Javelin thrower wins bronze medal at Paralympics

Javelin thrower Hollie Arnold MBE has won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Arnold, 27, was leading in the Women’s F46 Javelin competition going into the final round, but was pipped at the end by New Zealand’s Holly Robinson and Noelle Roorda of the Netherlands.

Arnold threw an impressive 39.73m – marginally behind Robinson’s 40.99m and Roorda’s 40.06m.

Originally from Grimsby, Arnold, who was born without her right forearm, lived in Ystrad Mynach as a teenager.

She is competing at her fourth Paralympic Games, having won gold with two record-breaking throws in Rio De Janeiro five years ago.

In 2008, Arnold became the youngest member of the GB Paralympics team in Beijing, aged just 14.

In 2010, she took silver at the IWAS World Junior Championship and then won gold at the 2011 Championship. The same year, Arnold represented Great Britain at senior level, competing at the IPC Athletics World Championships, where she won bronze in the F46 javelin.

She then went on to compete at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, before winning in Brazil four years later.

Arnold was made an MBE in the 2017 New Year’s Honours List, in recognition of her achievements.

She went on to win gold for Wales at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, breaking the world record yet again with a 44.43 metre throw.

Last year, she was a contestant on I’m a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here, which was held in Gwrych Castle in Abergele, Conwy.

The Paralympic Games got underway on Tuesday, August 24 and will finish on Sunday, September 5.