No age limit on winning
There’s a corner in Alison Richards’ house devoted to her collection of medals and trophies won in a competitive career.
Her most recent win was at the Australian Masters Games in Adelaide, bringing home four gold medals for indoor rowing.
“I also did the New Zealand Masters Games earlier this year, but I was the only one in my grade,” she says. “I row as a lightweight, 55 to 59 [years].
“There was very little competition here in New Zealand so I thought I’d go further afield. I looked up the Adelaide Masters and a girlfriend and I set off for there. I did four races: the 100m, the 500, the 1000 and the 2000, and I got gold in all of them, which is kind of cool.”
She has had the medals engraved. Unbeknown to Ali, her friend, Jenny King, made a photo book of her competition.
“A fantastic record of everything that went on.”
Ali has been a competitive cyclist and rode for the Wanganui Cycle Club for a number of years.
“Cycling and rowing are compatible, and in 2007 my younger brother, a fireman in Auckland, was doing indoor rowing and came down here to the Masters Games.”
Watching him compete inspired Ali to take up the sport.
“He coached me from afar! I had never been on a rowing machine, but in four or five months I had it nailed — I had the miles in my legs from cycling. I went up to Takapuna to Short Course World’s and broke a world record in my age group over 1000m.”
She went to the gym to build up core strength for rowing and discovered body building instead.
“That’s what happened thereafter for nine years.”
In 2009 Ali was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“That was not ideal, but within 12 months I was back on stage representing New Zealand in Rarotonga [for Asia Pacific Body Building
Championships]. I overcame it and pushed on.
“As I’ve got older it becomes more difficult so I gave body building away and had a year off but decided I really like to compete so went back to rowing. The net result is I went to Australia and nailed it. It was wonderful.”
Shortly she will be in velodrome in Cambridge, competing in the New Zealand Indoor Rowing Champs.
Ali leads a busy life, training, competing, working in her cleaning job and enjoying her grandchildren as often as she can.
She sees continuing competition well into the future.
“That’s the beautiful thing: it’s five-year age groups and you can just keep going, as long as you’ve got the will and drive to do it.
“I am so passionate about what I do and I’m good at it. The inner me says keep going.” Ali hopes to compete next year at the Pan Pacific Masters Games in the Gold Coast.
“If I medalled in that it would be very good.”