NEWS
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 stepped onto the Paralympics winners’ podium while seven months pregnant on Saturday night and said she hoped her achievement might 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 having concerns about her baby was not moving.
But after relentless monitoring of the baby’s heart and a training regime including preparing for its unexpected movements during competition, she declared last night that she would always be able to tell her as-yet unborn baby that he was ‘the youngest child on a podium.
Grinham, 31, said her message to any other expectant mother was: ‘Just do what you want to. If you are happy and healthy and the baby is healthy and safe, just keep doing it. There is no stigma.
‘The stereotype of things is completely irrelevant. If you feel you can go out and do it. If you want to jog or go to the gym, it doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t have an effect on you or the baby. If your doctor says it’s fine, then go and do it.’
The athlete lost three pregnancies before she and her partner had a son, Christian, now two, with whom she went into early labour at 28 weeks. The archer had felt this baby moving through a tough afternoon of competition which saw her battle to a semi-final which she lost.
She said: ‘It was really starting to worry me that the baby’s going to move and I’m going to be at full draw and it’s going to affect my shot because I’m really worried.
‘My coach and I spent a long time doing little pregnancies preps – of her moving me and moving the bump so I could get use that feeling. So even when I was shooting on Saturday, I would be at full draw and would feel that sensation. You acknowledge it and go, “I know you’re there, mummy loves you, I’ll cuddle you in a minute” or whatever you want to say to yourself. In that moment, you carry on with your process.’
The athlete was born with a short left arm and no fingers and half a thumb on her left hand. It had been more difficult to hold the bow here because of the pregnancy, she added.
‘You go through like standing really, really straight and all of a sudden you start moving. I do have this sway, so I’m having to balance the bow out to stop the sway. My shoes have to be really flat otherwise I’m rocking and rolling. It changes daily. Baby might be in my back today, it might be really forwards. Like “What are you doing?!”’
Grinham’s hold on the bronze model game against GB teammate Phoebe Pine Paterson was in the balance, with her opponent needing to land a 10 to take the medal, with her final arrow, or a nine to tie. But Paterson only managed to hit eight.
‘I was shocked by Phoebe’s arrow,’ Grinham said. ‘We have shot together for a long time. I was not expecting her to shoot an eight. It was not in my head.’ Paterson said of her rival : ‘I am so proud of her. She defied so many odds.’
It has been a tough 12 months for the west Wales competitor, who after a miscarriage last year contracted bacterial meningitis, which left her in hospital 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 he 2032 Olympics are to be held.
She competes in the mixed competition in Paris on Monday. ‘I then get the train back home and I’ve our UK finals – so I’m going back, going to do that and then I’ll be on maternity leave,’ she said.
I’ll probably come back February/March next year to get ready for the world championships. I knew if I shot as well as I could, baby or not, I could bring a medal back.’
(Armani)
CELEBRITY
Angry Patrick Mahomes says he will LEAVE the NFL and accuses the NFL of risking player safety before huge run of Chiefs games “If there’s no changes, I will leave” – Full Story Inside
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have an extremely congested schedule coming up – and the passer is far from thrilled with the NFL.
The two-time defending champions will embark on a stretch of three games in 11 days beginning this weekend when they face the Browns on Sunday, before hosting the Texans on December 21 and then traveling to the Steelers on Christmas.
And while the Chiefs are sitting pretty atop the AFC with a 12-1 record, Mahomes seems to be dreading his team’s next couple of weeks.
‘It is not a good feeling,’ he told reporters on Wednesday, per ESPN. ‘I’m excited to play on Christmas to hopefully get back from what we did last year [when the Chiefs lost to the Raiders], but you never want to play this many games in this short of time.
‘It’s just not great for your body. But at the end of the day, it’s your job, your profession. You have to come to work and do it.’
Mahomes added, ‘All you can do is focus on the game and the practice that you had that day. I try to prepare my body all year long for this stretch by tailoring my workouts, tailoring how you practice and you prepare. The coaches do a great job of taking care of us on the practice field. We practice hard as anybody, but they know how to kind of dial it back when we need it.’
In addition to the Chiefs, the Texans, Steelers and Ravens will also be playing three games in the next 11 days.
Crucially, though, the Ravens and Texans are coming right off of a bye in Week 14, while the Steelers had their break in Week 9.
