that in mind, she decided not to prioritise her sporting pursuits over life — or vice versa.

“I’m not going to hold off having a family any more for the sake of my career,” she said.

“I should be able to do both. And that is exactly what we decided. Here I am seven months pregnant, competing.”

But it was not just about being there.

“I didn’t want people to see it as, ‘Oh, there’s a pregnant lady going to a Games’,” Grinham 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.”

– with 7NEWS