Nienke and Chris Middleton speak outside Christchurch District Court after the conclusion of the inquest into the death of Olympian Olivia Podmore. Video / George Heard
Both parents, Phil Podmore and Nienke Middleton, were reduced to tears while reading their final statements in Christchurch District Court and Coroner Louella Dunn was visibly emotional in offering her final address.
“I remember at the very outset, Philip, you said to me to look into this carefully because family didn’t understand what had happened. And I hope at least at this point in time you have a better understanding of what has happened,” Dunn said.
“You’ve provided to me significant insight into the person Olivia was. She’s been described as a talented athlete, bubbly, courageous. She was all of those things.
“I didn’t know Olivia, but I feel like I know her now.”
Podmore died in a suspected suicide the day after the Tokyo Olympics ended, August 9, 2021, after the track cyclist failed to qualify for that event following a Covid-19-interrupted selection process complicated by several controversies.
Olivia Podmore's mum Nienke Middleton speaks during the inquest. Photo / George Heard
Nienke Middleton did not shy away from the brutal reality of her life today in which there was no emotional relief, nor redemption through the inquest process.
“It’s now been three years and eight months since the worst day of my life. That day I had no idea why Livi took her own life, the first I heard that Livi had been having health struggles was from Raelene Castle [Sport New Zealand chief executive] and Jacques Landry [then Cycling New Zealand chief executive] on a television interview the next day,” Nienke Middleton said.
“We had no idea what had been going on, nobody from Cycling NZ [CNZ] or High Performance Sport NZ [HPSNZ] thought it might be worth contacting me over the five years Livi was in Cambridge.
“People ask us what it’s like, does the pain fade and have we managed to move on? The answer is always no to these questions, we just live with it. I miss Livi just as much as the day I lost her.”
She and her husband Chris Middleton represented themselves in the inquest, which inflicted a “massive” financial burden. They were surrounded by King’s Counsel representing Cycling NZ and HPSNZ.
“If we had other lawyers representing, they didn’t know Livi ... a big part of the motivation of this was for Nienke,” Chris Middleton said.
“It’s her daughter. Nienke’s the one who missed out the most out of anybody. That was a big driving thing as well. Like I won’t say [it’s] ruined Nienke’s life, but blimey,” Chris Middleton said.
Olivia Podmore (left) and Natasha Hansen while representing New Zealand. Photo / Alex Whitehead
Olivia Podmore's mother Nienke Middleton breaks down during the inquest. Photo / George Heard
The inquest began in Hamilton District Court on November 18 last year, and ran for almost three weeks before being adjourned to April 22 in Christchurch – where Podmore’s family lived.
The reasons for this adjournment can not be reported by the Herald.
During the course of the inquest, extensive accounts of alleged bullying and marginalisation against Podmore within the Cycling NZ system emerged. This abuse was alleged to have begun after Podmore became an “inadvertent whistleblower” in exposing an athlete/coach relationship during a training camp in Bordeaux in 2016.
Evidence in the inquest alleged the now disgraced coach would subsequently “berate” Podmore on personal subjects including her sex life, and whisper in her ear before races “just don’t f***ing crash”.
Phil Podmore also spoke for the first time publicly today about the loss of his daughter.
“We hope Cycling NZ and High Performance Sport can learn from this tragic event. From what we have heard during the inquest this could have been avoided,” he said, struggling through tears.
“We will always be proud of Liv and amazed at the courage she showed, lasting as long as she did throughout all of this. We love her dearly and know she will live on through all the people she positively influenced in her short but wonderful life.”
Olivia Podmore's father Philip Podmore speaks during the inquest. Photo / George Heard
Throughout the inquest, lawyers for Cycling NZ and HPSNZ sought to place emphasis on personal factors outside cycling, such as Podmore’s teen abortion and her parents’ separation, as significant contributors to the athlete’s mental deterioration.
“The impression I get is of a young woman who had given so much of her energy and time to succeed at sport. And felt that to some extent she’d been treated unfairly. So she put all her eggs in one basket. And that basket didn’t get her to the Olympics. It didn’t get her to where she wanted to go. And it seems that that led to despair,” Monasterio said.
In HPSNZ’s closing submission today, the organisation said it was “deeply sorry for the distressing experiences Olivia endured during her time in the New Zealand high performance sport system. HPSNZ has always acknowledged that the conduct and behaviour she was subjected to was unacceptable and that it had a significant impact on her mental health”.
Sport NZ chief executive Raelene Castle also thanked Podmore’s family and friends for their “integrity and grace” throughout the inquest.
Castle said athlete wellbeing has been a key focus of HPSNZ strategy and significant work has been done over the past five years to provide dedicated health providers and invest in greater personal support for athletes and offer them a voice in the organisation.
A statement by Cycling NZ was also read by its lawyer Paul David, KC, in which its current chief executive Simon Peterson offered his apology for what Podmore experienced during the 2016-18 period surrounding the Bordeaux controversy.
The incident led to an independent review by Mike Heron, KC, which referenced an athlete being pressured to lie by Cycling NZ amid the controversy. In 2021, the Herald revealed that athlete was Podmore.
“The expert evidence before this inquest shows that elite sport is likely to face increasing challenges and difficult decisions in maintaining the wellbeing of athletes and others in high performance,” David said.
“Cycling’s made significant changes and established a very positive environment in the pursuit of excellence in sport. It will continue its work.
“This process has weighed heavily on everyone ... Olivia will not be forgotten. Her memory will ensure that Cycling NZ does all it can to make the pursuit excellent in sporting performance as enjoyable as possible.”
Coroner Louella Dunn has been hearing extensive submissions during the inquest. Photo / George Heard
Nienke Middleton ended the inquest by emphasising just how revelatory the court process had been in exposing alleged abuse and mismanagement of her daughter’s sporting career and life.
“It’s taken nearly four years to piece together the full story of what happened to my daughter. And now that we have, we are shocked,” she said.
“Shocked because Livi had asked so many people, particularly those in senior management, for help over the years. People who knew what was happening tried to help, they were not listened to and they, in turn, didn’t last long at CNZ and HPSNZ. Codes of conduct breached, laws broken, the ends always justified the means.”
Nienke Middleton also referenced her daughter’s final message on social media, in which the champion cyclist spoke of a “cover-up” at Cycling NZ relating to the Bordeaux incident, and also the sacrifice of a teen abortion “so that I could follow my Olympic dream”.
“Have Livi’s last words been acknowledged and addressed? By some, yes, and we are hopeful that their sincerity leads to a healthier environment,” Nienke Middleton said.
“Others have kept denying or not recalling in order to protect themselves and their organisations. Shame on them. We remember the words of Dr Monasterio in December: culture eats policy.
“Well, culture starts from the top, not the PR company. We believe there is plenty still left to do in order to achieve the real changes needed.”
Tom Dillane is an Auckland-based journalist covering local government and crime as well as sports investigations. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is deputy head of news.
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