Sam Gaze celebrates as he crosses the line to win mountain bike gold. Photo / Photosport
Sam Gaze celebrates as he crosses the line to win mountain bike gold. Photo / Photosport
Sam Gaze, returning to the top of the podium a better athlete and person, today sent a message of a different kind to Anton Cooper.
Gaze delivered a masterful ride to defend the mountain bike cross country title he won on the Gold Coast, destroying the field at Cannock ChaseForest to earn another gold medal.
He again led a Kiwi 1-2 in the event, with Ben Oliver 31 seconds back in silver, but that was where the similarities ended between the 2018 and 2022 races.
This time, with Cooper stuck in an isolation hotel after catching Covid at the worst possible time, there was no chance to write a new chapter in his rivalry with Gaze.
The pair's duel produced the most compelling moment of the Gold Coast Games, with Gaze out-sprinting Cooper to take victory on the line. But his success came with a sour aftertaste, as Gaze raised a middle finger in anger instead of a fist in triumph.
It was a different picture today in Birmingham. That clenched fist was held proudly above his head as Gaze crossed the line, a New Zealand flag draped over his shoulder.
Sam Gaze celebrates as he crosses the line to win mountain bike gold. Photo / Photosport
And after slamming shut the door on his challengers, Gaze then spoke openly about a bittersweet memory, bringing up unprompted Cooper's unfortunate absence.
"We're living in a golden era for the sport of mountain biking in New Zealand, and we deserved three people on the podium today," Gaze said with gold around his neck. "I think all of New Zealand is gutted - and Ben and myself are both gutted - that Anton isn't here because of Covid.
"So I hope that we did him proud, and I hope we did the country proud. It's definitely a special day."
It was one that Gaze, at various points in the last four years, must have wondered would ever come.
He suffered from depression after what should have been the highlight of his career, having previously claimed silver behind Cooper in 2014. He then battled to recover from two knee surgeries and a Covid case of his own, scuppering a few goals this season but leaving one box to tick in emphatic fashion.
"I just wanted to empty the tank," Gaze said. "Just to race my bike as fast as I can, to ride from the heart and enjoy every minute of today. It really felt like I did that and this result has just been a byproduct of everything that's gone in behind the scenes these last four years.
"I think everything happens for a reason; I think it's made me the person I am today. For sure, it's been a turbulent four years, and I've had my ups and downs, but I'm a lot more proud of this version of myself coming back four years later.
"In a weird way, I don't regret what happened four years ago, because it shaped me into who I am. I'm getting comfortable in my own skin."
Sam Gaze (right) and Ben Oliver celebrate the Kiwi 1-2. Photo / Photosport
That personal journey played a significant part in his pre-race motivations. After coming out the other side of his own struggles, Gaze wants to help others do likewise, competing for mental-health awareness and donating his skinsuit to the Sir John Kirwan Foundation.
"I grew up in the sport and had my identity maybe a bit too attached to the sportsperson. I had to try separate those things over the last four years," Gaze said. "We're just athletes; we're human after all. Everyone is exactly the same in this world.
