July 20, 2024 • 25 mins
With less than a week to go until the 2024 Paris Olympics, BMX champion Sarah Walker is looking back on her athletic accomplishments.
To date, Walker is New Zealand's only BMX Olympic medallist, having won silver in the 2012 London Games.
She joined Piney to talk about the challenges and accomplishments of her athletic career.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from News Talk zed B, New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
And the home Straight Medal Land Jewaves.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Have one at all.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Weekend Sport Road to Paris.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Twenty twenty four. Yes. With the Olympics now just four
days away, it's time for the final stop on our
Road to Paris feature We Land in London twenty twelve,
where Sarah Walker became New Zealand's first and still only
Olympic BMX medalist, winning silver. She was second fastest in
her qualifying ride, but only fourth fastest of the four
(00:48):
in her semi final that went through to the final,
but in that final she was outstanding.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Jake drops We looked for walk around at date six
and she's made a cracking start through Sir Walker, over
the top pash On again, Sarah Walker's up the second.
At the moment Sarah Walker goes high on the bird whistles,
she's a tickets part. At the moment she's behind the
Columbia pasha On, Sarah Walker is in second spot. Here
comes the French woman Potier Sarah Walker maintaining seconds. Pot
at the movement Bajan racing away am On the inside
(01:17):
goes to the Dutch woman. Sarah Walker fighting back. She's
back up in the seconds butt at the moment, Sarah Walker.
She's runing behind the Columbion. Sarah Walker riding there behind
the final turn, Sarah Walker around the berth. It's out
to be a strait sprint. Sarah Walker looking to trike
it up there inside, come to it, Sarah Walker.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
Silver, I want to call from nightel Yolden and Sarah Walker,
clocking a time of thirty eight point one one three seconds,
claiming silver. She also competed in Beijing in two thousand
and eight, when BMX made its Olympic debut. She placed fourth.
She is a twelve time medalist of the BMX World Championships,
and for the past eight years she's been a member
of the IOC Athletes Commission, a role she'll relinquish after
(01:57):
Paris twenty twenty four. Sarah Walker is with us, Sarah
Silver at London twenty twelve. That we just heard there
might not even have happened. Tell us about the crash
that you had in April of twenty twelve in Norway
which resulted in a dislocated shoulder.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, we're in the final World Cup races
leading into the Games, and I had a pretty good race,
but I was coming out down the second straight next
to one of the American riders and they made a
mistake and crash and I had absolutely nowhere to go
and hit them and just lookated my shoulder. So it
(02:35):
was kind of frustrating because obviously I hadn't made the mistake,
but I was the one that was injured, and it
was three months out from the Games, and I was
just kind of like, Okay, the only thing I need
to know is do I need surgery before now, or like,
am I going to miss the Games? Or can I
do something and do that later? And obviously I could
(03:00):
do that later and focus on just rehabbing as well
as possible and turn up on the start line as
in good condition as they possibly could.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
But you still had to qualify, is that right? You
still had me qualified at that point, so and amongst
all of that, so so what six weeks after that
crash World Champs in Birmingham you had to qualify? So
how challenging was it to get ready for that?
Speaker 3 (03:24):
I think like in terms of my mindset, it was
just like that's the reality, and that's what I have
to do, so I'm going to go do it. Yeah.
So I went into the World Champs and it was actually,
I reckon it was perfect preparation for the Games because
the pressure on that World chance was if you perform,
(03:45):
me go to the Olympics. If you don't, you don't
even get to line up at the start line. So
it was kind of a similar amount of pressure because
of what the outcome of that race was. So I
needed to perform to the best mobility and that competition
to even get selected for the game. So I think, yeah,
(04:06):
perfect mental preparation, but very stressful.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
It's so I can imagine what address root for. You
did fear of another crash play a part in your
mindset as you were as you were attempting to qualify
for London.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
There was there was a balance because it was kind
of I wanted to turn up to London and the
best shape could possibly be, and I believed that even
with that injury, I was good enough to be the
best in the world at the game. So it was
kind of a I could play it safe and give
(04:42):
myself every chance of being on the start line and
maybe not being competitive, but being there at least, or
I can just give my best every single day, do
whatever I can to reduce the risk of hurting myself again,
but turn up best prepared I could possibly be and
(05:04):
give myself every chance of winning a gold medal. Then luck,
that was the kind of path that I could choose.
And so yeah, obviously I was. I done the participation
that finished fourth, and I was like, no, I believe
I'm good enough, and I'm going to aim for gold
and I'm going to reduce the risk where I can,
(05:25):
but I'm going to take more risks than I would
if I was just wanting to line up on the
start and that's all I was aiming for. So yeah,
gave it everything, and fortunately at those World Champs I
did qualify.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Yeah, yeah, and got to London and the silver medal.
