Hollie Arnold

Started: She took up the sport at age 11 at Cleethorpes Athletics Club in England. (holliearnold.com, 18 Aug 2014) Reason: "The first time I came into contact with it as a discipline was at an event called Star Track in Cleethorpes in 2006. The idea was that you could just turn up and try all number of events, and my brother went along and picked up the javelin. Me being the little sister, I obviously wanted to copy him, so I picked up the javelin and threw it, and I remember thinking that it seemed to travel quite far." (dailymail.co.uk, 03 Feb 2012; Athlete, 07 Dec 2010) Milestones: At age 14, she was the youngest member of the Great Britain athletics team at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. (SportsDeskOnline, 02 Oct 2019; holliearnold.com, 08 Dec 2015) Awards: She was named Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [MBE] in the 2017 New Year Honours list. (walesonline.co.uk, 31 Dec 2016) She was named Para Sportsperson of the Year at the 2016 Lincolnshire Sports Awards in England. (activelincolnshire.com, 04 Nov 2016) She was named the 2008 Sports Personality of the Year in Lincolnshire, England. (louthleader.co.uk, 10 Nov 2008) She received the 2008 Sports Aid One to Watch Award in Great Britain. (bbc.co.uk, 22 Sep 2008) Additional Info: TOKYO DISAPPOINTMENT She was the defending Paralympic champion in women's F46 javelin heading into the 2020 Games. She had to settle for bronze in Tokyo though, despite having led the competition entering the final round. She achieved a measure of redemption at the 2023 World Championships in Paris, France, by winning her fifth world title in the event. "I was heartbroken after Tokyo but that just ignited the fire within me. Coming here [the 2023 World Championships] to retain my title and throw the furthest I have since 2019, I am so happy. It was close all through but I just knew today was mine and I was going to fight for it and I am so so glad. It's been really hard since Tokyo. I wasn't in a good place going there and to lead through the whole competition and then lose in the last round was tough. I remembered that feeling and I said it wasn't going to happen to me again today. I didn't want to lose another title, so for me it was about being headstrong and believing in yourself." (bbc.co.uk, 12 Jul 2023) TV APPEARANCE In 2020 she appeared on British survival reality TV show 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'. She was the first person with an impairment to take part in the programme. "I hope I've done myself justice and that in the next few years more disabled people will be involved. It's really special to be the first and it was just the most incredible time. Yes, I have a disability but I just get on with things, always have, and I think people saw that. There were comments saying, 'She should have been exempt from some tasks' but, to me, I feel like it was a challenge. It is such a whirlwind of emotions, everything in there is heightened, the vulnerability that comes out. I am so proud of myself, I hardly cried. I'm usually quite an emotional person and I cry often. But I felt like [the] vibe in the camp was, whoever was down, you'll be back up in a minute. It was so honest and lovely, it's just amazing memories." (telegraph.co.uk, 20 Dec 2020; dailymail.co.uk, 28 Nov 2020) FAMILY SACRIFICE At age 16 her family relocated from Grimsby, England, to Wales to allow her access to better coaching and to further her athletics career. Her mother was later diagnosed with depression in 2013, due in part to stress resulting from the move. "As an 18-year-old, that was a scary thing to go through and the whole experience made me grow up fast. They had moved their life for me, but it quickly became a role reversal because I had to be an adult and make sure mum was okay. My mum doesn't mind me talking about this because she'll know it could help other people and for other people to open up and talk about it. I'm so proud of how she's adapted and overcome things and I think I get that 'never give up' mentality from her." (paralympics.org.uk, 29 Jan 2019)

Sporting Relatives: Her partner Josh Morgan has coached the Welsh national table tennis team. (Josh Morgan Instagram profile, 31 Dec 2020; Instagram profile, 31 Dec 2020)