Holly Robinson with her gold medal. Photo / Photosport
Holly Robinson with her gold medal. Photo / Photosport
New Zealand Paralympic javelin thrower Holly Robinson says that finally winning a gold medal was both an unbelievable and unforgettable experience.
The 26-year-old saved her best till last on Friday, jumping up the leaderboard from the bronze medal position, to gold, with her final throw.
While Robinson was always capableof such a feat - she is the world-record holder in the event - she had been pipped to the top of the podium in both the Rio Olympics in 2016 and the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018 by Britain's Hollie Arnold. And it was Arnold who again had led the field until that last throw and Arnold who had the chance to once again topple Robinson at the death.
That's why Robinson only felt safe to celebrate her gold once Arnold's final throw had fizzled short of her own mark.
"I have so many times in the last round thrown a good throw, gone up to number one and then been beaten. So, I was just waiting for that last throw [from Arnold] to go. Once it was gone, it's just a moment you never forget.
"Honestly... I couldn't believe it. Realising that moment that it was that gold medal after the last throw, it's just something I've wanted for so long, it's finally here, all the emotions just come at you at once, I'm so happy and so proud of myself and my team for helping me get here," Robinson said, fighting back tears.
Once Robinson knew she had secured the gold, she immediately ran to embrace her coach Raylene Bates who had earlier been in a state of frustration with her young charge.
Holly Robinson embraces her coach Raylene Bates. Photo / Photosport
"I was getting pretty grumpy," Bates told TVNZ. "No, I mean literally, it was basic errors, basic, basic stuff.
"The last round, I just said to keep everything still, keep your alignment, lock, and she did it. They were going nowhere tonight, none of the javelins were going anywhere, but we knew there was just so much more in there."
While Robinson's pedigree in the sport is undeniable, gold medals have proved elusive in major events for her. She says victory in Tokyo's National Stadium was the result of a long and gutsy battle for her and her team.
"It means a lot. I've been fighting and fighting and fighting for it for so long. Competitions of late haven't gone all that great for me, then we had Covid, s**t hit the fan. Getting that gold means a lot, we've worked so hard to get it."
It was the Kiwi team's sixth gold medal of the Tokyo Games and second of the day - all won by women. New Zealand sit 19th on the medal table with three more athletes set to compete tomorrow.
Robinson, who was raised in Hokitika and now lives in Dunedin, will be one satisfied spectator.
