Olympics 2024: Ellesse Andrews credits success to New Zealand’s passion for cycling

Ellesse Andrews has now won four Olympic medals for New Zealand. Photo / Photosport

Ellesse Andrews emerged on to the Olympic scene in Tokyo, but it was in Paris where she established herself as the one to beat in world track cycling.

Silver in the team sprint, gold in the keirin and topped off with a gold in the individual sprint it was historic Games for the 24-year-old as she became the first woman to complete the sprint/keirin Olympic double.

Andrews’ three medals took New Zealand’s tally to 14 from 17 Olympiads; an impressive strike rate for a nation whose most-googled Olympic statistic is the medals-per-capita table.

The four-time Olympic medallist told Newstalk ZB she feels New Zealand’s prowess in cycling comes from people up and down the country who are passionate about the sport, not just in its spiritual home of Cambridge.

“I think with cycling in New Zealand it’s not just about Cambridge, it’s not about that hub, it’s about the whole country and what cycling means to the whole country.

“I have grown up in various different areas around New Zealand. Wānaka being one of them, [it’s] amazing for mountain biking, you know. So I would get on my mountain bike as a kid and I’d sprint [against] my parents and that was so much fun and that’s what made me excited.

“Moving down to Invercargill where I tried track cycling, they have an absolute passion for cycling there. They love it and so the Southland programme really, really helped nurture me, Canterbury the same, there’s just so many local legends in Canterbury that are just so passionate about what they do.”

On Cambridge, Andrews said having a genuinely world-class facility to train at gives the New Zealand team a real shot at competing with the best in the world, along with the buy-in from the local community.

“Moving into Cambridge, where I moved when I was 16, [it’s a] similar thing, you know, we have that facility there - it’s world-class. I have people who support me, sponsors, the facility, the community, everything there is just so special.

“And so I think it’s the tight-knit community and it’s the passion that’s within that community.”