Jodie Grinham

Lore & Background

Grinham was born with a short left arm, no fingers and only half a thumb on her left hand. She was the first person with such a disability to attempt archery, so to avoid breaking the rule that the bow must not be attached to the archer, Grinham and her father Symon created a novel way of helping her grip her bow. She was a student at BPP Law School in Waterloo, London. Grinham first started archery in 2008. She was first selected for the Great Britain archery team in 2014, and finished seventh at the World Para-archery Championships in Germany in 2015.

Reader's Guide

Grinham's career is notable for her pioneering approach to both her disability and her pregnancy. As the first person with her specific limb difference to attempt archery, she and her father devised a novel gripping method that allowed her to hold the bow without attaching it to her body, thereby complying with competition rules. Her performance at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris was historic: she achieved a personal best ranking round score of 693, won individual bronze, and took gold in the mixed team compound alongside Nathan MacQueen. She also became the first known Paralympic athlete to compete while pregnant, doing so at seven months pregnant with her second child. Her silver medal at the 2016 Paralympics, earned with partner John Stubbs after defeating Italy and South Korea before losing to China in the gold medal match, established her as a consistent medal contender across multiple Games.

Did You Know?

• She and her father Symon created a novel way for her to grip her bow without attaching it to her body.
• She was the first Paralympic athlete known to compete while pregnant, at seven months.

Paris 2024 Gold Medal

At the 2024 Summer Paralympics, Jodie Grinham secured a gold medal in the mixed team compound archery event. Competing alongside Nathan MacQueen, she was part of a British pairing that delivered one of the defining moments of the Games for Paralympic archery. The mixed team format brought two archers together to compete as a single unit, and Grinham's performance in this event culminated in the highest honour the Paralympic stage can offer. While MacQueen also contested the individual compound event, finishing fifth, his partnership with Grinham in the team discipline proved decisive. Their gold medal win stands as a testament to the precision, composure, and mutual trust required when two archers must synchronize their efforts under the pressure of a Paralympic final. For Grinham, this achievement represents the pinnacle of her competitive career to date, a moment where dedicated training in the compound discipline converged with the right partner at the right time to produce a result that will be remembered in the history of British Paralympic sport.

The Mixed Team Compound Format

The mixed team compound event at the Paralympics represents a unique format in which two archers unite to compete as a single team. Jodie Grinham's 2024 gold medal was achieved within this structure, paired with Nathan MacQueen. The format demands not only individual technical excellence in the compound bow discipline but also a shared rhythm, consistent scoring, and the ability to perform under the collective weight of representing one's nation alongside a teammate. Grinham and MacQueen qualified for this event together, meaning their partnership was established through the competitive qualification process rather than being a casual pairing. The fact that MacQueen simultaneously contested the individual compound event, where he placed fifth, highlights the physical and mental demands of competing across multiple events in a single Games cycle. For Grinham, the team gold carries a particular significance: it is a shared victory, a result built on two athletes' complementary strengths and the trust they developed in preparing for Paris 2024.

British Paralympic Representation

Jodie Grinham's appearance at the 2024 Summer Paralympics places her among the ranks of British athletes who have represented their nation on the world's most prestigious adaptive sporting stage. Competing in the compound archery discipline, she was part of the broader ParalympicGB programme that fields archers across multiple events. Her gold medal in the mixed team compound event, won alongside Nathan MacQueen, adds to the legacy of British success in Paralympic archery. The 2024 Games in Paris provided the setting for her most significant result, and her participation underscores the depth of talent within the British Paralympic archery squad. While the individual and team events offer different competitive pressures, Grinham's success in the team format demonstrates the value of collaborative achievement in a sport often perceived as deeply individual. Her name now stands in the record books as a Paralympic gold medallist, a distinction that cements her place in the history of British sport and provides inspiration for aspiring Paralympic archers across the country.

A Defining Partnership

The pairing of Jodie Grinham with Nathan MacQueen for the 2024 Summer Paralympics mixed team compound event represents a partnership that produced one of the standout results of the Games. MacQueen, who had already established himself as a world-class Paralympic archer, reaching world number one ranking in 2023, winning silver at the World Para Championships, and claiming double European Paralympic Champion titles, brought a proven track record to the team event. Grinham's contribution was equally vital, as the mixed team format requires both archers to deliver consistently across the competition. Their qualification for the event together indicates a selection process that recognised their combined potential. The gold medal they shared in Paris stands as a mutual achievement, one that reflects the trust, communication, and shared preparation that underpin successful team competition. For Grinham, this partnership with a fellow elite British archer elevated her 2024 campaign to its highest point, producing a result that will define her Paralympic legacy.

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