³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Pregnant archer Grinham wins Paralympic gold

Media caption,

Nothing is impossible - Para-archery gold medallist Grinham

  • Published

Pregnant Para-archer Jodie Grinham and Nathan Macqueen clinched gold for Great Britain by beating Iran 155-151 in the mixed team compound final.

It is a second medal in Paris for Grinham, who is seven months pregnant, after she beat team-mate Phoebe Paterson Pine to win women's individual compound bronze on Saturday.

The GB pair led by one point (39-38) after the first end but the scores were level at 77-77 at the halfway point.

A couple of 8s from Iran's Hadi Nori helped give GB a two-point lead (115-113) going into the final end and they responded in style with a perfect score of 40 to secure the title.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Grinham and Macqueen won gold together at the European Para Cup earlier this year

"All I wanted to do at the end was jump up and down and cry and scream and shout," Grinham, 31, who won compound team silver with John Stubbs in 2016, told ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Wales.

"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."

Since being selected for Paris, the Welsh archer - already mum to toddler son Christian - wanted to send out a powerful message to women and her attendance at the Games has attracted worldwide media attention.

But it has not been all straightforward and after a scare last week, she had to attend a Parisian hospital for a check-up before being released and cleared to compete.

Teaming up with Scotland's Macqueen, 33, who was paralysed in a motorbike accident when he was 18, the pair finished second behind India in Thursday's qualification round, earning them a bye into the quarter-finals.

They defeated Australia 150-141 in the last eight before a 156-149 success over Italy in the last four set them up for the final.

"The idea was to show that nothing is impossible and to go out there and smash it," added Grinham.

"Thankfully I have an amazing team partner and it doesn't matter how I will shoot, I know he will be there and carry my back and we smashed it together.

"We are an amazing team and are bringing back the medal that we have worked so hard to get."

Media caption,

Paralympian mum-to-be Jodie Grinham won Gold in the mixed archery competition.