Athletes Tom Walsh and Sam Dakin. Photo / Instagram @tomwalshnzl @sl.owcoffee
Ever wondered what New Zealand’s Olympians do for a day job?
The 2024 Paris Olympics are just around the corner, kicking off on Friday, July 26 to be exact, and our beloved Kiwi Olympians are no doubt putting in the blood, sweat and mahi to bring home gold.
But when they’re not training for global sporting events, climbing up podiums and making Aotearoa proud, what are their other trained professions?
Many of New Zealand’s top athletes have no choice when it comes to balancing their careers on the sports field with another job. Self-funding your journey to the Olympics is a common expectation for Kiwi sports stars. However, others opt to take on side hustles as an extra passion project - a breath of fresh air outside of their sports.
From builders and business owners to OnlyFans creators, we’ve rounded up the interesting daily grinds of eight of New Zealand’s sporting elite.
Read More: When are the Olympics 2024? Know about Paris Olympics dates, schedule, how to watch and more
Cyclist by day and coffee entrepreneur by night, Sam Dakin took his passion for a cup of joe and turned it into a side hustle, starting SL.OW coffee roasters in 2022.
Of course, cycling and coffee have long been intertwined, for what is a day out on the bike without a halfway cafe stop? But Dakin’s entry into the coffee sphere extends beyond a cup of beans.
He tells The Herald: “I love how it brings people together at cafes and their homes and the sense of community you can build through coffee.”
With two Olympic bronze medals to his name, a 15-year shotput career under his belt and too many podium wins to count, you’d think Tom Walsh wouldn’t have time for a day job - let alone putting in the mahi as a builder.
In 2023, Walsh put his strength and building expertise to the test, telling the Herald’s Michael Burgess of his personal construction project, building a gymnasium and, quite possibly, the country’s biggest man cave on his Timaru block of land.
“It would be pushing it for sure”, he admitted, going on to say: “40 square metres on the mezzanine floor, 40 square metres on the gym floor. Definitely a contender.”
Breaking records and barriers, Robbie Manson is the current world record holder in the single sculls, the fastest sculler in rowing history and the first Kiwi Olympian to start an OnlyFans.
According to the Herald’s Spy, Manson aims to “promote healthy masculinity, to challenge homophobia in sports and raise awareness about mental health”, adding that those who subscribe to his content will be directly supporting him on his journey to the Paris Olympics. However, Manson noted that his content isn’t sexually explicit but rather embraces and champions nudity, an act that competitors in the ancient Olympics were well known for doing too.
The athlete also does online coaching on the side.
When 26-year-old Eva Morris isn’t in the pool, she’s teaching Reformer Pilates at a studio in Papamoa. “I honestly love teaching Pilates”, she tells the Herald. “It doesn’t feel like work to me. It’s so nice to connect with clients and help people move their bodies in a way that feels good.”
Though very different in form and element, Morris admits her two passions coincide nicely. “Often I can find a crossover between the muscles and techniques we use in Synchro [synchronised swimming] that come through really strong and Pilates.”
Kurtis Imrie is heading to Paris to paddle in the Men’s Canoe Sprint K2 and K4 events. But when he’s back at home, he also spends his time working as a part-time sparky.
Juggling his sport and his trade can be “tricky”, says Imrie, particularly when it comes to recovery and eating. While preparing for the Olympics, he “had to be really organised with nutrition” and would train before heading to work for the day.
However, the sportsman wouldn’t have it any other way, with his job on land bringing balance to his busy schedule. “I found work helped me a lot as I’m learning a skill for post being an athlete and also it’s nice to not be thinking about training all day and just get into work.”
When James Preston isn’t running the 800 metres, he’s running the site as a project manager.
A graduate assistant project manager for Beca, Preston isn’t naive about his career as a runner - he knows it won’t last forever. “Pursuing a degree in building science and then later a career within a professional services and engineering consultancy meant that I have a career once running is finished”, he tells the Herald. “It is also incredibly tough to make a living from the sport. So the project management career has helped me fund my athletic pursuits both domestically and abroad.”
However, despite the stress that often accompanies balancing two jobs, Preston owes his success to his flexible and supportive Beca team and a passion for his project, Te Whare Wai Para Nuku (Wellington’s sludge facility), at Moa Point. “Working on an engaging and interesting project has certainly helped with the challenges in juggling both,” he says.
Olympic swimmer Hazel Ouwehand is not only a buff when it comes to butterfly, but she’s sharp with numbers too. Ouwehand is a senior accountant at Baker Tilly Staples Rodway and, when she’s not breaking New Zealand records in the water, she’s balancing budgets on land.
In a statement on the accounting firm’s page, Ouwehand shared a glimpse of her daily life. “I want to do my physical exercise at either end of the day and then during the day I want to exercise my brain. Switch it up.”
Tayla Ford is New Zealand’s first female wrestler to be sent to the Olympics and while it is a milestone feat for the sports star, the moment didn’t come without a lot of hard work behind the scenes.
In April, she shed light on just how expensive competing in the sport is, telling RNZ that it had cost her nearly $20,000 in the past year to wrestle at an Olympic level.
But determined to do what she loves, the wrestler made a plan. “I have two to three jobs”, she said, adding: “I do coaching in the evening as well as do my own training amongst the coaching.”
The Paris Olympics kick off on Friday, July 26. Kiwis can watch the Games on Sky Sport Now and follow NZ Herald Sport for all your up-to-the-minute coverage.
Megan Watts is a lifestyle multimedia journalist and has been working for the NZ Herald since 2022. Her writing passions include pop culture deep dives, backstage band chats and doing things for the plot.