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GILLAN Jessica
Sport Para athletics
NPC New Zealand   
GenderWomen
Age30
Place of BirthInvercargill, NZL
Human Interest
Impairment Information
Type of Impairment
 Cerebral Palsy
Origin of Impairment
 Congenital
Classification
 F34
Further Personal Information
Family
 Husband Dale Gillan
Other names
 Jessica Hamill
Residence
 Dunedin, NZL
Occupation
 Athlete, Clerk
Languages
 English
Higher education
 Massage Therapy - Southern Institute of Technology: Invercargill, NZL
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport?
 She took up athletics at age 14 at Verdon College in Invercargill, New Zealand.
Why this sport?
 "To prove that people with an impairment can do sport."
Club / Team
 Athletics Taieri: Dunedin, NZL
Name of coach
 Raylene Bates [club, national], NZL
Senior International Debut
Year
 2006
Competing for
 New Zealand
Tournament
 World Championships
Location
 Assen, NED
General Interest
Nicknames
 Jess, Tron (Facebook profile, 10 Sep 2019; Athlete, 06 Nov 2019; Instagram profile, 28 Mar 2020)
Hobbies
 Shopping, socialising. (Athlete, 06 Nov 2019)
Memorable sporting achievement
 Winning silver in the women's F34 shot put at the 2015 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. (Athlete, 16 Jul 2017)
Most influential person in career
 Coach Raylene Bates. (Athlete, 06 Nov 2019)
Hero / Idol
 New Zealand shot putter Valerie Adams. (Athlete, 06 Nov 2019)
Injuries
 In April 2018 she underwent surgery after sustaining a triple fracture of her left tibia and fibula bones. In September 2018 she broke her tibia bone around the metal that had been inserted into her leg following the initial injury and required another operation. She returned to training in March 2019. (Athlete, 06 Nov 2019)

In December 2015 she fractured a lumbar disc in her spine and was out of action until June 2016. (Athlete, 06 Nov 2019)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs
 She has a coffee and relaxes before she competes. (Athlete, 06 Nov 2019)
Sporting philosophy / motto
 "It is what it is. Get on with it." (Athlete, 06 Nov 2019)
Other information
 FURTHER EDUCATION
She has a certification as a sports coach. (Athlete, 06 Nov 2019)

Competition Highlights (historical)
Paralympic Games
Rank Year Event Result
7 2008 Discus Throw F32-34/51-53 19.27
10 2008 Javelin Throw F33-34/52-53 13.68
11 2008 Shot Put F32-34/52-53 6.77
3 2016 Shot Put F34 7.54
World Championships
Rank Year Event Result
2 2006 Shot Put F32-34 6.99
7 2006 Discus Throw F33-34/51-53 16.55
7 2006 Javelin Throw F33-34/52-53 13.80
6 2011 Shot Put F32-34 7.34
8 2011 Javelin Throw F33-34/52-53 14.35
2 2015 Shot Put F34 7.83
3 2017 Shot Put F34 7.77
4 2019 Shot Put F34 7.59
Commonwealth Games
Rank Year Event Result
2 2010 Shot Put F32-34/52-53 7.17