As we know, I'm interested in the They're very fine
margins I'm sure between you know, you talk about the
risks that you take. It can be just very tiny
margins between those risks playing off I'm sure and then
having the opposite effect of crashes like you've experienced. How
big a mental game is that?
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Yeah, it's huge. Like I tried tracks backing for a
couple of months, and I remember thinking how mentally or
emotionally easier to do a sport where there's less less rest.
The worst case scenario going to turn up to training
or competition and I'm going to be really exhausted at
(06:22):
the end of it, or if I've pushed my body
too hard, i might throw up. That's probably my worst
case scenario. Where every single week at training and thenx
and in a competition, you don't know whether you're going
to go home to your hotel or at home, or
you're going to go to the hospital after racing and
someone else is going to ask pat your bags, you know.
So the emotional pace is quite hard, but obviously a
(06:47):
lot of years of practices going and accepting that there
is risk in what we do. But it's also extremely
fun and enjoyable and I love that sport so much
that the good way outweighs the risk every time. But yeah,
it's it is something you just have to work like.
(07:09):
I did a lot of work with a sports psychologists.
They did thirteen years with the same sports sack, and
that was amazing in terms of just feeling the fear,
which I think got more challenging as they got more injuries,
but also going okay, well, how do I reduce the
risk And if I'm afraid of crashing, then I'm not
(07:31):
going to relax and ride the best that I can.
So I need to accept that's a possibility. But also
staying on my bike it's possible as well. And all
I can control is how I'm going to do my
best at how I'm going to peddle my hardest, how
I'm going to do the nicest jump, and also I
do all of those things right, then the chances are
cracking away less and so focusing on that and my
(07:55):
process allowed me to kind of put my fear on
to the side and really just intenptly to focus on
what I needed to do and how I needed to
perform those skills to be if they couldn't an except
that there were things outside of my control given people
in no lanes.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
YEA, what great insight? What great insight? So you cross second?
Silver is yours? How are the emotions? What are you
most vivid memories of that?
Speaker 3 (08:23):
I just like it was an insanely proud moment. I've
done a lot of work again with sports, like around
one of theiggest wins I had was believing in myself
and believing that I was good enough and I was
capable of winning, and the next step for that was
(08:44):
actually going. Okay, but it's all right if you don't win,
as long as you have given it everything like you could.
So at that finish line I crossed, and I just
knew that I'd under the ultimate pressure of an Olympic final.
I'd done my absolute best that I could ever have done,
and my first strait was incredible, and I raised the
(09:07):
best race I could given the circumstances it and so yeah,
costing the finish line, I didn't achieve my goal of
winning the gold, but because of all that mental work
of going, I'm good enough to achieve it. But it's
okay if I don't, because there's a lot of things
that I can't control and that closes my competitors. But
(09:31):
in that one moment, in that thirty eight seconds, one
person in the world was better than me, and that's
absolutely okay because I rode my best race in that moment.
So yeah, just pride is really pride for myself, pride
for New Zealand, and just it was weird because I
(09:52):
remember getting the Olympic medal around my neck on the podium,
which is something that you kind of picture or hope
for as an athletes for many, many years. And I
remember thinking that the object of the medal wasn't as
powerful as the feeling of pride that I had, and
(10:14):
I was quite surprised by that. I thought the object
was mean more to me than it did, but the
feeling of what I had was actually the overpowering thing.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
That is so cool, that's so cool. Of course London
was your second games. Of course you're in Beijing in
two thousand and eight, just out of the medals and fourth.
How do you reflect on Beijing?
Speaker 3 (10:38):
I didn't believe in myself. I think is the biggest reflection,
and that was what we we recognized and worked on
for that next four years. But I kind of looked
at it as most young Olympians do at their first games.
I'm here for the experience. I'm aiming for the next one.
I'll see what happens that, you know, like I could
(11:02):
win a medal, but anything happened. Kind of almost setting
myself up to have reasons why it wouldn't work before
I even took the start line, rather than just focusing
on how do I turn up and do the best
that I can, even though it's my first games, even
though I'm young, or even though whatever. It's like po
(11:25):
all of those things, But actually, how do I get
the best start I can? How do I do this
as smooth as possible? How do I put myself in
a position to get the best lines around the track,
and like really focus on that process as much as possible.
