Hewitt leads assault on Rio
Kiwi triathlon star Andrea Hewitt heads a four-strong New Zealand team to compete at the Olympics, with Nicky Samuels (Wanaka), Tony Dodds (Wanaka) and Ryan Sissons (Auckland) confirmed yesterday to join the Cantab in Rio.
The 34-year-old Hewitt, who qualified her spot some time ago, will attend her third Games and is considered a strong medal chance.
She has been in solid form this year since returning to racing following a period out after the sudden death of her fiance and coach Laurent Vidal. The Frenchman suffered a cardiac arrest last November.
Hewitt was second in her most recent outing in a grand prix race in France and has also placed second in New Plymouth, third on the Gold Coast and fourth in Yokohama in major international races this year.
Of the four, only Dodds will be a first-time Olympian.
‘‘Being selected for Rio is a step towards my biggest goal,’’ he said. ‘‘I have been training since I was 13 years old for this, so it is a huge day in my career but only a step towards an even bigger day in August.
‘‘I always wanted to confirm my selection last year but injury prevailed over those plans. With my coach and support team, we then had to reassess our goals and think ‘we need to be ready in August, let’s plan for that one race’.
‘‘I can’t wait to represent my country, my family, my sport and all those who have helped me along the way to the very best of my ability.’’
Samuels finished 35th in London in 2012. The 33-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2014, finishing the year in the top five on world rankings with consecutive podium finishes.
‘‘I am very happy to be selected. It is always awesome to represent New Zealand but even more so at an Olympic Games. My supporters and I have spent the last four years working towards this. This has always been the goal, and to finish on the podium would be the ultimate.
‘‘The course is a good strength course too and New Zealand athletes have a good record on strength courses. Both Andrea and I are suited to this race. Any day with a solid bike ride as part of the triathlon is a good one for us,’’ she said.
Sissons is already in Europe for the northern hemisphere season and his buildup to Rio.
‘‘I am happy to be officially selected after meeting the criteria in Abu Dhabi in March. I always dreamed of going to one Olympic Games but to make two is amazing.
‘‘In some aspects the last six months have been very testing. I am especially happy to be there with Andrea. Both of us would love to have had Laurent [Vidal] there but we are sure he will be looking down and supporting us. We will both be doing our best to make him proud.’’
Triathlon New Zealand had earned three spots for the women in Rio under the International Triathlon Union qualification system but high performance manager Graeme Maw said the priority was to meet Tri NZ and NZOC selection standards.
‘‘We set out with challenging selection standards and are delighted to have four athletes who have met that criteria and are ready to chase their goals in Rio,’’ he said.