Holly Nixon

Rower // Women's Squad
Date of Birth: 7th Dec 1993 (30 years old)
Club: Leander Club
Height: 180cm
Hometown: Enniskillen

Holly Nixon profile image

Holly Nixon demonstrated her talent for both sculling and sweep during a breakthrough 2016 season with the GB Rowing Team senior squad.

Nixon finished as a runner-up in the women’s single sculls at the GB Rowing Team Trials. she then raced in the women’s quad that attempted to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games before winning gold with the women’s four at the World Rowing Championships.

She had previously twice represented Britain at the World Rowing U23 Championships, winning bronze with the women’s eight in 2015.

At the opening World Cup of the 2017 season, Nixon won bronze in a women’s quad crew which also included Beth Bryan, Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne and Jessica Leyden, going on to win bronze at the European Championships three weeks later.

While illness and injury disrupted the quartet’s season, they peaked for the World Championships, winning a remarkable quadruple sculls bronze medal.

Holly capped her first season in the senior squad by winning gold at the 2016 World Championships

On The Water

2016

World Champion Women's Four

2015

World U23 Bronze Medallist Women's Eight

2014

World U23 Finalist Women's Eight

Rio 2016 Olympiad: 2013 – 2016

Nixon was selected for her GB Rowing Team senior debut in 2016 after finishing runner-up to Vicky Thornley in the women’s single sculls at the Olympic trials. She started the season in the women’s quad scull along with Jess Leyden, Tina Stiller and Rosamund Bradbury, finishing fourth at the World Cup in Varese and fifth at the European Championships in Brandenburg before heading to the final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne. The top two went to Rio but, despite a valiant effort, the GB crew had to settle for fourth overall.

She then made the switch to sweep for the second half of the season and raced alongside Fiona Gammond, Donna Etiebet and Holly Norton in the women’s four at the World Rowing Championships in Rotterdam. After winning their heat in tricky conditions, the four surged clear in the final to secure gold in emphatic fashion.

In 2015, Nixon reached the B final of the women’s single sculls at the 2015 GB Rowing Team Senior and U23 Trials and was selected in the women’s eight for the 2015 World Rowing U23 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria where she won a bronze medal.

She made her GB Rowing Team debut at the 2014 World Rowing U23 Championships in Varese, Italy, as part of the women’s quadruple scull crew which finished fifth, just a second outside the medals.

GB Competitive Record

Year Event Position Boat
2017 World Rowing Championships
Sarasota-Bradenton, USA
W4x
2017 World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI
5 W4x
2017 European Rowing Championships
Racice, CZE
W4x
2017 World Rowing Cup I
Belgrade, SRB
W4x
2016 World Rowing Championships
Rotterdam, NED
W4-
2016 FISA European and Final Olympic Qualification Regatta
Lucerne, SUI
4 W4x
2016 European Rowing Championships
Brandenburg, GER
5 W4x
2016 World Rowing Cup I
Varese, ITA
4 W4x
2015 World Rowing Under 23 Championships
Plovdiv, BUL
BW8+
2014 World Rowing U23 Championships
Varese, ITA
5 BW4x
2012 Under 23 World Rowing Championships
Trakai, LTU
1 (FB Final) BW2x
2011 World Rowing Junior Championships
Eton, GBR
JW1x
Year:
2017
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Sarasota-Bradenton, USA
Position:
Boat:
W4x
Year:
2017
Event:
World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI
Position:
5
Boat:
W4x
Year:
2017
Event:
European Rowing Championships
Racice, CZE
Position:
Boat:
W4x
Year:
2017
Event:
World Rowing Cup I
Belgrade, SRB
Position:
Boat:
W4x
Year:
2016
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Rotterdam, NED
Position:
Boat:
W4-
Year:
2016
Event:
FISA European and Final Olympic Qualification Regatta
Lucerne, SUI
Position:
4
Boat:
W4x
Year:
2016
Event:
European Rowing Championships
Brandenburg, GER
Position:
5
Boat:
W4x
Year:
2016
Event:
World Rowing Cup I
Varese, ITA
Position:
4
Boat:
W4x
Year:
2015
Event:
World Rowing Under 23 Championships
Plovdiv, BUL
Position:
Boat:
BW8+
Year:
2014
Event:
World Rowing U23 Championships
Varese, ITA
Position:
5
Boat:
BW4x
Year:
2012
Event:
Under 23 World Rowing Championships
Trakai, LTU
Position:
1 (FB Final)
Boat:
BW2x
Year:
2011
Event:
World Rowing Junior Championships
Eton, GBR
Position:
Boat:
JW1x

More info...

Club: Leander Club
Boat: Women’s Squad
Role: Rower
Coach: Jane Hall
Learnt to Row: Portota BC
Original Club(s): Portota BC
Original Coach(es): Derek Holland, Keith Nixon

Beyond the Boat

Nixon is from Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Fermanagh was named as the happiest place to live in the UK in 2013 by the Office of National Statistics – “maybe that’s why I love home a lot,” she says.

She started rowing at Portora Boat Club in 2007 after being introduced to the sport by her father.