Kiwi high flier gets ready for Olympics
They call them the alpine kids.
Those lucky enough to be brought up in snow sport meccas Queenstown and Wanaka and put on a pair of skis or snowboarding boots – some as early at two-years-old.
Nico Porteous was four when he first started skiing.
Eleven years later the halfpipe freeskier is set to become New Zealand’s youngest Winter Olympian.
Porteous, 15, realised one of his dreams this week when he was selected for the New Zealand Winter Olympic team to compete next February in Pyeongchang, South Korea. He will be 16 years and 78 days when the games begin.
Born in Christchurch, the Porteous family moved to Wanaka when he was still crawling. It was inevitable his feet would land on skis or a snowboard.
Turns out Porteous and his brother – fellow Winter Olympian Miguel Porteous, 18 – are both pretty handy on skis. Miguel and Nico impressed earlier this year at the Winter Games NZ as they finished fifth on the halfpipe at Cardrona in August. The younger brother landed his first left double cork 1440 ever in competition at the event which was part of the FIS World Cup.
When he learned this week that he would be an Olympian, Nico admitted he was a little bit surprised, but he would have been disappointed had he missed skiing in South Korea with his best mate and big brother.
‘‘It did come as a bit of a surprise, but I also knew it was something that could happen.’’
His aim is to make the top ten in Pyeongchang and after that ‘‘anything can happen’’.
While being the youngest ever New Zealander to compete at the games is a thrill, he’s not dwelling on that fact and believes age is irrelevant in his sport.
‘‘It is a cool feeling, but I don’t see age as any sort of disadvantage. I [will] just be myself out there and hope the results come.
‘‘I’m not really intimidated. I mean, of course you are because they [competitors] are so good, but I don’t see age as something to fear.
‘‘Experience is valuable of course, but age no. Anyone can win at any age, but it just depends on how strong you are, how mentally strong you are.’’
Growing up in Christchurch, then Wanaka, the two brothers have always been close and have a competitive relationship on the slopes.
The teenage brothers have the same coach and know each other’s runs back to front. When one wins, the other is quick to pat him on the back, Nico said.
The pair are home schooled as it helps with training.
Both brothers will leave for Austria next week for a training camp and then Colorado for the first world cup of the northern hemisphere cycle. They will sit their NCEA school exams from the US and Nico is confident he will pass.
His dream goal is to get a podium finish at both the Winter Olympics and X Games, and he knows, at 15, time, is on his side.
‘‘I’ve got a lot of time, but I would like to do it as early as possible and then build on from that.’’
He won’t change his training regime as the event nears, as at his age he already knows upping-the-ante can lead to injury and strain on the body.