Nigel Avery

Nigel Avery is an Olympian, five-time Commonwealth Games medallist, and was the New Zealand closing ceremony flagbearer at the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Avery was born into a keen sporting family in 1967, beginning his career as a shot putter and a triple jumper. 

After injury cut short his athletics career, Avery turned to bobsleigh. He was in the national squad from 1991-96 and narrowly missed representing New Zealand at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games.

In 1996, when he was training for the bobsleigh, he got talking to a group of weightlifters in the gym. Avery decided that the sport appealed to him and just a year later was lifting for New Zealand. 

“At the time I thought it would be nice to do something competitive over the winter and then go back to bobsleigh during our summer,” he said. “I did pretty well at weightlifting, and then they said I could make the Commonwealth Games.”

At the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games Avery was still a novice but picked up bronze medals in the 105kg class for the snatch and the total, and was fourth in the clean and jerk.

At the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Avery squared off with the giants of his sport in the 105+ category and lifted outstandingly. He finished 17th with three personal bests and three Commonwealth records. 

By the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games he was ranked first in the Commonwealth in the clean and jerk and second in the snatch. Avery dominated the 105+kg division, winning two golds and a silver. He hoisted a total of 390kg, including a Games record 215kg in the clean and jerk, to win double gold. Earlier he won silver in the snatch. He was given the honour of carrying the New Zealand flag in the closing ceremony.

Since then, Avery has remained involved in sport through Governance and coaching roles, notably as Auckland Weightlifting President from 2004-2008, and as Millennium Institute of Sport & Health High Performance Manager from 2003-2018.

Avery also led the New Zealand team to the Sydney Youth Olympic festival as Chef de Mission in 2007 and was a member of the NZOC Athletes’ Commission from 2002-2008.

He will lead the New Zealand Team to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022 as Chef de Mission.

Avery and wife Shelley live in Hawke’s Bay and have three teenage daughters.