Paralympian #183 Holly Robinson has reached the final six of The Visa Award! Over the next 24 hours, Holly will be up against five other athletes and moments from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games to determine the ultimate moment based off inclusion, togetherness and general good feeling.
Voting will close at 12:00CEST on 8/9/2021, so there is only a limited time. Vote at: https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/fanzone/
If Holly is selected as the overall winner of The Visa Award, she will receive a donation of $50,000 to a charity of her choice from Visa.
Holly Robinson won a gold medal in the Women’s Javelin F46 on 3 September. At the conclusion of the event she was the only Paralympian who went to the officials and thanked them for their hard work and contribution. This had such an impact and meant so much that two particular technical officials sought out the New Zealand Paralympic Team Press Attaché to ensure she was aware of this wonderful act by Holly. Further to this a number of Para athletics athletes in the New Zealand Paralympic Team thanked technical officials after each of their events at Tokyo 2020. The two particular technical officials that sought out our Press Attaché were Okry Nonvignon and Ernesta Strydom.
This act by Paralympian Holly Robinson was above and beyond competition and ensured that those that make a huge contribution to the Paralympic Games were acknowledged. Technical officials could be referred to as the ”unsung heroes”. They work hard but are often very much behind the scenes. Holly’s actions uplifted the officials so much they felt incredibly valued and appreciated. This will be a moment that the technical officials will hold onto with pride and share with others for a long time to come.
While it may seem small, the ripple effects of small things is extraordinary.
Through Holly’s actions both on and off the field of competition she exemplifies the Paralympic values of determination, equality, inspiration and courage. This act of inclusion, care and kindness was something that came so naturally to Holly and the wider Para athletics athletes within the New Zealand Paralympic Team.