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RNZ News
25-04-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Olivia Podmore's parents on the inquest
Photo: Dianne Manson / Composite RNZ This week saw the the final few days of the coronial inquest into the death of olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore. Six months of harrowing evidence revealed the enormous pressure she was under after unwittingly exposing an affair between a coach and another athlete. Olivia died in a suspected suicide in 2021, one day after the Tokyo Olympics ended - which she wasn't selected for. A subsequent investigation into Cycling New Zealand revealed bullying and a lack of accountability. Olivia's Mum Nienke and her step dad Chris Middleton spoke to Susie Ferguson from their Christchurch home. The second part of Olivia Podmore inquest is being held in Christchurch this week. Photo: NZME/George Heard
RNZ News
23-04-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
'We will always be proud of Liv': Olivia Podmore inquest comes to an emotional conclusion
Photo: Dianne Manson / Composite RNZ The mother of Olivia Podmore has told a coronial inquest she has been shocked by the information that has been revealed over the last six months of the protracted proceedings. The inquest into the sudden death of the young athlete in August 2021 came to an emotional conclusion on Wednesday when Podmore's family addressed the court. In her closing statement, Podmore's mum Nienke Middleton said it had been difficult to hear about her daughter's experiences in the Cycling NZ programme. Earlier in the inquest, the court heard evidence the young athlete experienced "relentless bullying" after inadvertently exposing an affair between a coach and another athlete at a training camp in Bordeaux in 2016. The incident was the central controversy examined in Mike Heron's 2018 inquiry into the sport, which made a raft of damning findings. A further independent inquiry was carried out after Podmore's death, which Coroner Louella Dunn has indicated will be ruled a suicide. But Middleton told the court it was only through the inquest process that she has learned the true extent of what the Olympic sprint cyclist experienced during her time under the care of Cycling NZ. "It's taken nearly four years to piece together the full story of what happened to my daughter. And now that we have, we are shocked. Shocked because Livi had asked so many people, particularly those in senior management, for help over the years," Middleton said. "People who knew what was happening tried to help, they were not listened to and they, in turn, didn't last long at Cycling NZ and High Performance Sport NZ." Elite sprint cyclist Olivia Podmore pictured with her mother, Nienke Middleton, at Christchurch Airport in August 2021. The Rio Olympian died in a suspected suicide at her Cambridge flat later that day. Photo: Supplied While Middleton knew her daughter had struggled at times at Cycling NZ, she said she had no inkling that Podmore had been in such psychological distress. "That day I had no idea why Livi took her own life. The first I heard that Livi had been having health struggles was from Raelene Castle and Jacques Landry in a television interview the next day. "We had no idea what had been going on. Nobody from Cycling NZ or High Performance Sport NZ thought it might be worth contacting me over the five years Livi was in Cambridge." Podmore's father, Philip, also took the opportunity to make a personal statement to the court. In his first public comments since the death of his daughter, Philip Podmore said it was his hope that no other family of a young athlete has to experience such a senseless tragedy. "After sitting through this inquest, we have learned a lot more about the struggles Olivia faced while being under the care of Cycling NZ. We hope Cycling NZ and High Performance [Sport NZ] can learn from this tragic event," a visibly emotional Philip Podmore said. "From what we have heard during the inquest, this could have been avoided." "We will always be proud of Liv and amazed at the courage she showed lasting as long as she did throughout all of this. We love her dearly and know she will live on in all the people that she positively influenced throughout her short life. We miss you so much, Liv Rose." Counsel for Cycling NZ, Paul David KC, acknowledged what Podmore experienced in the programme "should never have happened". David assured the court the sport has undergone a major cultural shift in the wake of Podmore's shock death. "The evidence before the inquest shows that cycling has responded to Olivia's death by doing all in its power to see that the training and competitive environment for the teams of athletes, coaches and support staff is positive and enjoyable." Elite cyclist Olivia Podmore died in August 2021 in a suspected suicide. Photo: Supplied In a statement released at the conclusion of the hearing, High Performance Sport NZ chief executive Raelene Castle, acknowledged the emotional toll the process has taken on Podmore's friends and family. "We thank them for the integrity and grace with which they have conducted themselves throughout this inquest," Castle said. "Athlete wellbeing is one of three key focuses of the HPSNZ strategy and there has been significant work done by HPSNZ and the National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) over the last five years including more dedicated health providers, a focus on athlete wellbeing and voice mechanisms, supported with increased levels of investment. "The Inquest, and its ultimate findings, along with this ongoing work, are important factors to ensure athletes can thrive and succeed in the high performance environment, now and into the future." If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
