Ney steps up in Adelaide at ITU 2018 Oceania Cup

BACK IN THE SWING OF IT: Gisborne triathlete Josiah Ney has made an outstanding comeback from injuries that could have cut short his athletic career. Picture by Kevin Weatherley

IN October 2017, Josiah Ney marked a year since the accident that could have scuppered his career.

He had broken his collarbone and scapula (shoulder blade) in a high-speed cycling crash.

Ney spent three days in hospital and it was three months before he could get back into proper training.

But just a month after that, he made a comeback at the New Zealand sprint triathlon championships in Kinloch, where he beat more than 125 rivals (including his coach Stephen Sheldrake) to come first in the sprint individual category. He also won the men’s 16-to-19-year age group.

“It was a pretty dramatic accident and I had a lot of metalware holding my shoulder together, so it was an awesome feeling to win my first race back from the injury,” the Gisborne Boys’ High School student said.

Ney, 17, is in Adelaide at the ITU 2018 Oceania Cup racing world-renowned athletes.

The recipient of Eastland Port sponsorship, Ney said he was using the grant to help fund his overseas racing and the ever-present demands for the pricey gear required for top-level triathlon competition.

“It can get pretty expensive and because my two younger brothers race as well, that’s a big financial commitment for my family,” he said.

“If I am going to take it to the next level, support like the Eastland Port sponsorship is vital.”

Mum a multi-sporterIt’s not just Ney’s siblings who are into the sport. Mum Kate is a keen multi-sporter, too.

“When I was eight or nine I was into heaps of sports but watching (Canadian triathlete) Simon Whitfield at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games inspired me to roll them all into one,” Josiah Ney said.

The family were living in Canada when dad Patrick, a medical doctor (the vocation Josiah hopes to pursue), brought the family to Gisborne for a working holiday. They all loved it so much they wanted to make it home.

Josiah Ney said moving to New Zealand had been great for his development.

“The level of competition is much higher. Here, there are so many people who could win on any given day, so it pushes you to be a better athlete.”

Former Olympic triathlete Stephen Sheldrake reckons Ney has what it takes to make it on the world stage, and so does Triathlon Regional Youth Academy coach John Scott.

“Josiah has the drive, physical ability and mental strength to become an athlete representing New Zealand at the highest levels,” Scott said.

Eastland Port general manager Andrew Gaddum was impressed with Josiah from the start.

“This is a young man who wants to succeed,” Gaddum said.

“From the minute he approached me, his enthusiasm for triathlon was obvious and as I learned more about his training schedule I could only think, ‘Canada’s loss is New Zealand’s gain’.

“That drive and enthusiasm is what we are looking for when we select young athletes for sponsorship.”

Josiah is aiming to cross the ditch again for the Junior World Triathlon Championships in September. In New Zealand, he has the New Zealand Secondary School Championships in Nelson, and the New Zealand Junior Championships in New Plymouth, both in March.

And for the long term?

“I think if you ask that of any serious athlete, they’re going to say that standing on the podium at the Olympic Games is always the goal,” he said.

“That's what I am shooting for.”