In reality, I was just a little eight year old
(11:49):
me who dreamed of the coming in Olympian one day
just being like, I'm here, this is insane, this is
so cool, it's so surreal. I'm like living a dream,
and I was really I don't know if you'd say distracted,
but yeah, just focused on the fact that I was
there rather than what I needed to do.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
And then Rio twenty sixteen. You missed that one through injury,
and then this is a roller coaster of a chat.
I tell you a training acid in February twenty sixteen,
So how gutting not to make it to rear.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Yeah, I think that was one of the hardest days
I think that I've ever had an athlete. Was the
day didn't qualify at the World Champs that year, the
crash itself. I knew instantly that I'd done something bad.
So I broke my humor, which is a brown bone,
(12:49):
and did a pretty good job of it. So I
knew immediately something was bad because when I crashed and
sat straight back up, I couldn't feel my arm at all,
and through my history of breaking bones, I was like, Okay,
well my body is not giving me signal from that part.
(13:09):
I'm not going to look at which way this might
be facing or what might be poking out where it
shouldn't be. And but yeah, it was. It was just
kind of like ring an ambulance and we'll sort it out.
But the recovery from that took like three years until
I got the plates back out again that it actually
was much better. But you do what you can in
(13:31):
the meantime and make the best of the situation. And
I did everything I could to get ready and still qualify,
but it just wasn't strong enough, and it actually caused
me to have another crash and hurt my other shoulder
because I was just pushing to try and make it.
But I was just like what I was, there's even
(13:55):
if there's still a one percent chance and I could
make it, then I'm going to try, and so that
was my attitude. Yeah, I think it was hard because
before that crash in the weeks leading into that, it
was the start of the season and heading into like
Olympic year, and all of my testing every single week,
(14:18):
I was doing personal best and I was feeling good.
Even Heather and one of my journals saying like, I
can't sleep because I just think of like how cool
everything's going, and I'm just so excited. So rather than
not sleeping through stress, I was not sleeping through excitement.
(14:39):
And it was just what I was realizing what I
was truly capable in terms of difficult performance and what
was possible. And I really wanted to see what that
meant when I lined up against other people, but never
got the opportunity because of that crash.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
Man, this is a roller coaster. We've heard about Rio
twenty sixteen and how injury robbed you of the chance
to compete there. What about Tokyo? Were the Tokyo Games
on your right up?
Speaker 3 (15:08):
And yes, yeah it was. So I started Olympic qualifying.
One of the races was twenty twenty World Cup in
Australia in February, and then came home to kind of
continue to season and then obviously covered arrived on the
world's doorsteps and really stopped the international travel and being
(15:33):
able to go to races and get points and try
and qualify well New Zealand managing the spot, but in
terms of selection, just not going to any races besides
that one race that came down to that one race.
And yeah, myself and Rebecca Pitch, who went to Tokyo
(15:55):
Games for the NX, were pretty much similar results. And
I think given that she's ten years younger and I
was towards the end of my career, I think they
started looking for the future and they took and she
did amazing and I was just stuck to see newbe
All on the start line at the Olympics again and
being next to a girl. So yeah, it was. It
(16:17):
was a bit raughter. It was kind of like one
of my goals was when I finished writing that I
still love what I do and I still love my sport,
because a lot of people who dedicate like ten, fifteen,
twenty years to a sport just want to break and
just want to kind of sometimes never do that sport again.
(16:42):
But I really wanted to like go through that last
Olympic cicle to Tokyo and know that I did it
because it was a cool sport and I loved doing it.
But you don't know if for sure, if it's your
actual truth or you're lying to yourself, until you're in
a situation where you're like, well, did you do it
(17:03):
because you loved it or did you do it just
because you want to go to a mother alum? And
so when I didn't make the team, it was like
a right were were you telling truth to yourself or
were you trying to pretend? And the first thing I
did was put on all my gear and go for
a ride at the track. So even though I hadn't qualified,
(17:25):
I was really proud of myself that I had achieved
that next block or Olympic cycle on my bike, doing
what I love, and that made their Olympic team. Of
course it would have been amazing and the cherry on top,
but it wasn't wasn't my core why I was riding.
And yes, I'm really glad I actually did that Olympic
(17:48):
cycle because I made the podium at the World Cup
late twenty eighteen in Argentina and that was just like
this kind of justification that I'm still one of the
best in the world and that I was right to
keep the living in myself even though others may been
cushing like my age or my injuries or whatever. So
(18:13):
that was quite a satisfying moment.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
So are you at peace with your elite career? Because,
as I mentioned, it's it's had it's had its peaks
and troughs. It's been a roller coaster. To use a
couple of cliches, Are you at peace with it?