22-04-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Olivia Podmore inquest: Whistleblowing 'carried quite a burden' for young athlete
Photo: Diane Mason / Composite RNZ Olivia Podmore's experiences as a whistleblower was the "dominant feature" in her deteriorating mental state in the lead-up to her death, a forensic psychiatrist has told an inquest. The coronial inquest into the Olympic cyclist's sudden death in August 2021 resumed in Christchurch on Tuesday , following an abrupt halt to proceedings late last year. Before the hearing resumed, Coroner Louella Dunn took the opportunity to apologise to Podmore's family for the lengthy delay. Coroner Dunn explained an adjournment was granted after "hearing from High Performance Sport NZ, who sought further time to prepare to cross examine" the independent expert witness Dr Erik Monasterio. "I apologise for the delay and the disruption," she said. "It is proper that the system works fairly for all parties involved." In his evidence late last year, Dr Monasterio described shortcomings in some aspects of Cycling NZ and High Performance Sport NZ's handling of Podmore's care . He told the court there appeared to be a widespread lack of recognition among officials and medical staff about the impact being a whistleblower had on Podmore's well-being. Earlier in the inquest, the court heard Podmore experienced "relentless bullying" after inadvertently exposing an affair between a coach and another athlete in the programme at a training camp in Bordeaux in the lead up to the Rio Olympics. The scandal led to a major inquiry into Cycling NZ in 2018. "It's interesting that… this concept of her being a whistleblower isn't identified as a key issue, and the reason I say that is that the impact of whistleblowing is relatively well understood in science and in clinical practice, and it's very sad to say, that people who whistle blow don't do well," Dr Monasterio said in December. "She did not receive any assistance to try to come to terms and manage the impact of the whistleblowing, which carried quite a burden for her." Dr Erik Monasterio Photo: NZME/George Heard Under cross examination on Tuesday, Dr Monasterio was challenged on why he zeroed in on Podmore's experiences during this tumultuous period from 2016-2018, some three years before her death, as to the cause of her ongoing distress. Stephanie Grieve KC, counsel for High Performance Sport NZ, asked Dr Monasterio why he did not place as much weight on the challenges Podmore experienced in her teenage years, including the separation of her parents. "In terms of this weighting, I'm putting to you that you've… singled out the cycling issues, but haven't weighted as much the personal issues," Grieve submitted. Dr Monasterio said Podmore's personal challenges were a contributing factor in her mental health challenges, but he believed the burden of what the talented young rider faced when she first entered the system was significant. "Look, all these factors are important, but the timing of events, to my mind, strongly support the proposition that the Bordeaux incident and Heron inquiry were very significant, that's why I've given them more weight," Dr Monasterio responded. "Then in evidence I heard the extent to which Olivia was allegedly bullied and excluded, and in my opinion for a young woman around the ages of 18-20 to meet that level of adversity, that's a very dominant feature." Dr Monasterio told the court he believed the trauma of this period resurfaced for Podmore after she missed selection for the Tokyo Olympics. The court heard last year that Podmore sought to appeal her non-selection for the 2021 Games, and believed her omission from the team was for political, rather than performance reasons. Dr Monasterio said while it was not for him to determine the fairness of the selection decision, he found Cycling NZ's evidence that the selection processes were correctly followed to be "compelling". However, he said Podmore's perception "would have been coloured by the experiences she had previously". "What happened in 2016 through to 2018 was there was a lot of distress, which reached a threshold of being psychologically traumatic for a young person. It would seem that Olivia was trying to come to terms with that," Dr Monasterio said. "Things seemed to improve in 2019, and then there is this reappearance of significant anxiety and distress in 2021, which is when we have this first manifestation of suicidal thoughts. "In my view there is a connection between those two events." Dr Monasterio acknowledged important steps have been taken by Cycling NZ to overhaul the culture of the programme in the wake of Podmore's death. He said it appeared the independent inquiry into Cycling NZ and High Performance Sport NZ - which was sparked by the shock death of the young athlete - was an "influential factor" in the two organisations addressing athlete welfare issues "in a more assertive way". "Certainly positive steps have been taken to improve what was there before," Dr Monasterio said. "I'm persuaded in hearing the evidence that substantial steps have been taken, and the two organisations have taken the matter in hand very seriously." Dr Monasterio's evidence will continue on Wednesday when he takes the stand for a third day. If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
