Kirsten Louise Hellier ONZM (née Smith; born 6 October 1969 in Tokoroa) is a former javelin thrower, who represented New Zealand at the Commonwealth and the Olympic Games. She set her personal best (62.52 metres) in 1994 with the old javelin type. Hellier was the coach of World Champion shot putter Valerie Adams from 1998 until 2010.[1]
.jpg) Hellier in 2018 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Kirsten Louise Smith | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 October 1969 Tokoroa, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||
| Relative | Lionel Smith (father) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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At the 1994 Commonwealth Games Hellier won the silver medal in the women's javelin with a throw of 60.40 m. She placed 8th at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in the same event. Hellier competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics where she placed 17th overall in qualifying with a throw of 59.34 m.[2]
Hellier currently works at Macleans College as a sports co-coordinator.[3]
Her father Lionel Smith was a hurdler at the 1950 British Empire Games.[3]
Hellier won the Halberg Awards Coach of the Year in 2007 and 2008. [4]
In the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours, Hellier was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to sport, particularly athletics.[5]
In 2020, Hellier was appointed to Athletics New Zealand in a key coaching role as Athletic NZ Programme Coach. [6] An interview with Hellier was featured in the 2022 documentary film Dame Valerie Adams: More than Gold.[7]
Achievements edit
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  New Zealand
| ||||
| 1988 | World Junior Championships | Sudbury, Canada | 11th | 47.66 m |
| 1990 | Commonwealth Games | Auckland, New Zealand | 8th | 52.34 m |
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 17th | 59.34 m |
| 1994 | Commonwealth Games | Victoria, Canada | 2nd | 60.40 m |
References edit
- ^ Hinton, Marc (28 March 2010). "Olympic champion Valerie Vili drops coach". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
- ^ Profile at the New Zealand Olympic Committee website Retrieved on 17-8-09
- ^ a b Rattue, Chris (27 March 2009). "My life in sport: Kirsten Hellier". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
- ^ "Kirsten Hellier appointed to Athletics NZ coaching staff". NZ Herald. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2018". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ "Kirsten Hellier appointed to Athletics NZ coaching staff". NZ Herald. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ Solomona, Gaby (13 October 2022). "More than Gold - a standing ovation and not a dry eye". Pacific Media Network. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
External links edit
- Kirsten Smith at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- Kirsten Louise Smith at Olympics.com
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