Triathlon: Carter's victory thrills family watching from home

By JULIET ROWAN

Hamish Carter's wife, Marisa, was wild with joy at her husband's victory last night.

"It's absolutely awesome. I'm so ecstatic."

"He just deserves it. It's been a long time coming," she told the Herald from the couple's home in Auckland soon after the race.

Mrs Carter, a former competitive swimmer and triathlete, stayed in New Zealand to look after the couple's two young children.

She watched the race with her parents and best friend.

She said she had been crying all week because she was worried about the event.

But last night there were no tears. "Amazingly I haven't cried. I think now I'm just happy."

Instead, it was her husband who needed a hankerchief.

His wife said he called soon after the race was over and before the medal ceremony began. "He was so emotional...he could hardly speak".

The eight weeks he had been in Athens had been hard for the family.

There were times when Carter had been on the verge of coming home because he missed his children, she said.

But he phoned her every couple of days and they kept in touch with text messages and emails.

She would have liked to go to Athens, but she said staying home with 3-year-old Austin and 5-month-old Phoebe had helped Carter keep his focus.

"It's not a family holiday, as we always say. It's a job."

Carter's parents, who have travelled to many of their son's other events, also stayed in New Zealand this time.

His wife joked that the lack of supporters on the ground made him win. "There was no one there to bother him," she said.

Mrs Carter said Austin was looking forward to his father's return on Wednesday. "He's just dying to see his daddy."

She expected her husband would be amazed at how much Phoebe had changed in the time he was away.

The family were counting down the days to his homecoming on a sticker chart.

Hamish Carter's parents, Clive and Pat, were overjoyed at their son's success.

"We are just over the moon," Mr Carter said from Wanaka, where the couple were enjoying a few days skiing.

They watched the race with a big crowd of friends and relatives.

There were moments when they didn't know if Carter could maintain his spot at the front. "He's had a long career. For him to come through was absolutely super," his father said.

The mood was one of euphoria when Carter crossed the finish line. "When Hamish won, the champagne flowed."

Seeing him receive his medal was a special moment for his parents. "We were so full of pride for him," his father said.