New Zealand cyclist and Paris Olympics medallist Nicole Shields has decided to retire from high-performance sport.
The 26-year-old from Central Otago won a silver medal in the women’s team pursuit at the 2024 Olympic Games, after being beaten by the United States team by 0.621 seconds.
Shields started her careerin road cycling before joining a training group on the velodrome at Invercargill.
This led to selections for New Zealand teams that competed at the 2016 Switzerland and 2017 Italy UCI Junior Track World Championships, returning home with silver medals in team pursuit from both tournaments.
She then returned to road cycling and raced in the United States and South America for three years under the USA Pro Continental team DNA Pro Cycling banner.
Shields decided to return to the track in 2022 and earned a place in the Cycling New Zealand High Performance endurance track squad and then was picked to be in the quartet that rode in the 4000m team pursuit in Paris.
Nicole Shields (second left) enjoyed medal success for New Zealand and has now retired from high-performance sport. Photo / SWPix, Alex Whitehead
Ryan Hollows, Cycling New Zealand’s high performance director, said Shields was an outstanding athlete in the high performance programme.
“Nicole’s dedication and desire earned her a place on the team for Paris and ultimately on to the podium for a well-deserved silver medal,” Hollows said.
“On and off the bike, Nicole has been a massive contributor and we wish her the very best in her next adventure.”
After securing a medal at the Olympics, Shields took a sabbatical, which included riding 4500km through East Africa to raise money for World Bike Relief, a charity that provides bicycles to rural communities around the world.
Shields and fellow Olympian Hamish Legarth, a kayaker, started their ride in Uganda in July last year and finished 78 days later in Zimbabwe.
Shields had previously taken part in cross-country rides, including from Cambridge to Wellington and from Los Angeles to San Francisco, but said her Africa ride was the first time she had been bikepacking, which is like backpacking but with bikes.
“Got to start somewhere. May as well make it a big one,” Shields said at the time.
