British archer Jodie Grinham pips pal to become first pregnant Paralympic medallist
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Follow topic:
PARIS – British archer Jodie Grinham became the first pregnant Paralympic athlete to win a medal when she claimed bronze in women’s individual compound, official Paralympics social media accounts said on Aug 31.
Seven months pregnant, the 31-year-old held her nerves to beat Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist and friend Phoebe Paterson Pine by a razor-thin 142-141 scoreline in the bronze medal match-up on Aug 30 at the Esplanade des Invalides.
Turkey’s Oznur Cure took the gold, beating Iranian Fatemeh Hemmati 144-141 in the final.
“Baby hasn’t stopped kicking,” Grinham said. “It’s almost like baby’s going, what’s going on? It’s really loud, mummy what are you doing? But it’s been a lovely reminder of the support bubble I have in my belly.
“I’m really proud of myself, I’ve had difficulties and it’s not been easy. But as long as I’m healthy and baby’s healthy, I knew I could compete. I knew if I shot as well as I could, baby or not, I could come back as a medal.”
Grinham has had three previous miscarriages, according to The Athletic, and she went into premature labour with her now two-year-old son Christian at the same seven-month stage of her pregnancy.
The Guardian reported that the Briton has had to make adjustments to compete with her swollen pregnant belly “with an extra low-slung quiver round her middle, which in turn has meant she has had to tweak how she lifts and holds the bow. And flat shoes to stop her rocking around in a sport where concentration is everything”.
Grinham hopes to win a second medal when she competes in the mixed team compound quarter-finals on Sept 2, along with Nathan MacQueen.
She won a silver in the event at the 2016 Rio Games, alongside John Stubbs.
Meanwhile, the Paralympic organisers on Sept 1 postponed the triathlon by a day over worries about the River Seine’s water quality.
“The latest analysis shows a deterioration in the water quality of the Seine following heavy rainfall over the past two days,” the organisers said.
“It was decided to schedule the 11 medal sessions of the Para triathlon on Sept 2,” they added, following a meeting among World Triathlon, the Paris 2024 organisers, and the relevant French authorities.
The triathlon was originally scheduled over two days – Sept 1 and 2.
The issue also caused disruption to the Olympics triathlon and open-water swimming events, with several practice sessions being cancelled due to high levels of pollution caused by heavy rainfall.
Of 11 days of events and training scheduled in the river during the Olympics, only five got the green light.
Despite a €1.4 billion (S$2.02 billion) upgrade to improve the Paris sewerage and water treatment system, the Seine has been dogged by pollution concerns, notably for its levels of enterococci and E.coli bacteria. REUTERS, AFP
