De-spear as Holly turns to her big shot

A Paris 2024 bronze medal hangs by Paralympian Holly Robinson’s bed. A reminder, as she wakes each morning, of more than a decade of work, culminating in both crushing disappointment and redemption.
It’s the third medal Robinson has earned across four Paralympic Games, this year returning as the most experienced female Paralympian on the New Zealand team.
Robinson (Kāi Tahu) is known for her prowess in javelin and shot put, but the past three years have instead been an endurance trial. And that medal was won not, as expected, defending her javelin title from Tokyo but in shot put. 
It’s also a tangible reminder for Robinson of how each of her Paralympic campaigns has been different. The athlete who showed up in Paris is more philosophical than she would have been three years earlier.
“I wouldn’t have been as confident in myself outside of sport,” she says. “I’ve been thinking a lot about who I am, what my values are, outside of athletics.”
Some of those mindset shifts may have been prompted by the leadership roles she has adopted outside being an athlete. She works for the Sport Integrity Commission Te Kahu Raunui in the anti-doping area as an educator, as well as contracting for Athletics New Zealand helping to develop Para sport programmes.
“For the Sport Integrity Commission Te Kahu Raunui, I go out and educate athletes on the rules and regulations, and get athletes really informed on what they should and shouldn’t be doing, which I really enjoy,” she says.
Now back at home in Dunedin, Robinson intends to complete a Masters degree in teaching at some stage – after exploring what shot put holds for her. Could she line up at her fifth Paralympics in Los Angeles in 2028?
“We will look ahead to see what the next four years looks like as a shot putter. I’d like to go to LA as a shot putter. That would be really, really awesome,” she says.
“When I think about the future, I’m excited about it.”
Finishing sixth in the javelin in Paris, after her gold medal at the last Paralympics was a tough pill to swallow. Robinson didn’t hit her rhythm, with foul after foul in throws two through six.
“I was devastated. I wanted to defend my title with pride,” she says. 
It was a gut-wrenching disappointment – tempered by the thrill of success in the shot put, as Robinson competed in two disciplines for the first time at a Paralympics.
The shot put has only become an option for F46 classified athletes in this latest Games. As Para sport grows worldwide, numbers of athletes in the different classifications become bigger, making more events viable. F46 shotput was added to the Paralympic programme after Tokyo 2020. 
The Hokitika athlete describes it as a welcome relief to have a different challenge alongside javelin. It’s a change the gold medallist needed, both physically and mentally.
“A year and a half ago we heard we’d be getting another F46 field event. I’d been struggling with my javelin, so it was good having something else to focus on. A new challenge, a little bit different. Easier on my body.” 
The 29-year-old’s body has been up against a series of mishaps. Elbow problems which had refused to go away since Tokyo 2020 were made worse when a driver on an off-ramp hit the car Robinson was in from behind. Her elbow was injured when she flung out her arm on impact, aggravating its existing problems. 
On top of that, Robinson broke her finger in the gym, in an accident she describes as “pretty dumb”.
“I broke it doing a box jump,” she says. “We don’t do box jumps anymore, that’s for sure.”
It’s easy to see why maintaining her hunger to win has been Robinson’s main challenge.
“It’s been hard,” she says, with unexpected frankness. “I’m really proud to have got here in one piece.”
Robinson’s campaign went through another change when her coach since 2011, Raylene Bates, was chosen to be Paris 2024 Chef de Mission for the NZ Paralympic Team. 
“Raylene was still my coach, it just meant we had to get really smart around the ways that our coach-athlete relationship worked,” explains Robinson. 
In an interview with HPSNZ at the time, Bates explained how she discussed the idea with Robinson before accepting the position.
“My decision to apply for this role was based on agreement with Holly and we will have mechanisms in place to ensure her campaign is not compromised.”
Those mechanisms included coaching over video calls while Bates was in Paris before Robinson got there. 
Bates has been a huge part of Robinson’s journey, and her Paris campaign is no exception. 
“Raylene helped me get there,” she says. “Just getting me there took an incredible team,” she says. “They are a huge part of this journey – they kept me fighting.”
‘Keeping fighting’ got Robinson to results that many would be thrilled with, but she holds herself to exacting standards. 
“Despite being devastated, I’m also realistic,” she says, speaking of her javelin result. “In sport there’s a period when it’s your time and a period when it isn’t. I’m proud of the space I was in, mentally, here in Paris. I knew it would be challenging and I had to fight to want to get there. I’m proud of putting my best foot forward. I loved it out there, in front of this amazing crowd.”
With that mindset in place, Robinson has genuine enthusiasm for the future of javelin as she bids her longtime discipline a bittersweet farewell.
“There are great young girls coming through. I’m proud to pass the mantel.”
Compared to the javelin, the shot put event was a different experience for Robinson. She delivered her best throw last of the six attempts, at 11.88 metres.
“It’s nice coming into a space where you aren’t known for being a reigning medallist,” she says. “I knew the competition would be tough and it was going to be a fight for second or third place. I’m a little bit disappointed with the distance I threw. I know there is still a big throw sitting there.”