Jodie Grinham

Started: She took up the sport in 2008 at age 15 at Crawley Archery Club in England. (Athlete, 14 Jul 2016) Reason: Her father encouraged her to get involved in archery after she saw him shoot at his local club. (paralympics.org.uk, 01 Jan 2019; Athlete, 14 Jul 2016) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 30 Jan 2024; westerntelegraph.co.uk, 19 Jun 2023) Additional Info: PREGNANT IN PARIS She will be around 28 weeks pregnant when she competes at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, and hopes to serve as an example that mothers can perform in elite sport. "I love every minute of having my career and love every minute of being a mum. Why should I have to do it separately? I am very fortunate with my sport that I can continue to compete. I'm not going to say it is possible for everyone. But I think it is a milestone to show how far we have come as a country to be able to support someone and not go 'you shouldn't be doing this'. For women, it is incredible." She said she hasn't had to make too many adjustments to her technique. "Thankfully I haven't had to change my technique too much but I get hot easily so we have been using cooling strategies. My quiver doesn't fit around my waist so I have had to get a belt that extends around the bump. I've also had to have different kits because I don't know what size I will be when the Games come around and I need to make sure my competition kit fits. We have had a lot of discussions around various situations which may arise, including if I go into early labour, so we are well prepared for lots of scenarios." (bbc.com, 24 Jul 2024) CONFIDENCE BOOST She first competed at the Paralympic Games in 2016, but did not take part in the 2020 Games, and feels she is capable of winning medals at the 2024 Games. "Rio [2016] was my first Games and I was very nervous and inexperienced but now I feel like I am in a better position to hopefully bring back two medals. I have got some good scores and medals this year [2024] and I really feel like this could be a really successful Games for me." (bbc.com, 24 Jul 2024)