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Pregnant archer Grinham wins Paralympic gold

Jodie Grinham and Nathan Macqueen celebrate with their medals
Grinham and Macqueen won gold together at the European Para Cup earlier this year [Getty Images]

Pregnant Para-archer Jodie Grinham and Nathan Macqueen clinched gold for Great Britain by beating Iran 155-151 in the mixed team compound final.

It is 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.

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.

"This result has been eight years in the making," said Grinham, 31, who won compound team silver with John Stubbs in 2016.

"We have trained hard, we knew we could do it. We have been through it, we've supported each other and we've had amazing support from ArcheryGB and our coaches. We get the joy of being able to come out here and smash it together."

Since being selected for Paris, the Welsh archer, already mum to toddler son Christian, wanted to send out a powerful message to women and her attendance at the Games has attracted worldwide media attention.

But it has not been all straightforward and after a scare last week, she had to attend a Parisian hospital for a check-up before being released and cleared to compete.

Teaming up with Scotland's Macqueen, 33, who was paralysed in a motorbike accident when he was 18, the pair finished second behind India in Thursday's qualification round, earning them a bye into the quarter-finals.

They defeated Australia 150-141 in the last eight before a 156-149 success over Italy in the last four set them up for the final.

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