Holly Irene Robinson (born 10 December 1994) is a New Zealand para-athlete, primarily competing in the

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...

. She represented New Zealand at the

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

and

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralym ...

, winning silver in 2016 and gold in 2020. At the 2016 Games, she was New Zealand's flagbearer for the

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

Early life

Robinson was born in

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of . ...

, on the South Island's

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

, and is of

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Poi ...

descent. She has a twin brother, Jonathon, and her father Steve represented the

Heartland Championship The Heartland Championship competition, known for sponsorship reasons as the Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship, is a domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. It was founded in 2006 as one of two successor competitions to the countr ...

rugby. Robinson has a congenital limb reduction with her left arm ending below the elbow. She attended

Westland High School Westland High School is a public high school located in Galloway, Ohio. It is one of 4 high schools in the South-Western City Schools District. SWCS is located in the southwestern portion of Franklin County in Columbus, Ohio. Westland High Sch ...

and later

Taieri College Taieri College, formerly called The Taieri High School and, prior to 1956, the Mosgiel District High School, is a co-educational state school in Mosgiel, Dunedin, New Zealand. In 2003 a review of the schools on the Taieri Plains by the New Zea ...

after moving to

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

Sporting career

Robinson started competing in para-athletics at age 12. She is classified F46 for field events and T47 for track events and long jump. Robinson's first major international competition was the

2011 IPC Athletics World Championships The 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships was held in Christchurch, New Zealand from January 21 to 30, 2011. Athletes with a disability competed, and the Championships was a qualifying event for the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Ove1000 athlet ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand, achieving a fifth-place ranking in the women's javelin throw F46 and a seventh-place ranking in the women's shot put F42–44/46. She was selected to represent New Zealand at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, the sole female athletics competitor selected. She finished seventh in the women's javelin F46, with a 32.58 m throw. Robinson won her first international competition medal at the

2013 IPC Athletics World Championships The 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships was the biggest track and field competition for athletes with a disability since the 2012 Summer Paralympics. It was held in Lyon, France, and lasted from 20 to 28 July. Around 1,100 athletes competed, ...

, earning a silver medal with a 34.37 m throw. At the

2015 IPC Athletics World Championships The 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships were a Paralympic track and field meet organized by the World Para Athletics subcommittee of the International Paralympic Committee. The event was the 7th edition of what is now known as the World Para ...

, Robinson earned a bronze medal with a 38.18 m throw. At the 2016 Australian Athletics Championships she set a New Zealand national record with a throw of 40.81 m, ranking her number one in the world for the javelin F46 during the Paralympic qualifying period and earning her a slot at the 2016 Paralympics Games. She was officially confirmed to represent New Zealand at the Paralympics on 23 May 2016. At the 2016 Summer Paralympics, Robinson won the silver medal in the women's javelin throw F46, with a personal best throw of 41.22 m. At the

2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...

, Robinson won the silver medal in the women's javelin throw with a personal best throw of 43.32m. In September 2021 Robinson donated a US$50,000 prize to

Ronald McDonald House Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is an independent American nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. RMHC has a global network of c ...

South Island. In the 2022 Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours, Robinson was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to athletics.

Statistics

Personal bests

Javelin throw progression

References

External links

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archive
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Meet Our Paralympians: Holly Robinson
– Attitude Live video profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Holly 1994 births Living people People from Hokitika New Zealand twins Ngāi Tahu people New Zealand Māori sportspeople New Zealand female javelin throwers Paralympic athletes for New Zealand Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Paralympic silver medalists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics People educated at Taieri College People educated at Westland High School, Hokitika Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Paralympic gold medalists for New Zealand Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games