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Yeah? Yeah, I'm really really proud that I'm at peace
with it. Like I didn't feel even after the Rio
cycle I committed to Tokyo. It wasn't like I need
to keep going because I feel like there's unfinished business.
It was I want to keep going because I love
it and with the benefit of hindsight being able to
(18:53):
go that was authentic and genuine, and that there doesn't
feel like anything that I left that I didn't achieve
that I wanted to or ever. It's kind of it's
really nice. So yes, definitely had paced with my whole
career and a journey that I had, and even through
(19:14):
the baoundaries and the feedbacks, it was all part of
that journey and like, yeah, it's really cool.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
And during the yeah, and during the Rio Games, even
though you couldn't compete, it was announced you'd been elected
onto the IOC Athletes Commission for an eight year term, which,
as I mentioned at the start of the chat, concludes
after the upcoming Paris Games. So what does that work
involved for you over the last eight years.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Yeah, that was that was pretty crazy. I remember being
at home and obviously with Rio it was quite a
big time difference that I did to Eliza McCartney. Actually
it was her first impacts and I said, if you
wake up on competition day and you just overwhelmed by
(19:59):
the fact that it's the day, which I would totally understand.
I've been there. If you need to bring me ring me,
I'll leave my phone on loud overnight and just just ring.
So my phone went off it to wait in the morning.
It was the only day that I left my phone
(20:19):
on loud and at the phone, thing it's going to
be Eliza, and it was actually the head of the
Athletes department at the IOC danying like you need to
be awake because the IOC president's going to caught with you.
So I was like, oh, all right, I'm awake, I'm away.
(20:43):
So I remember sitting just staring at my phone waiting
for this phone call, and at five a m. Three
hours later, I finally get the call, which is obviously
exciting that I was so wired for that, to get
(21:03):
the call being like, yeah, we want you to be
on the Athletes Commission, but in order to get on
the Athletes Commission this year, you need to be in
Rio tomorrow. So you need to be on the next
flight out of New Zealand to britil so that you
can become part of the IOC as an ethnic representative.
(21:24):
And so yeah, uh got my passports, drove to the airport,
flew out on the very next flight, and yeah, the
rest is history. But it's been so cool. So basically
I was pretty unwhelmed to start with about all the
different things that the committee do and all the different
(21:47):
initiatives and cool things that they're involved with, all the
different departments, and yeah, I think I was initially just
thought there was no way I'd be able to either
understand all of it. But like my sport, I just
focused on giving my best that I had each day
and each time that we had meetings, and in contributing
(22:10):
where I can, But yeah, I would time I learned
more and got better and could positively impact the the
athlete experience of being at the Olympics and the athlete
experience in general of between games as well. And it's
been very, very rewarding to be able to be part
(22:31):
of those decisions that that obviously make that impact the
athletes love.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
You know, Yeah, what a cool thing, What a cool
thing to be able to do. So where is your
silver metal? Where do you keep up?
Speaker 3 (22:44):
I think I think it's in the cavern and I
think I know which cabin that. Yeah, it's very worn,
the ribbon is tatty and the metal has some dents
in it, But like, I love that because I shared
(23:05):
it with as many people and schools, as many kids
basically as they could when I got home from the Games,
and got every kid that wanted to put it around
their neck and get a photo, like, just as many
hands on it as possible, because I think the first
time I held in the Olympic medal was at Beijing
(23:27):
Olympic and it was already been a massive goal of
mine anyway, but to hold a medal just I felt
like so inspired at Beijing, and now I could share
that with as many people as possible, so I did,
And so it's it's a lot worse for wear, and
(23:47):
it's sitting somewhere, and I'm sure if I went looking
for I would find it. But like I said, the
medal itself as an object became a symbol of how
I felt. But feeling even to this day, what twelve
(24:09):
years later, still is stronger than the metal itself and
the object, like, I don't need to hold the metal
to be reminded of the pride that I had on
that day. But maybe in the future, when a few
more years pass, I'll bring it out so that I
(24:30):
can look at it and be reminded more often. But
at the moment it's still I don't know. It seems
fairly it feels fresh enough that I don't need to
need it out to get that feeling, you know, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
I do.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
Well.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
It feels like the yeah, the medals. The metal has
been bumped and bruised a bit and knocked around in
a bit worse for wear, but still shining bright, no doubt,
which seems like a nice little analogy to you as well.
It's true, yeah, Sarah, it's been It's been such a
little light to chat to you. Thank you for being
so so authentic with a chat about your your BMX career.
(25:06):
It's been such such a cool twenty minutes Channey to you.
