Olympic medalist Emily Shearman visits Arvida Resthome, shares Paris Olympic tales

New Zealand cyclist Emily Shearman gave a talk about her Olympic experience with residents of the Arvida Resthome in Palmerston North.

It was big. It was bright. It was heavy.

Olympic silver medalist Emily Shearman shared the story of her prize and achievement with residents of Arvida Resthome in Palmerston North on her return from the Paris Olympics.

One resident came in for some special attention. Joyce Bowden, 96, is her great-aunt and was able to pull a few strings - hence the visit.

Olympic Games cycling silver medalist Emily Shearman shares her story and spoils with a visit to her great-aunt Joyce Bowden's rest home in Palmerston North.

Shearman shared stories from the games and gave residents a first-hand feel of the size and weight of the medal.

The Paris medals were very large - the gold medal weighed 529 grams, silver weighed 525g, and bronze weighed 455g.

Shearman, 25, was part of the New Zealand teams pursuits team alongside Ally Wollaston, Bryony Botha and Nicole Shields, and came oh so close to winning a gold medal at Paris.

They led for most of the race but were overtaken late by USA, clocking in at 4min 04.927s, with USA clocking 4min 04.306s.

Emily Shearman shows a photo of her Olympic teammates Ally Wollaston, Bryony Botha, and Nicole Shields to resdients of Arvida resthome in Palmerston North.

Shearman, who also won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2022, also competed in the Women’s Madison with Bryony Botha at Paris, finishing 8th in a field of 15.

Residents asked all sorts of questions of Shearman, from drug testing to the composition of her bike, and how she came to represent her country in cycling on the world stage.

There were no other cyclists at her primary school, but by the time she got to college she was able to join the Palmerston North Girls High team.

After competing at secondary school level came the chance to race at national competitions, earning a spot on the New Zealand team for the UCI Junior World Championships, winning silver in the Team Pursuit at Aigle in 2016 and Montichiari in 2017.

Ally Wollaston, Emily Shearman, Nicole Shields and Bryony Botha with their silver medals. Photo / Photosport

Shearman joined the development Team Pursuit squad in the Cycling New Zealand HP Programme, competing in UCI Track World Cup campaigns in 2019 and 2020.

She was part of NZ teams that won silver medals in the Team Pursuit at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the 2023 World Championships in Glasgow.

New Zealand cyclists Ally Wollaston, Bryony Botha, Emily Shearman and Nicole Shields took on USA for a gold medal in the team pursuit event at the Paris Olympics. Photo / Photosport

Shearman now has her eyes set on the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028 and is back on the bike training again already.