Holly Nixon
Rower // Women's Squad
Date of Birth: 7th Dec 1993 (31 years old)
Club: Leander Club
Height: 180cm
Hometown: Enniskillen
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
2015
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.