Thanks so much for taking the time.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
Yeah, Nori, thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
Thank you, Sarah. Sarah Walker there, silver medallist London twenty
twelve and the final stop on our road to Paris.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk sed B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from News Talk zed B, New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
And the home Straight Medal Land Jewaves.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Have one at all.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Weekend Sport Road to Paris.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Twenty twenty four. Yes. With the Olympics now just four
days away, it's time for the final stop on our
Road to Paris feature We Land in London twenty twelve,
where Sarah Walker became New Zealand's first and still only
Olympic BMX medalist, winning silver. She was second fastest in
her qualifying ride, but only fourth fastest of the four
(00:48):
in her semi final that went through to the final,
but in that final she was outstanding.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Jake drops We looked for walk around at date six
and she's made a cracking start through Sir Walker, over
the top pash On again, Sarah Walker's up the second.
At the moment Sarah Walker goes high on the bird whistles,
she's a tickets part. At the moment she's behind the
Columbia pasha On, Sarah Walker is in second spot. Here
comes the French woman Potier Sarah Walker maintaining seconds. Pot
at the movement Bajan racing away am On the inside
(01:17):
goes to the Dutch woman. Sarah Walker fighting back. She's
back up in the seconds butt at the moment, Sarah Walker.
She's runing behind the Columbion. Sarah Walker riding there behind
the final turn, Sarah Walker around the berth. It's out
to be a strait sprint. Sarah Walker looking to trike
it up there inside, come to it, Sarah Walker.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
Silver, I want to call from nightel Yolden and Sarah Walker,
clocking a time of thirty eight point one one three seconds,
claiming silver. She also competed in Beijing in two thousand
and eight, when BMX made its Olympic debut. She placed fourth.
She is a twelve time medalist of the BMX World Championships,
and for the past eight years she's been a member
of the IOC Athletes Commission, a role she'll relinquish after
(01:57):
Paris twenty twenty four. Sarah Walker is with us, Sarah
Silver at London twenty twelve. That we just heard there
might not even have happened. Tell us about the crash
that you had in April of twenty twelve in Norway
which resulted in a dislocated shoulder.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, we're in the final World Cup races
leading into the Games, and I had a pretty good race,
but I was coming out down the second straight next
to one of the American riders and they made a
mistake and crash and I had absolutely nowhere to go
and hit them and just lookated my shoulder. So it
(02:35):
was kind of frustrating because obviously I hadn't made the mistake,
but I was the one that was injured, and it
was three months out from the Games, and I was
just kind of like, Okay, the only thing I need
to know is do I need surgery before now, or like,
am I going to miss the Games? Or can I
do something and do that later? And obviously I could
(03:00):
do that later and focus on just rehabbing as well
as possible and turn up on the start line as
in good condition as they possibly could.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
But you still had to qualify, is that right? You
still had me qualified at that point, so and amongst
all of that, so so what six weeks after that
crash World Champs in Birmingham you had to qualify? So
how challenging was it to get ready for that?
Speaker 3 (03:24):
I think like in terms of my mindset, it was
just like that's the reality, and that's what I have
to do, so I'm going to go do it. Yeah.
So I went into the World Champs and it was actually,
I reckon it was perfect preparation for the Games because
the pressure on that World chance was if you perform,
(03:45):
me go to the Olympics. If you don't, you don't
even get to line up at the start line. So
it was kind of a similar amount of pressure because
of what the outcome of that race was. So I
needed to perform to the best mobility and that competition
to even get selected for the game. So I think, yeah,
(04:06):
perfect mental preparation, but very stressful.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
It's so I can imagine what address root for. You
did fear of another crash play a part in your
mindset as you were as you were attempting to qualify
for London.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
There was there was a balance because it was kind
of I wanted to turn up to London and the
best shape could possibly be, and I believed that even
with that injury, I was good enough to be the
best in the world at the game. So it was
kind of a I could play it safe and give
(04:42):
myself every chance of being on the start line and
maybe not being competitive, but being there at least, or
I can just give my best every single day, do
whatever I can to reduce the risk of hurting myself again,
but turn up best prepared I could possibly be and
(05:04):
give myself every chance of winning a gold medal. Then luck,
that was the kind of path that I could choose.
And so yeah, obviously I was. I done the participation
that finished fourth, and I was like, no, I believe
I'm good enough, and I'm going to aim for gold
and I'm going to reduce the risk where I can,
(05:25):
but I'm going to take more risks than I would
if I was just wanting to line up on the
start and that's all I was aiming for. So yeah,
gave it everything, and fortunately at those World Champs I
did qualify.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Yeah, yeah, and got to London and the silver medal.
