Pregnant Team GB Paralympics archer Jodie Grinham earns bronze and insists ‘stereotypes are completely irrelevant’ as she looks to inspire other mums

Archer Jodie Grinham took to the winners’ podium at the Paralympic Games on Saturday night at seven months pregnant and said she hoped her achievement could inspire many other mothers-to-be.

Grinham, who took bronze when her British opponent failed to land a final arrow, spent last weekend in a Paris hospital after becoming concerned that her baby was not moving.

But after relentless monitoring of the baby’s heart and a training regime that included preparing for his unexpected moves during competition, she declared last night that she could always tell her unborn child that he was “the youngest child on a podium”.

Grinham, 31, said her message to any other mother-to-be was: “Just do what you want. If you’re happy and healthy and the baby is healthy and safe, keep doing it. There’s no stigma.”

‘The stereotype of things is completely irrelevant. If you feel like you can go out and do it, if you want to run or go to the gym, it doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t have any effect on you or the baby. If your doctor says it’s okay, then go and do it.’

The athlete lost three pregnancies before she and her partner had a son, Christian, now two years old, with whom she went into labour at 28 weeks. The archer had felt this baby move during a tough afternoon of competition in which she fought her way to a semi-final which she lost.

She said: ‘I was really starting to worry that the baby was going to move and I was going to be under full tension and that was going to affect my shot because I was really worried.

‘My trainer and I spent a lot of time doing little preparations for the pregnancy – she would move me and shake my belly so I could get used to that feeling. So even when I was shooting on Saturday, I was in full tension and feeling that feeling. You acknowledge it and say, “I know you’re there, mommy loves you, I’ll hold you in a minute” or whatever you want to tell yourself. At that point, you continue with your process.’

The athlete was born with a short, fingerless left arm and half a thumb on her left hand. She added that she had found it more difficult to hold the bow in this position due to her pregnancy.

‘You go through the process of standing really, really upright, and then all of a sudden you start moving. I have this sway, so I have to balance the arch to stop it. My shoes have to be really flat, otherwise I sway and move. This changes daily. Today the baby might be on my back, he might be way forward. Like, ‘What are you doing?’

Grinham’s hold on the bronze model match against Great Britain teammate Phoebe Pine Paterson was at stake as her opponent needed to score a 10 to take the medal, with her final arrow, or a nine to tie. But Paterson only managed eight.

“I was blown away by Phoebe’s arrow,” Grinham said. “We’ve shot together for a long time. I didn’t expect her to shoot an eight. It wasn’t in my head.” Paterson said of his rival: “I’m very proud of her. She defied so many odds.”

It has been a tough 12 months for the west Wales competitor, who, following a miscarriage last year, contracted bacterial meningitis, leaving her hospitalised for three weeks. But she says she has no intention of retiring from her sport.

‘She and her partner have already been discussing a family trip to Brisbane, where the 2032 Olympics will be held.

She will compete in the mixed competition in Paris on Monday. “Then I’ll get the train back home and I’ve got the final in the UK so I’ll be back for that and then I’ll be on maternity leave,” she said.

“I’ll probably be back in February or March next year to prepare for the world championships. I knew that if I shot as well as I could, with or without the baby, I could bring home a medal.”