Holly Robinson (L) and Anna Grimaldi returning with medals from the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Photo: photosport
Three seasoned Paralympians and a rising sprinter are the first New Zealanders unveiled to compete at this year's Paralympic Games in Paris.
A four-strong group of para athletes was announced on Friday for the four-yearly Games, with Holly Robinson, Anna Grimaldi and Will Stedman all making at least their third appearance.
The newcomer at the Games, that run from 28 August to 8 September, is multiple New Zealand record-holding sprinter Mitch Joynt.
Vastly experienced Dunedin-based F46 category thrower Holly Robinson, who will contest the women's javelin F46 and shot put F46, said her fourth Paralympic Games would be different to the first three.
"This will be my first Paralympic Games competing across two events, and while that presents a new challenge, I'm excited about the prospect of taking to both the javelin runway and shot put circle in Paris."
Making her Paralympic debut as a 17-year-old at the London 2012 Games, four years later Robinson was selected as flag bearer at Rio, where she won silver.
At the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Games, she went one place higher on the podium as a clutch sixth-round javelin throw of 40.99m catapulted her to gold.
Holly Robinson at the Tokyo Olympics Photo: photosport
Robinson's shot put hopes were buoyed by a silver medal-winning display at last year's World Para Athletics Championships in Paris.
Long jumper Grimaldi will seek to complete a hat-trick of gold medals in the women's T47 long jump. The 27-year-old burst on to the international stage as a teenage athlete with victory at Rio, and backed it up with a dominant display at Tokyo.
anna grimaldi Photo: supplied
She will once again be among the leading names after setting a national record of 5.96m when claiming a silver at the world championships.
Stedman will contest the men's 400m and long jump in the T36 category, and will hope to add to four medals won at two previous Paralympic appearances. As a 16-year-old, he claimed a pair of bronze medals in the 400m and 800m events before grabbing long jump silver and 400m bronze at Tokyo.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
His world championship haul last year were silvers in both the 400m and long jump.
Joynt made his international debut at the 2019 world championships and currently holds New Zealand T64 records for the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m.
Mitch Joynt wins a bronze medal in the 200m T64 final at the para athletics world championships in Paris. Photo: Athletics NZ
Last year he won a world championship bronze over 200m in an Oceania record of 23.32 seconds.