As we know, I'm interested in the They're very fine
margins I'm sure between you know, you talk about the
risks that you take. It can be just very tiny
margins between those risks playing off I'm sure and then
having the opposite effect of crashes like you've experienced. How
big a mental game is that?
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Yeah, it's huge. Like I tried tracks backing for a
couple of months, and I remember thinking how mentally or
emotionally easier to do a sport where there's less less rest.
The worst case scenario going to turn up to training
or competition and I'm going to be really exhausted at
(06:22):
the end of it, or if I've pushed my body
too hard, i might throw up. That's probably my worst
case scenario. Where every single week at training and thenx
and in a competition, you don't know whether you're going
to go home to your hotel or at home, or
you're going to go to the hospital after racing and
someone else is going to ask pat your bags, you know.
So the emotional pace is quite hard, but obviously a
(06:47):
lot of years of practices going and accepting that there
is risk in what we do. But it's also extremely
fun and enjoyable and I love that sport so much
that the good way outweighs the risk every time. But yeah,
it's it is something you just have to work like.
(07:09):
I did a lot of work with a sports psychologists.
They did thirteen years with the same sports sack, and
that was amazing in terms of just feeling the fear,
which I think got more challenging as they got more injuries,
but also going okay, well, how do I reduce the
risk And if I'm afraid of crashing, then I'm not
(07:31):
going to relax and ride the best that I can.
So I need to accept that's a possibility. But also
staying on my bike it's possible as well. And all
I can control is how I'm going to do my
best at how I'm going to peddle my hardest, how
I'm going to do the nicest jump, and also I
do all of those things right, then the chances are
cracking away less and so focusing on that and my
(07:55):
process allowed me to kind of put my fear on
to the side and really just intenptly to focus on
what I needed to do and how I needed to
perform those skills to be if they couldn't an except
that there were things outside of my control given people
in no lanes.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
YEA, what great insight? What great insight? So you cross second?
Silver is yours? How are the emotions? What are you
most vivid memories of that?
Speaker 3 (08:23):
I just like it was an insanely proud moment. I've
done a lot of work again with sports, like around
one of theiggest wins I had was believing in myself
and believing that I was good enough and I was
capable of winning, and the next step for that was
(08:44):
actually going. Okay, but it's all right if you don't win,
as long as you have given it everything like you could.
So at that finish line I crossed, and I just
knew that I'd under the ultimate pressure of an Olympic final.
I'd done my absolute best that I could ever have done,
and my first strait was incredible, and I raised the
(09:07):
best race I could given the circumstances it and so yeah,
costing the finish line, I didn't achieve my goal of
winning the gold, but because of all that mental work
of going, I'm good enough to achieve it. But it's
okay if I don't, because there's a lot of things
that I can't control and that closes my competitors. But
(09:31):
in that one moment, in that thirty eight seconds, one
person in the world was better than me, and that's
absolutely okay because I rode my best race in that moment.
So yeah, just pride is really pride for myself, pride
for New Zealand, and just it was weird because I
(09:52):
remember getting the Olympic medal around my neck on the podium,
which is something that you kind of picture or hope
for as an athletes for many, many years. And I
remember thinking that the object of the medal wasn't as
powerful as the feeling of pride that I had, and
(10:14):
I was quite surprised by that. I thought the object
was mean more to me than it did, but the
feeling of what I had was actually the overpowering thing.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
That is so cool, that's so cool. Of course London
was your second games. Of course you're in Beijing in
two thousand and eight, just out of the medals and fourth.
How do you reflect on Beijing?
Speaker 3 (10:38):
I didn't believe in myself. I think is the biggest reflection,
and that was what we we recognized and worked on
for that next four years. But I kind of looked
at it as most young Olympians do at their first games.
I'm here for the experience. I'm aiming for the next one.
I'll see what happens that, you know, like I could
(11:02):
win a medal, but anything happened. Kind of almost setting
myself up to have reasons why it wouldn't work before
I even took the start line, rather than just focusing
on how do I turn up and do the best
that I can, even though it's my first games, even
though I'm young, or even though whatever. It's like po
(11:25):
all of those things, But actually, how do I get
the best start I can? How do I do this
as smooth as possible? How do I put myself in
a position to get the best lines around the track,
and like really focus on that process as much as possible.
In reality, I was just a little eight year old
(11:49):
me who dreamed of the coming in Olympian one day
just being like, I'm here, this is insane, this is
so cool, it's so surreal. I'm like living a dream,
and I was really I don't know if you'd say distracted,
but yeah, just focused on the fact that I was
there rather than what I needed to do.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
And then Rio twenty sixteen. You missed that one through injury,
and then this is a roller coaster of a chat.
