Double World Champion, Sam Gaze has been selected to the New Zealand Team, with Under-23 World Champion Samara (Sammie) Maxwell set to join him to compete in mountain bike at the Paris Olympic Games.
Second Olympic Games for Sam Gaze
For 28-year-old Gaze from Cambridge, Paris will be his second Olympic Games. He was the sole New Zealander at Rio in 2016, while compatriot Anton Cooper competed in Tokyo in 2021.
Gaze comes off an outstanding 2023 season, winning the UCI MTB World Championship titles in short track and marathon, and finished runner-up in the Olympic distance. He is also showing strong form this season in the UCI MTB XCO World Cup, currently leading in short track and fifth in the World Cup standings.
“I am absolutely stoked to be named in the New Zealand team for Paris 2024 and I aim to give my absolute best over there,” said Gaze.
“I am going there to win. My desire is to go there for the top step. It is a bold statement, but I dream big and really believe in it.
“I’ve made a lot of sacrifices to get my career back on track after mental illness and setbacks following a bad accident and injury to my head in South Africa in 2019. I realised I needed to find stability in my life which was critical for ‘on-bike Sam’ to make the ‘off-bike Sam’ happy.” said Gaze.
Gaze said the move to Andorra with his partner, guidance from his coach and performance team and good people around him have been the key, along with hard work and dedication.
Conditional Selection for Sammie Maxwell
The second New Zealander set to represent New Zealand at Paris, Sammie Maxwell, 23, competed for the New Zealand Team in the 2018 Youth Olympics, going on to win her first elite national title in 2021 while still an under-23 rider. She repeated the victory at the same venue in 2022, before two further back-to-back titles at Coronet Peak.
During this time Maxwell also graduated from university with a degree in biomedical sciences.
The Taupo-born, Wellington-based rider moved onto the world scene in 2023, culminating with victory in the under-23 category at the UCI MTB World Championships in Glasgow, the first New Zealand female to claim the title.
Maxwell enjoyed two U23 World Cup wins and two runners-up to finish third overall in the series in her first year on the world circuit.
It led to being signed by the Decathlon Ford professional team for 2024 with her elevation to the elite ranks. She has competed in three of the six Elite World Cup races, currently sitting 33rd overall.
Maxwell shared her delight at being named to the New Zealand Team.
“It has been a dream of mine ever since 2018 when I went to the Youth Olympics to one day attend the 'real thing', so being given this opportunity is an honour and I am so excited,” said Maxwell.
“It's true the past few weeks have been stressful and hectic, but I recognise that everyone involved in the process has a shared goal - to put my health and wellbeing first.
“I didn't always agree with how everyone thought that should look, but I am grateful to have so many people around me caring for me and looking out for my health.”
Maxwell has been conditionally selected to the New Zealand Team following a direct nomination to the NZOC from the Sports Tribunal. The selection conditions relate to ensuring Maxwell’s health and wellbeing needs are adequately supported at the Olympic Games.
The NZOC appreciates this has been a complex process and acknowledges the care shown by all those involved as they worked to balance both performance and wellbeing outcomes.
Meanwhile, NZOC CEO Nicki Nicol extended her congratulations to the athletes.
“Well done to Sam and Sammie, we’re pleased to have both of these athletes named to the New Zealand Team for Paris 2024 and can’t wait to see the silver fern on the mountain bike course in Paris,” said Nicol.
“We look forward to working with them to make sure they have the support they need to compete at their very best.”
Women’s and men’s mountain biking will take place at the Elancourt Hill course on the outskirts of Paris with the women’s race on the 28 July and men’s on 29 July.