Milly Marshall-Kirkwood

Kia ora tātou, my name is Milly Marshall-Kirkwood

I really love reading, cooking and sports. Since the age of 5, I have always wanted to be a doctor when I am older. This is still a dream I am working towards.

Some of my favorite memories as a child were spending the holidays in Ohope with family friends. We would sleep in our big green tent by the beach and we even saw an elephant seal once!

I first started exploring the world of Para sport when I attended the Halberg Games at the age of 9 and I have been going every year since. At the end of 2022, I was spotted by Athletics NZ and it was suggested that I try Seated throws. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it to begin with but I quickly began to build a love for it and attended NZ secondary Schools competition in December of last year (2023). I compete in seated discus and shotput in the F57 Classification.

To be the best I can be at my sport I train hard at the gym to stay strong and healthy. I also train my brain by reflecting each night to remind myself of all the things I am grateful for. Taking time for other core parts of my life like education and friends/family is also really important to me.

I first represented New Zealand when I made the New Zealand team competing at the Oceania Athletics Championships in May 2024. I remember waking up to an email and the feeling of immense accomplishment. I also remember coming home from the Australian Champs to a big bag of NZ uniform items. My dad supported me the entire way and at times was definitely more excited than me! The feeling of traveling as a big team was something I think about a lot. I’m really proud of my accomplishments in Fiji. I think I performed really well in the discus, and focused hard on the technical part of my throw. I was proud of my performance and that was confirmed when I won gold.

Fun facts

• I absolutely love sushi!
• My favourite movies are the Harry Potter movies, I remember reading the books when I was little and watching the movies really brought the magic to life.
• One of my favourite places I have visited is Suva, Fiji for the Oceania Champs. It was interesting to see how different cultures live.
• Extremely unpopular opinion, but I absolutely despise steak!
• I am definitely a night owl, mornings and me are not friends!