I tell you a training acid in February twenty sixteen,
So how gutting not to make it to rear.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Yeah, I think that was one of the hardest days
I think that I've ever had an athlete. Was the
day didn't qualify at the World Champs that year, the
crash itself. I knew instantly that I'd done something bad.
So I broke my humor, which is a brown bone,
(12:49):
and did a pretty good job of it. So I
knew immediately something was bad because when I crashed and
sat straight back up, I couldn't feel my arm at all,
and through my history of breaking bones, I was like, Okay,
well my body is not giving me signal from that part.
(13:09):
I'm not going to look at which way this might
be facing or what might be poking out where it
shouldn't be. And but yeah, it was. It was just
kind of like ring an ambulance and we'll sort it out.
But the recovery from that took like three years until
I got the plates back out again that it actually
was much better. But you do what you can in
(13:31):
the meantime and make the best of the situation. And
I did everything I could to get ready and still qualify,
but it just wasn't strong enough, and it actually caused
me to have another crash and hurt my other shoulder
because I was just pushing to try and make it.
But I was just like what I was, there's even
(13:55):
if there's still a one percent chance and I could
make it, then I'm going to try, and so that
was my attitude. Yeah, I think it was hard because
before that crash in the weeks leading into that, it
was the start of the season and heading into like
Olympic year, and all of my testing every single week,
(14:18):
I was doing personal best and I was feeling good.
Even Heather and one of my journals saying like, I
can't sleep because I just think of like how cool
everything's going, and I'm just so excited. So rather than
not sleeping through stress, I was not sleeping through excitement.
(14:39):
And it was just what I was realizing what I
was truly capable in terms of difficult performance and what
was possible. And I really wanted to see what that
meant when I lined up against other people, but never
got the opportunity because of that crash.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
Man, this is a roller coaster. We've heard about Rio
twenty sixteen and how injury robbed you of the chance
to compete there. What about Tokyo? Were the Tokyo Games
on your right up?
Speaker 3 (15:08):
And yes, yeah it was. So I started Olympic qualifying.
One of the races was twenty twenty World Cup in
Australia in February, and then came home to kind of
continue to season and then obviously covered arrived on the
world's doorsteps and really stopped the international travel and being
(15:33):
able to go to races and get points and try
and qualify well New Zealand managing the spot, but in
terms of selection, just not going to any races besides
that one race that came down to that one race.
And yeah, myself and Rebecca Pitch, who went to Tokyo
(15:55):
Games for the NX, were pretty much similar results. And
I think given that she's ten years younger and I
was towards the end of my career, I think they
started looking for the future and they took and she
did amazing and I was just stuck to see newbe
All on the start line at the Olympics again and
being next to a girl. So yeah, it was. It
(16:17):
was a bit raughter. It was kind of like one
of my goals was when I finished writing that I
still love what I do and I still love my sport,
because a lot of people who dedicate like ten, fifteen,
twenty years to a sport just want to break and
just want to kind of sometimes never do that sport again.
(16:42):
But I really wanted to like go through that last
Olympic cicle to Tokyo and know that I did it
because it was a cool sport and I loved doing it.
But you don't know if for sure, if it's your
actual truth or you're lying to yourself, until you're in
a situation where you're like, well, did you do it
(17:03):
because you loved it or did you do it just
because you want to go to a mother alum? And
so when I didn't make the team, it was like
a right were were you telling truth to yourself or
were you trying to pretend? And the first thing I
did was put on all my gear and go for
a ride at the track. So even though I hadn't qualified,
(17:25):
I was really proud of myself that I had achieved
that next block or Olympic cycle on my bike, doing
what I love, and that made their Olympic team. Of
course it would have been amazing and the cherry on top,
but it wasn't wasn't my core why I was riding.
And yes, I'm really glad I actually did that Olympic
(17:48):
cycle because I made the podium at the World Cup
late twenty eighteen in Argentina and that was just like
this kind of justification that I'm still one of the
best in the world and that I was right to
keep the living in myself even though others may been
cushing like my age or my injuries or whatever. So
(18:13):
that was quite a satisfying moment.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
So are you at peace with your elite career? Because,
as I mentioned, it's it's had it's had its peaks
and troughs. It's been a roller coaster. To use a
couple of cliches, Are you at peace with it?
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Yeah? Yeah, I'm really really proud that I'm at peace
with it. Like I didn't feel even after the Rio
cycle I committed to Tokyo. It wasn't like I need
to keep going because I feel like there's unfinished business.
