Olivia Podmore
Podmore in February 2020
Personal information
Born(1997-05-24)24 May 1997
Christchurch, New Zealand
Died9 August 2021(2021-08-09) (aged 24)
Cambridge, Waikato, New Zealand
Height174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Team information
RoleRider

Olivia Rose Podmore (24 May 1997 – 9 August 2021)[1][2] was a New Zealand professional racing cyclist.[3] She represented her country at the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[4]

Early life

Born in Christchurch in 1997, Olivia Podmore was the daughter of Philip and Nienke (née Tabak) Podmore. She had one elder brother, Mitchell.[1][2][4] She was educated at Middleton Grange School.[5]

Career

Podmore started out cycling in BMX at age nine, later moving to road cycling and then to track cycling.[5]

In 2015, Podmore moved to Cambridge in Waikato to train with the national cycling team.[6] That year, Podmore won silver alongside Emma Cumming in the team sprint and bronze in the time trial at the Junior Track World Championships in Astana.[7]

Podmore rode in the women's team sprint event at the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships,[8] She also competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics, although she and her team-mate Natasha Hansen did not advance from the qualification round in the team sprint.[9] They finished ninth in the event.[10] She crashed in the keirin event at the Games,[6] and finished 25th in the event.[10] She also came 23rd in the heats of the individual sprint event at the Games.[11]

In 2017, Podmore was the New Zealand keirin champion.[12] At that year's Oceania Track Championships, Podmore came second in the 500 metres time trial event, and she came second alongside Emma Cumming in the team sprint event.[13] She competed for New Zealand at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.[14] She was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the individual sprint competition,[15] and came sixth in the keirin event at the Games.[16] She won the 500 metres time trial event at the 2019 Oceania Track Cycling Championships,[17] and competed in the team sprint event at the 2019 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.[18] She competed in the same event at the 2020 Championships.[19]

Podmore reached the qualification criteria for the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics, but was not selected by the New Zealand Olympic Committee.[20]

Death

Podmore died in Cambridge on the evening of 9 August 2021, aged 24.[1] Her death is a suspected suicide and was referred to the coroner.[7][20] Hours before her death, she posted on Instagram about the pressures of high-performance sport.[14][20] Podmore's funeral was held in Christchurch on 13 August 2021.[21] She was buried in Christchurch's Yaldhurst cemetery.[22]

In September 2021, Cycling New Zealand and High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) appointed former New Zealand solicitor-general, Mike Herron QC, and Professor Sarah Leberman MNZM to co-chair an inquiry. Also sitting on the panel are Dr Lesley Nicol ONZM and rowing Olympic medalist, Genevieve Macky. The terms of reference of the inquiry included:[23][24][25]

  1. assessing the adequacy of the implementation of the recommendations from the 2018 Heron Report; identification of areas of further improvement that would ensure the wellbeing of athletes, coaches, support staff and others involved in Cycling New Zealand’s high performance programme are a top priority within the environment
  2. assessment of the support offered to athletes at critical points within Cycling New Zealand’s high performance programme (by both Cycling New Zealand and HPSNZ), with a particular emphasis on induction, selection and exit transitions;
  3. assessment of the impact that HPSNZ investment and engagement has on Cycling New Zealand’s high performance programme;
  4. assessment of the impacts of high performance programmes which require elite athletes to be in one location for most of the year, with a particular focus on Cambridge; and
  5. an understanding of what steps can be taken to improve current and future practices, policies and governance of Cycling New Zealand’s high performance programme with a view to ensuring the safety, wellbeing and empowerment of all individuals within that environment.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Olympian cyclist Olivia Podmore's family mourn her sudden death". Stuff. 9 August 2021. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Olivia PODMORE Death Notice - Christchurch, Canterbury". The Press. 11 August 2021. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  3. ↑ "Olivia Podmore". Cycling Archives. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Liv Podmore". New Zealand Olympic Team. 9 February 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  5. 1 2 Egan, Brendon (8 April 2014). "Podmore powers her way through to junior worlds". Stuff. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  6. 1 2 Mealing, Fleur (19 September 2016). "Olivia Podmore unfazed at Rio cycling crash as she approaches World Cup season". Stuff. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  7. 1 2 "New Zealand Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore dies aged 24". The New Zealand Herald. 9 August 2021. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "Women's Team Sprint Qualifying Start List | 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships". Tissot Timing. 2 March 2016. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  9. ↑ Geenty, Mark (13 August 2016). "Rio Olympics 2016: Odd shaped track stymies New Zealand pursuit team". Stuff. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  10. 1 2 Ballinger, Alex (10 August 2021). "Cycling world mourns death of Olympian Olivia Podmore". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  11. ↑ "Cycling Track | Women's Sprint - Qualifying Results" (PDF). Rio 2016. 14 August 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  12. ↑ "Olivia Podmore: New Zealand Olympic cyclist dies aged 24". BBC Sport. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  13. ↑ Results Book (PDF) (Report). Oceania Cycling Confederation. 23 November 2017. pp. 72, 82. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  14. 1 2 Whaling, James; Jones, Victoria (10 August 2021). "Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore dies aged 24". Wales Online. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  15. ↑ "Cycling Track | Women's Sprint - Quarterfinals Results" (PDF). Gold Coast 2018. 6 April 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "Results - Women's Keirin Finals 1-6". 2018 Commonwealth Games. 8 April 2018. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  17. ↑ "Podmore wins time trial gold". Otago Daily Times. 18 October 2019. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  18. ↑ "Women's Team Sprint Qualifying Results | 2019 UCI Track Cycling World Championships". Tissot Timing. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  19. ↑ "Women's Team Sprint Qualifying Results | 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships". Tissot Timing. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  20. 1 2 3 George, Zoe (10 August 2021). "Eddie Dawkins: cyclist Olivia Podmore's death was 'avoidable'". Stuff. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  21. ↑ "Olivia Podmore's life to be celebrated at funeral in Christchurch on Friday". Stuff.co.nz. 12 August 2021. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  22. ↑ "Podmore Olivia Rose". Christchurch City Council Cemeteries Database. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  23. ↑ "Cycling New Zealand and High Performance Sport New Zealand announce details of Independent Inquiry". CNZ and HPSNZ Independent Inquiry (Press release). Cycling New Zealand. 21 September 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  24. ↑ George, Zoë (19 August 2021). "Independent inquiry established following Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore's death". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  25. ↑ Johannsen, Dana (17 September 2021). "Mike Heron to head fresh inquiry into Cycling NZ following the death of Olivia Podmore". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
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