21-04-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Olivia Podmore inquest: Hearing to resume following lengthy adjournment
Photo: Diane Mason / Composite RNZ This story discusses mental health and suicide. A list of helplines is available at the bottom of the page. The coronial inquest into the death of Olympic sprint cyclist Olivia Podmore resumes in Christchurch on Tuesday following an abrupt halt to the proceedings last year. The three-week inquest before Coroner Louella Dunn was originally set to wrap in early December, however, the hearing was adjourned in the final week to allow a continuation of evidence . RNZ is unable to report the reasons for the need for a continuation. The shock death of the young athlete in August 2021 was referred to the Hamilton Coroner's Court. However, the remaining three days of the inquest will be heard in Christchurch, where Podmore's family is from, to help ease some of the financial burden on them. The court will this week hear further evidence from forensic psychiatrist Dr Erik Monasterio, the independent expert witness. It is also expected Podmore's family will give their final statements to the court. Podmore's mother, Nienke Middleton, described the first three weeks of the hearing as "emotionally draining", but she was relieved that after two major inquiries into Cycling NZ and High Performance Sport NZ, her daughter's harrowing experiences were finally coming to light. Here's what we've learned so far at the inquest: During the first week of the inquest the court heard evidence Podmore was subjected to "relentless" bullying and intimidation after unwittingly exposing an affair between a coach and athlete during a training camp in Bordeaux - three weeks out from the Rio Olympic Games. The teen was pressured to lie to protect the coach and athlete, and was blamed for causing disruption to the camp in the lead-up to the Games. Nicholle Bailey, the ex-wife of the disgraced coach, gave evidence the coach refused to wheel Podmore to the startline before her races at the Olympics and told her: "You do not deserve to be here". "The whole Games [the coach] was messaging her telling she didn't deserve to be there and she should be grateful," she said. "She told me that as she was leaving the pits he whispered in her ear, 'Don't crash, don't f***ing crash, just don't f***ing crash'." Nicholle Bailey giving evidence at the inquest into the death of Olivia Podmore in December 2024. Photo: Mark Jephson / Stuff Bailey said her former husband continued to target Podmore after the team returned from the Games. "[The coach] would berate Olivia on all aspects of her personal life. Who she was seeing and when, what she ate, the size of her bottom, her haircut, how many boys she slept with and more. It was relentless," said Bailey. Despite what one health practitioner termed as a "serious breach in athlete safeguarding" in the build-up to the Rio Olympics , Cycling NZ did not take any further action against the coach until nearly two years later. Former Cycling NZ chief executive Andrew Matheson told the court he did not have evidence to take formal action until Podmore, worn down by two years of "mental abuse" lodged a complaint after the 2018 Commonwealth Games. "I was clearly aware of rumours ... but we did not have any real evidence that demonstrated that relationship," Matheson said. Andrew Matheson led Cycling NZ from 2014-2018. Photo: Photosport However, former Cycling NZ team manager Jess Massey gave evidence that she had been formally documenting concerns about "ethical and behavioural issues" involving the coach for more than two years prior to the Bordeaux incident. The court also heard evidence of an email sent by former Cycling NZ chair Simon Perry in mid-2017, which referenced an "anonymous informant", who confirmed the inappropriate relationship between the coach and athlete. "I have spoken first hand with the informant and confirmed that the circumstances described are factual ... Something serious to deal with, the ripple effect is significant," the email read. Podmore's complaint eventually led to an independent inquiry into Cycling NZ headed by former solicitor general Mike Heron KC. The court heard Podmore told a health practitioner in January 2021 that she was having thoughts of taking her own life . She told the practitioner she felt flat, both physically and mentally since endometriosis surgery in October 2020 and that she sometimes wondered if she would be better off dead. "I was very concerned obviously. That's the first time she'd presented with any thoughts of self-harm or suicide, and that's a very serious thing to say," the