World Triathlon Championship: Stroke survivor one of seven inspiring Hawke’s Bay athletes taking to the world stage

Seven Hawke's Bay athletes will take to the world triathlon stage this month is Spain, including stroke survivor Michael Whitesmith (right and inset) and Sunshine Coast domiciled Nikki Fox (left).

Four years ago Hawke’s Bay teacher and stroke survivor Michael Whitesmith wondered if he’d ever be able to tackle a triathlon again.

“I didn’t know how my body was going to come out of it,” he said.

“I felt okay in my head, mostly, but I wasn’t too sure if I put my body under strain from exercise what would happen.”

Now, after years of hard work and determination, he’s about to make his family and students proud when he reps the silver fern on the world stage for the first time at the World Triathlon Championship in Spain later this month.

Whitesmith, now 44, was fixing his garage door in December of 2020 when his wife immediately realised something was wrong.

“I was at home trying to fix the garage door, and I walked back into the lounge and my wife spotted something was wrong straight away,” he recalled.

“I couldn’t remember much from that point onwards, but she said I initially appeared kind of drunk when obviously I hadn’t been drinking. She also saw the side of my face droop and that my left arm wasn’t working properly.”

If it wasn’t for his wife’s quick thinking, Whitesmith says he may not have made the full recovery he has.

“I was really lucky it was seen by my wife very quickly, so the ambulance turned up very quickly and I was in hospital very quickly,” he said.

“If you can get to hospital quickly from the time the stroke starts showing itself, you’ve got a good chance of making a full recovery, which is what happened.”

A triathlete since his mid-20s, Whitesmith said it was an incremental journey getting back into things after the stroke.

He said taking things slowly and assessing how the body recovered with the support of his Hawke’s Bay Triathlon crew were key elements to getting match fit again.

“I had to be very careful to start out. I also made sure I exercised around other people, like my Hawke’s Bay triathlon friends, so if anything went wrong, they were right there.

“It’s an awesome club to be a part of. It’s great to be training with people that have the same mindset and enjoy waking up and exercising.”

Being a teacher, Whitesmith said he’s no stranger to getting up in those early hours, with most of his training is done between 5-6.30am before he starts school.

He said his students are also part of what has inspired him to thrive in his triathlon journey.

“That’s another motivation for me, not just being a role model for my own two children, but for the school as well. I think it’s cool to show the kids that with hard work you can compete for NZ on the world stage.”

As for his other inspirations, he cited fellow Kiwi Braden Currie as someone he looked up to.

“He’s amazing because he has a real family approach to what he does.”

Whitesmith is one of a record seven Triathlon Hawke’s Bay members travelling to the competition in Torremolinos to race, and for five of the team, it is their first time attending a World Triathlon Championship event.

Liana Gerbes (44-49 years) is racing the Sprint distance and hopes to make a mixed relay team and is travelling with her supportive husband, Chris. She’s also eyeing up Taupō Ironman in March 2025.

Bram De Boeck (40-44 years) has overcome several injuries over the past two years and is participating in two events, the Sprint Triathlon and the Standard Aquabike.

For married couple Lynne (50-54) and Greg Morgan (55-59), this will be Lynne’s third world championship but for Greg it is his first time.

Sunshine Coast-domiciled Nikki Fox (55-59) is also making her world championship debut, but she did do World Ironman Championship in Kona, Hawaii in 2023. Not bad for someone who has only been doing triathlon for two years.

Club life member Fred Koenders (65-69) will compete in his sixth worlds event. He has been lucky to also manage the New Zealand team at two other world championship locations.

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.