The Chiefs haven’t had a rest since they returned from their Week 6 bye – a fact that defensive star Chris Jones was eager to point out.
‘This is one thing I’m doing this offseason is I’m going to the NFLPA, especially with us having three games in [an 11-day] span, that we’re mandatory to have a late bye week,’ he said.
‘With our schedule, it’s kind of awkward, to say the least. … That’s a conversation to have this offseason. If a team has somewhat of a schedule like that, they should get a late-season bye. We don’t need a Week [6] bye … Give it to us in Week 8, Week 10, something like that.’
Mahomes and Co. will have a week-and-a-half to recover after their Christmas Day game before facing the Broncos in Week 18 on January 5.
And if Kansas City manages to wrap up a first-round playoff bye before Week 18 – as they currently have a two-game AFC lead over the Bills – Mahomes and the team’s other starters could be held out of the final regular season game.
The quarterback then wouldn’t play until January 18 or 19 in the divisional round.
CELEBRITY
Selena Gomez, 32, Is Engaged to Benny Blanco, 36! Star Flaunts Massive Diamond Ring, Shares Sweet Photos, Hilarious Proposal Clips – and Reveals the Wedding Date Along With Another Shocking Surprise: “Our Prayers Have Been Answered, We’re Expecting…”
Selena Gomez shocked fans on Wednesday night by revealing she is now engaged to her boyfriend Benny Blanco after a year and a half of dating.
The singer, 32, revealed the news on Instagram, sharing the first photos of her massive diamond engagement ring with her 422million followers.
‘forever begins now..’ captioned the Who Said singer. She also included a photo of herself showing off her ring for the camera as Blanco, 36, wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head.
Blanco — a famed music producer — seemingly popped the question during a romantic nighttime picnic featuring Taco Bell.
The couple received an outpouring of love from theor A-list celebrity friends, including Cardi B, Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow and Gomez’s BFF Taylor Swift.
Swift — who has been friends with Gomez since 2008 — offered to be the couple’s ‘flower girl.’
Blanco himself also left a cheeky comment in which he referred to Gomez as his ‘wife.’
‘hey wait… that’s my wife,’ wrote the musician, who earned nearly 150,000 ‘likes.’
Gomez has been dating Blanco since June 2023, though she did not confirm the relationship until that December. At the time, she used Instagram to confirm to fans that she’d been secretly dating the hitmaker for six months and that he was her ‘absolute everything.’
Previously, the Wolves songstress dated The Weeknd, Zedd, Nick Jonas, Taylor Lautner and was linked to a number of other stars, including Zayn Malik and The Chainsmokers’ Andrew Taggart. She also famously had an on-and-off relationship with Justin Bieber, 30, that spanned eight years, before they called it quits in 2018. He is now married to model Hailey Bieber, 28, and they welcomed a baby son in August.
Before getting romantic, Gomez and Blanco were friends for over a decade and even worked on music together.
He has produced three of the singer’s biggest hits, including the 2021 tune I Can’t Get Enough and 2015’s Same Old Love.
Selena Gomez shows off engagement ring from fiance Benny Blanco. Last month, Blanco revealed that it was Gomez who made the first move.
‘She asked me out. It was crazy, it was crazy. She literally asked me… like we were just talking, and then she said, “You wanna get dinner?” And I went to the dinner, and I had no idea,’ he explained on Kai Cenat’s Twitch stream.
Drama
Breaking news: Chargers Coach, Brandon Staley, has issued a stern warning to chiefs QB Patrick mahomes over irregularities and foul plays against tomorrow’s match ” Accused NFL of…
Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Chargers Coach, Brandon Staley, has issued a stern warning to Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, regarding alleged irregularities and unsportsmanlike conduct ahead of tomorrow’s crucial matchup.
Staley’s Statement “Patrick Mahomes has consistently pushed the boundaries of fair play. We will not tolerate any gamesmanship that compromises the integrity of the game. We’re prepared to take action if necessary.” – Brandon Staley.
Alleged Irregularities
1. Late-game celebrations
2. Excessive trash talk
3. Alleged tampering with opponent’s equipment
Head Coach Andy Reid dismissed Staley’s claims, saying, “Patrick’s a class act. We’re focused on winning, not worrying about distractions.”
Tomorrow’s Showdown
The Chargers and Chiefs face off in a highly anticipated matchup. Fans eagerly await the outcome, knowing that sportsmanship and fair play will be on full display
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