It was I want to keep going because I love
it and with the benefit of hindsight being able to
(18:53):
go that was authentic and genuine, and that there doesn't
feel like anything that I left that I didn't achieve
that I wanted to or ever. It's kind of it's
really nice. So yes, definitely had paced with my whole
career and a journey that I had, and even through
(19:14):
the baoundaries and the feedbacks, it was all part of
that journey and like, yeah, it's really cool.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
And during the yeah, and during the Rio Games, even
though you couldn't compete, it was announced you'd been elected
onto the IOC Athletes Commission for an eight year term, which,
as I mentioned at the start of the chat, concludes
after the upcoming Paris Games. So what does that work
involved for you over the last eight years.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Yeah, that was that was pretty crazy. I remember being
at home and obviously with Rio it was quite a
big time difference that I did to Eliza McCartney. Actually
it was her first impacts and I said, if you
wake up on competition day and you just overwhelmed by
(19:59):
the fact that it's the day, which I would totally understand.
I've been there. If you need to bring me ring me,
I'll leave my phone on loud overnight and just just ring.
So my phone went off it to wait in the morning.
It was the only day that I left my phone
(20:19):
on loud and at the phone, thing it's going to
be Eliza, and it was actually the head of the
Athletes department at the IOC danying like you need to
be awake because the IOC president's going to caught with you.
So I was like, oh, all right, I'm awake, I'm away.
(20:43):
So I remember sitting just staring at my phone waiting
for this phone call, and at five a m. Three
hours later, I finally get the call, which is obviously
exciting that I was so wired for that, to get
(21:03):
the call being like, yeah, we want you to be
on the Athletes Commission, but in order to get on
the Athletes Commission this year, you need to be in
Rio tomorrow. So you need to be on the next
flight out of New Zealand to britil so that you
can become part of the IOC as an ethnic representative.
(21:24):
And so yeah, uh got my passports, drove to the airport,
flew out on the very next flight, and yeah, the
rest is history. But it's been so cool. So basically
I was pretty unwhelmed to start with about all the
different things that the committee do and all the different
(21:47):
initiatives and cool things that they're involved with, all the
different departments, and yeah, I think I was initially just
thought there was no way I'd be able to either
understand all of it. But like my sport, I just
focused on giving my best that I had each day
and each time that we had meetings, and in contributing
(22:10):
where I can, But yeah, I would time I learned
more and got better and could positively impact the the
athlete experience of being at the Olympics and the athlete
experience in general of between games as well. And it's
been very, very rewarding to be able to be part
(22:31):
of those decisions that that obviously make that impact the
athletes love.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
You know, Yeah, what a cool thing, What a cool
thing to be able to do. So where is your
silver metal? Where do you keep up?
Speaker 3 (22:44):
I think I think it's in the cavern and I
think I know which cabin that. Yeah, it's very worn,
the ribbon is tatty and the metal has some dents
in it, But like, I love that because I shared
(23:05):
it with as many people and schools, as many kids
basically as they could when I got home from the Games,
and got every kid that wanted to put it around
their neck and get a photo, like, just as many
hands on it as possible, because I think the first
time I held in the Olympic medal was at Beijing
(23:27):
Olympic and it was already been a massive goal of
mine anyway, but to hold a medal just I felt
like so inspired at Beijing, and now I could share
that with as many people as possible, so I did,
And so it's it's a lot worse for wear, and
(23:47):
it's sitting somewhere, and I'm sure if I went looking
for I would find it. But like I said, the
medal itself as an object became a symbol of how
I felt. But feeling even to this day, what twelve
(24:09):
years later, still is stronger than the metal itself and
the object, like, I don't need to hold the metal
to be reminded of the pride that I had on
that day. But maybe in the future, when a few
more years pass, I'll bring it out so that I
(24:30):
can look at it and be reminded more often. But
at the moment it's still I don't know. It seems
fairly it feels fresh enough that I don't need to
need it out to get that feeling, you know, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
I do.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
Well.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
It feels like the yeah, the medals. The metal has
been bumped and bruised a bit and knocked around in
a bit worse for wear, but still shining bright, no doubt,
which seems like a nice little analogy to you as well.
It's true, yeah, Sarah, it's been It's been such a
little light to chat to you. Thank you for being
so so authentic with a chat about your your BMX career.
(25:06):
It's been such such a cool twenty minutes Channey to you.
Thanks so much for taking the time.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
Yeah, Nori, thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
Thank you, Sarah. Sarah Walker there, silver medallist London twenty
twelve and the final stop on our road to Paris.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk sed B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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