Anna Grimaldi to inspire at 2025 Sports Awards

 Sports Awards

Credit: Photosport NZ/Halberg

Paris Gold medallist and 2024 ParaAthlete Halberg Award winner Anna Grimaldi will be the keynote speaker at the 2025 Trust Aoraki South Canterbury Sports and Recreation Awards on Friday, May 16, and the Ashburton Guardian Mid Canterbury Sports and Recreation Awards on Saturday, May 17.

Grimaldi will share her inspiring story as the guest speaker for these prestigious events with the community.

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The 28-year-old athlete shot to fame as a teenager at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Paralympics, where she won the gold medal in the women’s T47 Long Jump. She repeated this success at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The T47 classification is for competitors with a below-elbow or wrist amputation or impairment.

Sport Canterbury Regional Manager, Shaun Campbell, was lucky enough to meet Grimaldi and hear her speak after her first Paralympic success. 

“She is an energetic and inspiring young person who has continued to achieve so much in her career on and off the athletics track," Campbell says. "We feel very privileged to have her coming to share her incredible story with the South Canterbury community at an event that is very special to all involved.”

Hailing from Dunedin, Grimaldi was born without a right hand and was a relative latecomer to para-athletics. She attended a Paralympics New Zealand Talent Identification camp in Dunedin in late 2013 and her career blossomed.

Grimaldi completed her trio of Olympic Gold Medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, this time in the 200m T47 classification, setting a new Oceania record. This win was even more special given the disappointment of missing out on a medal in her favoured long jump event.

“Anna’s journey from a young athlete to a Paralympic gold medallist is inspirational," adds Alice Breading, Sport Canterbury's Community Advisor for Mid Canterbury. "We believe her story will resonate deeply with our community and inspire the next generation of athletes."

Nominations for the awards are open now until April 6 for the South Canterbury event and until March 31 for the Mid Canterbury event.

Anyone can nominate those worthy of recognition across various categories, including youth, coach, volunteer, and overall sportsperson of the year. Click here for award criteria and nomination forms.

Don’t miss your chance to join us for these amazing celebratory evenings. Tickets to the public will go on sale from April 4 for the Mid Canterbury event and from April 7 for the South Canterbury event. They can be purchased through www.sportcanterbury.org.nz.


Article added: Wednesday, March 19, 2025