British Paralympic archer Jodie Grinham is all set to amaze the world. She will reportedly compete at the Paralympics Games Paris 2024 while being pregnant. The silver medalist hopes to set an example for other women by showing them they can participate in athletic events during pregnancy and perform well.
In an interview with The Athletic, Grinham shared that she worked on changing her shooting technique due to the pregnancy. The archer revealed that her “balance is a little off” because she’s “more front-heavy with the baby.” Further adjustments have been made to her equipment as well. Being aware of the uncertainties, Grinham said she’s “not going to regret a single kick or a single bad arrow.” She also shared that her team has joked that her “waters could just break on the podium.”
Paralympic archer Jodie Grinham will be competing at 28 weeks pregnant
The Paralympic archer is seven months pregnant and says she will “have achieved something that no one else can say they’ve done” after competing at the Paralympics Games Paris 2024. Grinham went into premature labor when she was 28 weeks pregnant with Christian, her son, who was born in 2022. He had severe jaundice and “ended up in an incubator.” Grinham shared with The Athletic that she “didn’t really get to hold him for the first 10 days” as Christian was kept under observation.
Having suffered three miscarriages, Grinham and her partner, Christopher, decided that they “weren’t going to let a Games stop” them from extending their family. The pair didn’t know if they could “conceive another one.” Grinham, who has “no fingers and half a thumb,” also explained her congenital condition, Brachysyndactyly. Moreover, her “arms are different lengths,” and her “shoulder is undeveloped through my left side that goes through to my left core and left hip.”
Grinham faces similar complexities again as when Christian was born. As a result of her left side’s propensity to collapse, doctors were uncertain if Grinham would be able to hold the weight of her baby to full term. The Paralympic archer and her team are prepared with “backup plans.” There is a possibility that she can go into labor at the Paralympics Games Paris 2024. Besides, they have already researched about the closest hospitals and maternity wards.
Grinham also said she would “be the happy athlete mum that I know I deserve to be.”
