Pregnant Welsh Gold Medal Winner Jodie Grinham Says Dad’s The Word

By Paul Jones

Pregnant Welsh archer Jodie Grinham dedicated her gold medal to her father after topping the podium at the Paralympic Games in Paris.

Grinham – from Haverfordwest – won the mixed team compound competition for Great Britain alongside Nathan Macqueen, beating Iran, 155-151, in the final.

It was 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.

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Grinham said: “If I had to dedicate this medal then mine would be for my dad. My dad got me into it. He started it. He did all the hours.”

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.

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Grinham added: “It’s been incredible. It’s been a long journey. It’s been something we’ve both worked so hard for.

“We have had ups and downs like you can’t even describe. We have kids, and we have amazing partners and amazing families that have helped push us through, as well as each other.

“Thankfully, we know each other. We knew that we could do it. We knew that even if the other one messed up, the other one would carry us through. We’ve got each other’s backs. There was no question.

“The bronze medal hadn’t really sunk in, because I still had today, and that was very much, ‘Yeah, I’ve medalled’. That’s wonderful, but I still had a job to do.

“Winning bronze is amazing, but Paralympic champion, especially being able to do it with Nath, that in itself is just a completely different kettle of fish.”