Jodie Grinham makes history as first athlete to win a Paralympic medal while pregnant

British archer Jodie Grinham won gold in the mixed-team compound bow final in the 2024 Paralympics. To see her grip on the bow with no fingers and half a thumb was impressive enough.

Grinham, who has a condition called Brachysyndactyly, and Nathan MacQueen, her partner for the mixed-team match, had an amazing rapport. As Grinham describes it, “If one of us put a bad arrow in, the other one would have our back.”

To learn that she won gold while seven months pregnant just added to the weight of her victory. To put it bluntly, she literally mothered her way out of this event. Grinham even said she asked her baby to stop kicking so that she could focus on the shot. Leading up to the Paralympics, Grinham also got accustomed to her bump shifting about while shooting.

Grinham also won the Bronze medal in the individual category. After that competition, Grinham told reporters (per CNN), “My coach and I spent a long time doing little pregnancy preps—of her moving me and moving the bump so I could get used to that feeling.” In fact, during her individual semi-final, her baby kicked, and she had to stop a shot.

The Paralympics showcase the peak of human willpower. Athletes with various disabilities have gone out of their way to train rigorously in line with their own bodies’ unique designs. On top of that, Grinham wanted others to see that it was possible for a pregnant woman to compete at her best.

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