Ulmer dismisses Games flag-bearer speculation

Sarah Ulmer

Olympic gold medallist Sarah Ulmer doesn't believe she's in the running as New Zealand's flag-bearer in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in March.

Amid media speculation at the weekend that she and fellow Athens Olympics gold medallist and triathlete Hamish Carter are front-runners for the opening ceremony duties, Ulmer preferred to stay out of it.

"I'm not thinking about any speculation on any of those duties. I don't think I'll be in the running this year but it's an amazing experience. It's awesome.

"It's amazing to lead your country, to represent them in the opening ceremony. It's an awesome country to represent. It'll be a pleasant surprise if I do get that but I'm certainly not thinking about it," she told the Hawke's Bay Today while watching the final stage of a cycle tour event in Hawke's Bay, in which she had been billed to race in the B grade field.

"It was beautiful here in the Bay but I was absolutely exhausted and there was no point in me racing. I had a couple of hard training weeks before this, so I think it took me over the edge a lot more than I expected to," she said after pulling out of stage one of the race near the Glengarry Hill on Saturday.

Ulmer was happy with her preparations with good weather in Cambridge following a quiet Christmas and New Year break.

"I was a bit crook last night, unfortunately, so I slept from one o'clock yesterday afternoon to about six this morning. It was a bit of a waste," says Ulmer, who was heading back to Cambridge in for some preparation work for upcoming events.

- HAWKE'S BAY TODAY