It’s not just about the bike, says Gaze after win
Sam Gaze ended his last Commonwealth Games with a pointed gesture.
The New Zealand mountain bike star has done the same in Birmingham – but this time with his focus on the greatest good.
Gaze led a New Zealand 1-2 in the men’s cross-country mountain bike race at Cannock Chase Forest with team-mate Ben Oliver taking silver as they dominated proceedings against a weakened field.
It would most likely have been a Kiwi trifecta had Anton Cooper, the 2014 champion and Gold Coast runner-up, not been forced to withdraw from this year’s race the previous day after contracting Covid-19.
Gaze blazed his way around eight laps of the course in 1hr 34:19 – giving him the win by 31 seconds from Oliver, who had a 1:31 buffer over bronze medallist Alexander Miller of Namibia – after declaring pre-race he would compete for mental health awareness and donate his skin suit to the Sir John Kirwan Foundation.
‘‘I want to make an impact rather than just ride my bike fast,’’ Gaze said. ‘‘Sportspeople are just people who have found their talent.
‘‘But if we can make an impact in things we believe in, things that can actually serve the country a good cause then it makes me happy doing it.’’
The 26-year-old has had depression in recent years, partly sparked by his victory in the same event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, when his gold medal triumph over team-mate Cooper was highlighted by Gaze giving Cooper the finger as Cooper rode past him heading into the last lap.
Gaze had entered the pits to fix a puncture on his rear tyre and Cooper attacked immediately, but Gaze chased him down before accusing Cooper of bad sportsmanship soon after hopping off his bike.
Gaze later apologised for his response, was fined NZ$282 by cycling’s governing body and later said if he had his time again he would ‘‘completely change my post-race interview’’.
‘‘We’re just athletes – we’re human after all. Everyone is exactly the same in this world,’’ Gaze said after completing back-toback golds.
‘‘My identity [was] maybe attached a bit too much to the sportsperson. I had to try and separate those things over the past four years.’’
While he didn’t blame people of being ‘‘upset and mad’’ after fiery post-race comments in 2018, he said it had also been a difficult period of his career.
‘‘I didn’t uphold that responsibility [of representing his country] the best I could have. But of course, it has been hard; it is never nice to have death threats sent to you,’’ he said post-Gold Coast.
After his win in the Midlands, Gaze reflected on the impact of that event.
‘‘I think everything happens for a reason. ‘‘I’m a lot more proud of this version of myself coming back four years later.
‘‘I’ve a greater sense of self, and the person in me is I like to think a lot-more wellrounded and a better athlete for it. In a weird way I don’t regret what happened four years ago because it shaped me into who I am today.’’