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Olivia Podmore

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Olivia Podmore
Podmore in 2020
Personal information
Born(1997-05-24)24 May 1997
Christchurch, New Zealand
Died9 August 2021(2021-08-09) (aged 24)
Cambridge, 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 2018 Commonwealth Games.[4]

Early life

Born in Christchurch in 1997, Olivia Podmore was the daughter of Phil and Nienke Podmore. She had one elder brother, Mitchell.[1][2][5] She was educated at Middleton Grange School.[6]

Career

In 2015, Podmore moved to Cambridge to train with the national cycling team.[7] That year, Podmore won silver in the team sprint and bronze in the time trial at the Junior Track World Championships in Astana.[8]

Podmore rode in the women's team sprint event at the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships,[9] 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.[10] She crashed out of the keirin event at the Games.[7] 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.[8] 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.[12] She competed for New Zealand at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.[13] She was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the individual sprint competition,[14] and came sixth in the keirin event at the Games.[15] She won the 50 metres time trial event at the 2019 Oceania Track Cycling Championships,[16] and competed in the team sprint event at the 2019 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.[17] She competed in the same event at the 2020 Championships.[18]

Podmore reached the qualification criteria for the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics, but was not selected by the New Zealand Olympic Committee.[19]

Death

Podmore died in Cambridge on 9 August 2021, aged 24. Her death is a suspected suicide and has been referred to the coroner.[1][8][19] Hours before her death, she posted on Instagram about the demands of high-performance sport.[13][19]

The post read:

Sport is an amazing outlet for so many people, it’s a struggle, it’s a fight but it’s so joyous.

The feeling when you win is unlike any other, but the feeling when you lose, when you don’t get selected even when you qualify, when [you're] injured, when you don’t meet society’s expectations such a owning a house, marriage, kids all because [you’re] trying to give everything to your sport is also unlike any other.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b "View Olivia PODMORE's Obituary on Stuff.co.nz and share memories". deaths.press.co.nz. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Olivia Podmore". Cycling Archives. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  4. ^ "Liv Podmore". New Zealand Olympic Team. 9 February 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Liv Podmore". New Zealand Olympic Team. 9 February 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ a b "Olivia Podmore unfazed at Rio cycling crash as she approaches World Cup season". Stuff. 19 September 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "Kiwi Olympian cyclist Olivia Podmore dies aged 24". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Start list". Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  10. ^ Geenty, Mark (13 August 2016). "Rio Olympics 2016: Odd shaped track stymies New Zealand pursuit team". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Qualifying" (PDF). Rio 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  12. ^ "Results Book" (PDF). Oceania Cycling Confederation. November 2017. pp. 72, 82. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore dies aged 24". Wales Online. 10 August 2021. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Cycling Track | Women's Sprint - Quarterfinals Results" (PDF). Gold Coast 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ "Podmore wins time trial gold". Otago Daily Times. 18 October 2019. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  17. ^ Qualifying results
  18. ^ Qualifying results
  19. ^ a b c "Eddie Dawkins: cyclist Olivia Podmore's death was 'avoidable'". Stuff. 10 August 2021. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Olivia_Podmore&oldid=1038168854"