When Athletics Northern Territory unveiled their coveted top 10 athletes recently they listed Katherine teenager Hollie Henderson in fourth position.
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President of Katherine Athletics Megan Pickering awarded Hollie with her registration bib to match her ranking two weeks ago, designed to show competitors that she is a force to be reckoned with this season.
The 15-year-old discus and javelin thrower broke Australian age records at the Athletes with Disabilities Track and Field Junior Nationals in Canberra last year, in her classification level F36.
Not her personal best, she threw discus 8.86m and Javelin 4.78m in the competition, after receiving funding support to attend from Katherine’s Rotary Club.
She was also nominated for the 2013 Northern Territory Sports Star of the Year.
Her mother, Sue Holder said Hollie also holds the Northern Territory school sports record for discus and shot put in the age groups for 10, 11 and 12 years.
“The good thing about Hollie is that she doesn’t care about the accolades, she probably doesn’t know about the number four (ranking), she does it because it’s fun,” Ms Holder said.
Miss Henderson, who attends Kintore Street School, was born with cerebral palsy, and has a physical and intellectual impairment.
She grew up with her older sister Helena, 16, and younger brother Robert, 13, on a station near Top Springs before moving to Katherine six years ago, when she joined the Katherine Athletics Club.
“If you ask her to throw something, she really will,” Ms Holder said.
“She doesn’t know her own strength.
“She has natural strength but we are now trying to fine tune her throw (for more competitions this year).”
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