From the Fern - Latest from the NZ Team

We had our very first winter team selection announcement for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

Eight athletes have been conditionally selected to represent the New Zealand Team at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, subject to the NZOC receiving a quota for each event.  

This is the first wave of selection, with the potential for more athletes to be named in January 2026 after European winter performances. 

New Zealand’s most decorated Winter Olympian, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott made history in Beijing and is back to take to the slopes in the Big Air and Slopestyle. Read more about the athletes here...

Over in Australia, Hayden Wilde extended his incredible T100 Triathlon Series streak with a commanding win in Wollongong, finishing in 3:06:07 over the 2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run course. With a strong bike leg giving him a break away from the field, Wilde then surged ahead on the run to finish 36 seconds clear of Germany’s Mika Noodt. The victory marks his fifth consecutive T100 win - unreal.

Paul Coll has made history as the first New Zealander to win the prestigious Qatar Classic, defeating World No.1 Mostafa Asal in a composed four-game performance. After a turbulent season of highs and lows, the World No.3 bounced back brilliantly, breaking a six-match losing streak to Asal and claiming his first major PSA title in nearly two years.

Sammie Maxwell has also made history as the first New Zealander to win a Cross Country World Series title. The 23-year-old Taupō rider secured the overall crown with a second-place finish in the final round in Canada, capping off a remarkable season that included five wins and nine podiums.

Six New Zealand swimmers competed in the final stop of the 2025 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Toronto, Canada, concluding three consecutive weeks of racing against some of the world’s top swimmers. The team’s impressive performances included Erika Fairweather, who claimed three medals and set a personal best of 8:09.69 in the 800m freestyle. Cameron Gray broke the New Zealand 50m freestyle record twice in one day, touching 21.17s in the final, while Caitlin Deans earned bronze in the 800m freestyle (8:11.76) and recorded three personal bests at the Toronto stop, capping off a strong campaign for the Kiwis.

Overall series highlights:
- 6 x Silver medals (Erika Fairweather)
- 5 x Bronze medals (4 x Caitlin Deans 1 x Erika Fairweather) 
- 7 x NZ records (3 x Cameron Gray, 2 Chelsey Edwards, 1 x Lewis Clareburt, 1 x Erika Fairweather)
- 29 x top-eight finishes 

Over in Antibes, France, at the 2025 Trampoline World Cup, Maddie Davidson and Dylan Schmidt - the only New Zealanders competing, delivered outstanding performances. Davidson took the silver and Schmidt claimed bronze, capping a strong end to the season and setting up nicely for next month’s World Championships

New Zealand's cyclists put in a strong performance at the 2025 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Santiago, Chile, bringing home a total of five medals - only bettered once in recent history at the Glasgow Super Worlds.

Bryony Botha claimed bronze in the women’s 25km Points race, while Campbell Stewartadded to his medal tally with silver. Olympic champion Ellesse Andrews earned her first podium of the championships with bronze in the women’s 1000m time trial - staged for the first time for women this year. The New Zealand team pursuit quartet of Nick Kergozou, Tom Sexton, Keegan Hornblow and Marshall Erwood also impressed in a ride-off against USA, clocking their best time of the competition of 3:48.877 to finish with bronze.

A special highlight came from 22-year-old Auckland rider Prudence Fowler, who won New Zealand’s first medal of the championships in her debut appearance. Fowler stayed within striking distance throughout the 10km race before launching a final sprint to the line to claim bronze.