Robina Higgins-Haight (28 April 1915 – 31 December 1990) was one of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

's best female athletes in the 1930s. From

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, Higgins excelled in the javelin, shot put, and ball throw competition. In the javelin, she set a Canadian record throw of in 1938. This mark stood until 1952. In a 1935 ball throw event, she set a record of , a distance that was unsurpassed until 1947. During her brief career, Higgins won nine national titles and was given the

Velma Springstead Trophy The Velma Springstead Trophy is an award presented annually to Canada's outstanding female athlete. It is named in honour of track athlete Velma Springstead whose career ended prematurely when she died from pneumonia in 1927 when only 20 years old. ...

as the country's outstanding female athlete in 1937. In addition to three titles in javelin and ball throw, two in shot put, and one in discus, during national and abbreviated Canadian competition, Higgins also won the gold medal in the javelin event at the

1938 British Empire Games The 1938 British Empire Games was the third British Empire Games, the event that evolved to become the Commonwealth Games. Held in Sydney, Australia from 5–12 February 1938, they were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 ye ...

Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

. She was inducted into the

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a Canadian museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dedicated to honoring the history and achievements of sports in Manitoba. The organization began in 1980, and then opened a museum in The Forks in 1993. Afte ...

. She died in Winnipeg on 31 December 1990 and posthumously inducted into the

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canad ...

in 2015.

Footnotes

1915 births 1990 deaths Canadian female javelin throwers Canadian female shot putters Athletes from Winnipeg Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada Athletes (track and field) at the 1938 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame inductees 20th-century Canadian women Medallists at the 1938 British Empire Games {{Canada-athletics-bio-stub