Pregnant target shooter Ruth Mwandumba confident she can block out distractions

British target shooter Ruth Mwandumba may well be the first woman to compete at the sport’s European Championships whilst pregnant with twins.

The 29-year-old Liverpool athlete was in “shock” when she learned not only was she expecting her first child but two – literally a dream come true after she envisioned multiples in her sleep the night before her scan.

Two-time English air rifle champion Mwandumba, who begins her quest for an individual European medal on Monday after wrapping up the mixed pairs event, once wondered if she would ever conceive.

“I’ve struggled quite badly with endometriosis for a few years and I’ve had difficult conversations with healthcare professionals who prepared me for the possibility of it not happening,” Mwandumba told the PA news agency.

“It was kind of a whirlwind going from ‘will I ever be able to have children?’ to all of a sudden being blessed with two.

“My team have been super supportive and they put plans in place for me, so it’s been great.”

Mwandumba will deliver her twins in mid-June following a planned maternity break, and is targeting a place at November’s world championships in Egypt.

For now, there are some unique adjustments to be made and challenges to solve, from overcoming nausea and pelvic girdle pain to ensuring Mwandumba’s bespoke kit still fits.

“We wear suits that are made-to-measure and so obviously my suit is made to fit my pre-pregnancy body,! she explained.

“I’ve had to do a lot of work with a tailor to kind of extend that each month as I’ve gotten bigger, and I got my final extensions done on it last week.”

Mwandumba is no stranger to trailblazing. In 2018, she was the first black female athlete to represent England and then became English champion in target shooting.

This past summer, British archer Jodie Grinham secured Paralympic gold whilst pregnant and had to get used to feeling her baby kick during the intense rounds of competition.

“Once you get the technical side of things down, a lot of the training we do is around distractions, and being able to block out distractions.

“If I’m on the firing line and they start kicking, I’ll kind of recognise that it’s happening, but still be able to push it to the side and carry on with what I am doing.”

Mwandumba embraced the chance to travel to the Paris 2024 Olympics as a Team GB alternate, an opportunity she feels came as a “pleasant surprise”.

Now, selection for the Los Angeles Games in 2028 is “fully the goal” for her, by which point two almost three-year-olds might be on hand to watch their mum make more history.

She added: “It would be super special.

“Obviously I hope that I’m there in LA and they’re watching me, but I also believe that even if I don’t make it to the Olympics, they’ll still see me throughout my shooting journey, competing around the world.

“I use that as motivation, but also I hope they are motivated by seeing mum competing on the world level.”