To be proposed to in the room of an Auckland airport hotel might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for Paralympic star Holly Robinson, it was perfect.
Her partner Geoff Wingfield popped the question just hours before boarding a plane to fly to the Paris 2024 Paralympics. For the F46 javelin thrower, it could not have been better timing.
“The moment Geoff asked, ‘Will you marry me?’ I said yes, then cried my eyes out,” Holly tells Woman’s Day. “I became super-emotional because I said I wanted to go to Paris with a ring on my finger. Looking at the ring on the plane, knowing this was the man who I wanted to be with forever, was an amazing feeling.”
Eighteen months earlier, Geoff had been given the ring by Holly’s grandmother Shirley Crowley after a trip to Hokitika, the town where the athlete was raised. The gold band with sapphires and diamonds had been in the family for several generations. It meant a lot to Holly, 29, who claimed a Paralympic shot-put bronze medal in Paris.
“My grandmother has been a big part of my life, so it is special to have something of hers that I am able to carry with me every day,” shares Holly. “To me, it was never about the cost of the ring. It was more about the commitment and wanting to be with someone forever.”
Given her man had the ring for 18 months, why did he wait so long? “I was waiting for the perfect moment,” explains Geoff, 32, “but I realised there was no perfect moment. I just had to make it happen.”
Meeting via a dating app five years ago, the Dunedin-based couple enjoyed their first date at a 10-pin bowling alley. Competitive Holly recalls winning the game, but the pair quickly connected. The more extroverted Holly quickly became attracted to the shy, unassuming painter and decorator.
Not that Holly – a three-time Paralympic medallist, who won gold in Tokyo in 2021 – was initially blown away by her now-fiancé’s fashion sense.
“He was wearing double denim, with a denim vest and shorts,” she recalls. “It was only later on I said, ‘You have to burn that denim top!’ I wasn’t a fan. It’s a memory I look back on with a smile on my face as it was the start of our life together.”
For Geoff, the appeal was two-fold. He liked Holly’s down-to-earth personality and he was also impressed by her goal-oriented focus. “I was attracted to how driven she was and her desire to succeed in life. She was very focused and it seemed like there was no stopping her.”
The pair quickly developed a close bond, sharing a mutual passion for the outdoors. They love walking their dog Louis on the beach and they both look forward to their Saturday morning ritual of grabbing a coffee together. Holly is also a passionate follower of Geoff’s social cricket. Although, it took a little time for Geoff to understand Holly’s training demands as a full-time athlete.
“One of the funniest things he said when we were dating was, ‘Do you still train on a public holiday?’” she tells. “The athlete’s life was a big learning curve for him.”
Geoff admits it took some time to adjust. He has learned that ahead of a big competition, he has to pick and choose his conversations around Holly.
“When Holly has her game face on and is completely focused, I can’t weigh her down with the mundane things in life,” he says. “I have to be careful not to ask certain questions to switch her focus. I have to save it for maybe the following week.”
Goal-driven she may be, but Geoff realises Holly – who was born without a lower left arm – has a very caring side. “She always thinks of others and is always quick to accommodate everybody’s needs,” he says.
With Holly enjoying some well-earned downtime now that the latest Paralympic campaign is complete, the pair is relishing spending time together in the garden, and hanging out with Louis and their rescue cat Hugo.
Exciting times are on the horizon. The duo intends to start a family together and Holly is dreaming of an “extravagant wedding” in Christchurch a couple of years down the track.
The athlete plans to carry on competing until the 2028 LA Paralympics, so there are more track-and-field ambitions to pursue. And with Geoff in her corner, she reckons she’s well placed to deliver on all fronts.
“I love Geoff’s generosity and unwavering support in my athletic endeavours,” she enthuses. “He’s a kind-hearted and caring individual with his own goals in life. He has sacrificed a lot for my sport, particularly when I’m away for long periods of time.
“I also love the fact that Geoff is not into elite-level sport. I can come home and vent to him, and he’s always really level-headed. It’s refreshing to talk to someone from another perspective and to be able to leave sport behind!”
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