Olympics 2024: Kiwi Olympians and the sacrifices they have made to reach top honours

For non-high performance athletes, it’s hard to comprehend how committed they really are. Thousands of hours of work and unwavering dedication went into their pursuit of success at the 2024 Paris Games. But what exactly did they have to sacrifice in the process? In the fifth instalment of a six-part video series, the Herald speaks with some of our leading Olympians about the sacrifices they’ve made in their sporting careers.

Dylan Schmidt: Trampolinist, three-time Olympian

New Zealand trampolining star Schmidt made history in 2016 as the country’s first trampolinist to compete at the Olympics.

He continued to shine by claiming bronze at the Tokyo Games, marking New Zealand’s first Olympic medal in trampolining.

Reflecting on his Paris build-up he said: “The biggest sacrifice I think is time.”

“I’m a man with a lot of hobbies and a lot of things that I love doing and I’ve had to say no to it to a few things during my career.

“You just got to put so much time into it and it consumes a lot of your life.”

Sarah Tetzlaff: Speed climber, first-time Olympian

Tetzlaff has won the New Zealand national title for speed climbing multiple times and has broken New Zealand records at nearly every national and international competition she entered.

“I don’t have a lot of money after, that all goes straight back into the sport,” she said speaking on sacrifices she’s made.

“I’m probably a little bit antisocial [because] it’s really hard to find time for family and friends outside of this.

“My biggest sacrifice is that I’ve had to give up a lot of my passions for outdoor adventures again, [there is] not a lot of time for that or energy.”

Tom Mackintosh: Rower, two-time Olympian

Mackintosh, who won gold in the men’s eight in Tokyo, said: “Maybe at a young age, you’re probably missing the odd party here or just different experiences that your peers might be taking.

“But now I see it, like, I’m in a very unique position now and I think it’s pretty cool that I can compete at the top level of my sport and test myself as an athlete.

“And now it’s at a place where I can bring my friends to world championship events and I think that’s pretty cool as well.”

Jake Smith: Hockey player, two-time Olympian

Paris 2024 is Smith’s second Olympics after being part of the Black Sticks side in Tokyo, which finished ninth.

He said the sacrifices he’s made are ”time with friends and family and how long it takes you to achieve other things in life that are important, like your career and your family”.

“It’s always a bit of a juggling act,” Smith says.

“I think you have to view life through your own lens rather than, compare yourself to your friends [and] family.

“It’s all about perspective, and, and we’re really lucky to do what we’re doing.”

Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She’s a football commentator and co-host of the Football Fever podcast and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a fulltime journalist.

Hear it as it happens with live commentary of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on GOLD SPORT & iHeartRadio, plus comprehensive coverage on Newstalk ZB.