Olivia Podmore died in 2021. An inquest into her death will begin on Monday.
Photo: Supplied / Dianne Manson

Warning: This story deals with mental health and suicide.

For more than three years, Olivia Podmore’s family has tried to piece together the puzzle of her life. To understand what led to the events of August 9, 2021 – the day after the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics – when the elite sprint cyclist, 24, died by presumed suicide.

Over the next three weeks, in courtroom seven at Hamilton District Court, they will get the closest answers possible.

Coroner Luella Dunn will open an inquest into the death of the Rio Olympic athlete on Monday. More than 25 witnesses are expected to be called during the three-week hearing, including Podmore’s former coaches, past and present Cycling NZ executives and High Performance Sport NZ (HPSNZ) officials.

For Podmore’s family, it will be an opportunity to ask questions that have been bothering them for a long time.

His death, and the subsequent outpouring of anger and emotion from other athletes, parents and High Performance System support staff, prompted an independent investigation into Cycling NZ and HPSNZ.

But that investigation, led by Mike Heron KC and Professor Sarah Leberman, a leading academic in the field of women in sport, was unable to examine Podmore’s direct experiences in the system, because the affair was already before the coroner.

The coronal process was also cited by Cycling NZ and HPSNZ executives as a reason for their non-response when revelations about the management of Cycling NZ’s elite athletics program emerged in the weeks and months that followed the death of Podmore.

Podmore traveled to the 2016 Rio Olympics as a member of the women’s sprint team.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Podmore’s mother, Nienke Middleton, says it has been frustrating waiting for the issues raised to be properly resolved.

“We’ve waited over three years now to share the truth about Livi and understand what really happened. And obviously our lives haven’t moved on because they can’t move forward, so we’re looking forward to this coronal process and investigation so that the truth can actually come out and be talked about,” Middleton said.

“None of the reviews were allowed to talk about Livi. So now is the opportunity to come out and tell Livi’s whole story. Being able to put everything into context and get the truth out there means a lot for us,” she said. husband, Chris Middleton, adds.

But Middleton is clear that one thing she doesn’t expect to take away from the hearing is closure.

“We’ll always feel like (Olivia’s death) shouldn’t have happened, so we’ll never be able to put an end to this,” she says.

“But I hope it gives us some clarity and allows us to move forward better.”

The Middletons have been assisted by a lawyer throughout the coronial proceedings, but will represent themselves at the inquest, due to the prohibitive costs of a three-week hearing.

Podmore’s father, Phil, and brother, Mitchell, will also take part in the inquest and will be represented by Christchurch lawyer Hamish Evans. Phil Podmore, who has never spoken publicly about his daughter’s death, declined to comment before the hearing.

Olivia Podmore laughs with fellow elite cyclist Sam Dakin.
Photo: Supplied / Dianne Manson

In a statement, Sport NZ group chief executive Raelene Castle acknowledged the heavy toll the coming weeks will take on Podmore’s family and friends.

“We would like to express our sympathies to the family and friends of Olivia Podmore. HPSNZ understands that the inquest will be a very difficult time for them. It could also be a difficult time for those who worked closely with Olivia in part of the high performance system and HPSNZ will provide assistance if and when necessary.

“Athlete welfare is one of the three key focuses of the HPSNZ strategy, and many new initiatives, updated policies and mandatory training have been introduced into the high performance system over the past four years. We “We are all continually learning, and the Coronial survey will be an important next step in the process, as we work to ensure high performance sport is a place where all athletes can thrive and succeed.”

Podmore’s death, less than 24 hours after the Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony, followed a social media post in which she spoke about the challenges of high-performance sport and accused the national body and HPSNZ of “concealment”.

The inquiry is expected to look back into the events leading up to Heron’s first Cycling NZ review in 2018, which revealed examples of bullying, lack of accountability and other cultural issues.

Heron also examined the role High Performance Sport NZ played in allowing the culture within Cycling NZ’s elite programs to continue, finding there was “insufficient collection and escalation of information known to HPSNZ and a failure to reflect on whether the issues of which he was aware were being adequately addressed.” with”.

Sport NZ group chief executive Raelene Castle said the inquest would be a difficult time for Podmore’s family and friends, as well as those who worked closely with her in the high performance system.
Photo: RNZ / MARIKA KHABAZI

The inquiry will also likely address more contemporary issues, including Podmore’s exclusion from the New Zealand cycling team for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

The purpose of the inquest is not to allocate blame or responsibility; rather, it is an inquisitorial process that aims to determine the cause and circumstances of death and ways to prevent similar deaths in the future.

Among the questions the coroner will explore during the inquest into Podmore’s death are: the extent to which Cycling NZ and HPSNZ were aware of Podmore’s mental health problems; what steps were taken by the two organizations to address these challenges and whether they were appropriate; and whether Cycling NZ and HPSNZ’s current policies and processes are adequate and appropriate to address the health challenges faced by elite athletes.

Middleton says she doesn’t want the investigation to be a “witch hunt.” She says it’s about ensuring the safety and support of athletes in the system.

“Livi made it clear in her latest Instagram post that she hopes no other athlete faces the hardships she faced. So we are following her lead on this and have great belief. We want to help fight for a better future for athletes.

Where to get help:

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