Nothing stands tall in front of grit. This line proves to be true year after year on unthinkable occasions and by the individuals who have never been counted to claim the glory. After having a history of three miscarriages and premature labor, Paralympic athlete Jodie Grinham had hardly imagined conceiving her second child. Nonetheless, while giving birth to her first baby, the athlete had to experience bitter pain and whatnot. As a result, her health declined. But with her husband, Jodie decided to go on, countering the situation. And while going on, the couple made a few records on the field as well. 

Before coming to the Paris Paralympics, Jodie grabbed the UK Para Championships. Notably, she was 5 months pregnant by then. But her resilience let anyone leave a question on her fitness. And when she stood at the podium of the Individual Women’s Compound at the Paris Paralympics, the British archer was highlighted with a baby bump of 7 months. But her journey to glory was not over yet. She still had to climb the mountain, being the first pregnant Paralympic athlete to win the gold medal. 

Meanwhile, with Nathan Macqueen, she entered the final of the Compound Open mixed team. The British team had to overcome the Iranian challenge to grab the gold in the event. However, the 7-month pregnant mom didn’t care about any obstacles to go hand in hand with her teammate. Ultimately, riding on her instrumental effort, the British team became better off against the Iranian Fatemeh Hemmati and Hadi Nori pair. The final scoreline stood at 155-151 in favor of Grinham and Macqueen, and history was made. 

Jodie Grinham claimed the gold, becoming the first Paralympic pregnant athlete. In the middle of this, her comment went viral: after winning her bronze in the individual event, she said, “Baby hasn’t stopped kicking.” However, a scare came this week initially when she felt no kick from her baby.

Reportedly, she was rushed to the hospital on Monday for further medical tests. However, the physicians assured her of the normalcy of her and the baby’s conditions. A proper rest could have been the need of the hour. But Jodie Grinham’s world is different. After Rio, it had been her second Paralympic appearance, and she wasn’t in the mood to rest before the high-octane final. 

Now, after standing at the highest podium, the proud mom has looked contained. Her grinning face while accepting her medal expressed the satisfaction that could have come only after breaking all the bulwarks known as taboo. Meanwhile, the 31-year-old showcased her thankfulness to her teammate, without whom the watershed moment may not have come. 

Therefore, in her post-match conversation, Grinham acknowledged, “I don’t think there is anyone I would rather become Paralympic champion with.” For her, standing atop the podium does not mean to be snagging a gold medal. Rather, she is at the Paris Paralympics to set an example—delivering the duty of being both a mother and an athlete. Grinham has tasted success on this road. But she is not alone. At the Paris Olympics, several pregnant mothers appeared to belittle the stereotypes. 

Paris Olympics and Paralympics set the example for the next to come 

During the Paris Olympics, Carissa Moore had been engaged in her valiant effort to defend her Tokyo Olympics gold. The five-time world champion had been touted to be the favorite to snag the hardware. But at the quarterfinal, the French surfer Johanne Defay ended her journey. Moore had to return from the Paris Olympics empty-handed. But she wasn’t disconnected. On August 22, the US-Hawaiian native disclosed the news. 

In her Instagram post, Carissa Moore wrote, “Excited to catch the best wave of our lives… the swell arrives February 2025 💛” In the shared snippet with her husband, the baby bump of Carissa Moore is visible. So if February 2025 is the due date, then she competed in Paris in the middle of her first trimester. That makes her the pregnant surfer who pierced through the waves of Teahupo’o! Apart from her, two pregnant moms were showing a similar resilience to fight the battle. 

During the Paris Olympics, Nada Hafez’s picture went viral. The Egyptian fencer was seven months pregnant while taking her opponents on. On Instagram, she revealed, “What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three! It was me, my competitor, & my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!” She ended her endeavor by finishing 16th in her event. The Azerbaijani archer Yaylagul Ramazanova also entered the Games with her pregnancy. Reportedly, she was six and a half months pregnant at the Paris Olympics. So isn’t the sky limit for these champions?