Pregnant archer Grinham targets Paris medals

Archer Jodie Grinham hopes her selection for the Paris Paralympics can send out a powerful message to women everywhere.

When she takes to the start line in the compound archery competition at Les Invalides in late August, Grinham will be 28 weeks pregnant.

No-one that far into pregnancy is believed to have previously been selected for the British Paralympic team.

And after the heartbreak of miscarriages both before and after the birth of her son Christian 21 months ago, the Wales-born athlete, who turns 31 on Friday, wants to show that mothers in sport can continue to perform at the highest level.

"I love every minute of having my career and love every minute of being a mum. Why should I have to do it separately?" she told BBC Sport.

"I am very fortunate with my sport that I can continue to compete.

"I'm not going to say it is possible for everyone. But I think it is a milestone to show how far we have come as a country to be able to support someone and not go 'you shouldn’t be doing this’. For women, it is incredible."

Grinham, who won compound mixed team silver at the 2016 Rio Paralympics with John Stubbs, will join Tokyo gold medallist Phoebe Patterson-Pine, Nathan MacQueen, who will be appearing at his second Games, and debutant Victoria Kingstone on the team for Paris.

And she is full of praise for the support she has received on her selection journey from her partner and family as well as British Archery and coach Charlotte Burgess.

"Thankfully I haven’t had to change my technique too much but I get hot easily so we have been using cooling strategies," she explains.

"My quiver doesn't fit around my waist so I have had to get a belt that extends around the bump.

"I've also had to have different kits because I don't know what size I will be when the Games come around and I need to make sure my competition kit fits.

"We have had a lot of discussions around various situations which may arise, including if I go into early labour, so we are well prepared for lots of scenarios."

Grinham has also benefited from UK Sport’s official pregnancy guidance which was first produced in late November 2021 and supports athletes and sports through pregnancy and post-birth.

At the time, UK Sport said it believed "starting a family and being an elite athlete should not be mutually exclusive".

While she chases double gold in the individual and mixed team events in Paris, Grinham's family will stay at home rather than travelling to France to watch her compete.

"Christian is a typical toddler who likes to run around and play but he also likes to have his mummy and daddy around," she explains.

"When he has seen me competing, he doesn't understand why he can't come to me, so we made the decision for them to stay at home and watch on the television.

"Rio was my first Games and I was very nervous and inexperienced but now I feel like I am in a better position to hopefully bring back two medals.

"I have got some good scores and medals this year and I really feel like this could be a really successful Games for me.

"I will go and do my job and then when I come home, we can celebrate and spend time together."