practitioner wrote in his evidence. He queried whether she had made any plans or searched methods, which she had not, and discussed a safety plan including who to call if she had the thoughts again. Olivia Podmore died in August 2021 in a suspected suicide. Photo: Photosport Two health practitioners treating Podmore also testified that it was recognised that the Tokyo Olympic Games - which the sprint cyclist missed selection for - would be a difficult time for the young athlete. Plans were made for Podmore to receive additional support during the Games period, but the first check-in was not scheduled until August 6 - two days out from the closing ceremony. Podmore cancelled the appointment as she was away down in Queenstown snowboarding at the time. Three days later the practitioner received the tragic news that Podmore had died in a suspected suicide. "More assertive steps should have been taken" when Podmore first reported suicidal ideation, according to independent expert witness Dr Erik Monasterio, an independent expert witness , told the court when Podmore's state of mind deteriorated to expressing suicidal thoughts, health practitioners should have considered more interventions. "Given her known history of having been considered a whistleblower, given the stress in her relationship with the sporting bodies, and what seems to me to be a fairly pervasive pattern of fluctuating but definite deterioration in mental state, more assertive steps should have been taken at that time." Monasterio said suicidal ideation to deal with stress, especially at a young age, was not a normal response and should have been a warning flag - especially as it was a new response in January 2021. Dr Monasterio also told the court there appeared to be a widespread lack of recognition among Cycling NZ officials and medical staff about the impact being a "whistleblower" had on Podmore's wellbeing. "Here is a young woman, who, at a very early age, finds herself in a very stressful situation," Dr Monasterio said. Dr Erik Monasterio, a forensic psychiatrist, is assisting coroner Louella Dunn as an independent expert witness. Photo: Pool / NZME - Mike Scott "It's interesting that this concept of her being a whistleblower isn't identified as a key issue, and the reason I say that is that the impact of whistleblowing is relatively well understood in science and in clinical practice, and it's very sad to say, that people who whistle blow don't do well. "She did not receive any assistance to try to come to terms and manage the impact of the whistleblowing, which carried quite a burden for her." Dr Monasterio's evidence will continue this week. After Podmore's death, HPSNZ launched another major inquiry into Cycling NZ and the wider system. Cycling NZ's current chief executive, Simon Peterson, gave evidence the sport has undergone a marked cultural transformation since the findings of the second inquiry were published . Peterson said one of the biggest developments he has seen during his time at the organisation is the appointment of a fulltime people and culture manager. The Cycling NZ boss said when an issue is reported by an athlete, the people and culture manager "immediately removes the conversation from the HP space and says 'what is best for the person' not the programme". "It's been a game changer in terms of bringing issues to the fore." Sport NZ chief executive Raelene Castle said Podmore's "very real legacy" can be seen in the many reforms the government agency has undertaken in the wake of the young athlete's tragic death. She highlighted changes to the Tailored Athlete Pathway Support (TAPS) system as something that has made a "significant difference" in athletes' lives. Castle said TAPS payments to athletes increased in 2024 to $50,000 per year for those on an elite training grant, and $25,000 for athletes on a potential training grant. "The most significant change is that most of the elite grants will now be guaranteed for four years to give athletes more certainty around how long they are going to be funded for, and this was instigated on the back of consultation with our athlete voice groups." Castle also pointed to other reforms including beefing up record keeping, improving the organisation's electronic health systems, education programmes for coaches, and a greater focus on women's health as being evidence of her organisation's commitment to wellbeing. Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason. Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357 Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends. Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 (24/7) or text 4202 Samaritans: 0800 726 666 (24/7) Youthline: 0800 376 633 (24/7) or free text 234 or email talk@ What's Up: free counselling for 5 to 19 years old, online chat 11am-10.30pm 7days/week or free phone 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787 11am-11pm Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm or text 832 Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and English. Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254 Healthline: 0800 611 116 Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155 OUTLine: 0800 688 5463 (6pm-9pm) If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
