Olivia Podmore inquest resumes after adjournment
Olivia Podmore competing for Canterbury at the New Zealand Track Nationals in 2017. Photo: Getty Images
By Dana Johannsen of RNZ
Warning: This story discusses mental health and suicide. A list of helplines is available at the bottom of the page
The coronial inquest into the death of Olympic sprint cyclist Olivia Podmore resumed in Christchurch on Tuesday following an abrupt halt to the proceedings last year.
The three-week inquest before Coroner Louella Dunn was originally set to wrap in early December, however, the hearing was adjourned in the final week to allow a continuation of evidence.
RNZ is unable to report the reasons for the need for a continuation.
Family 'emotionally drained'
Cycling NZ boss apologises
The shock death of the young athlete in August 2021 was referred to the Hamilton Coroner's Court. However, the remaining three days of the inquest will be heard in Christchurch, where Podmore's family is from, to help ease some of the financial burden on them.
The court will this week hear further evidence from forensic psychiatrist Dr Erik Monasterio, the independent expert witness.
It is also expected Podmore's family will give their final statements to the court.
Podmore's mother, Nienke Middleton, described the first three weeks of the hearing as "emotionally draining", but she was relieved that after two major inquiries into Cycling NZ and High Performance Sport NZ, her daughter's harrowing experiences were finally coming to light.
Here's what we've learned so far at the inquest:
Podmore was bullied minutes before taking the startline for her Olympic debut
During the first week of the inquest the court heard evidence Podmore was subjected to "relentless" bullying and intimidation after unwittingly exposing an affair between a coach and athlete during a training camp in Bordeaux - three weeks out from the Rio Olympic Games.
The teen was pressured to lie to protect the coach and athlete, and was blamed for causing disruption to the camp in the lead-up to the Games.
Nicholle Bailey, the ex-wife of the disgraced coach, gave evidence the coach refused to wheel Podmore to the startline before her races at the Olympics and told her: "You do not deserve to be here".
"The whole Games [the coach] was messaging her telling she didn't deserve to be there and she should be grateful," she said.
"She told me that as she was leaving the pits he whispered in her ear, 'Don't crash, don't f***ing crash, just don't f***ing crash'."
Bailey said her former husband continued to target Podmore after the team returned from the Games.
"[The coach] would berate Olivia on all aspects of her personal life. Who she was seeing and when, what she ate, the size of her bottom, her haircut, how many boys she slept with and more. It was relentless," said Bailey.
It took Cycling NZ two years to act on concerns about inappropriate coach/athlete relationship
Despite what one health practitioner termed as a "serious breach in athlete safeguarding" in the build-up to the Rio Olympics, Cycling NZ did not take any further action against the coach until nearly two years later.
Former Cycling NZ chief executive Andrew Matheson told the court he did not have evidence to take formal action until Podmore, worn down by two years of "mental abuse" lodged a complaint after the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
"I was clearly aware of rumours ... but we did not have any real evidence that demonstrated that relationship," Matheson said.
However, former Cycling NZ team manager Jess Massey gave evidence that she had been formally documenting concerns about "ethical and behavioural issues" involving the coach for more than two years prior to the Bordeaux incident.
The court also heard evidence of an email sent by former Cycling NZ chair Simon Perry in mid-2017, which referenced an "anonymous informant", who confirmed the inappropriate relationship between the coach and athlete.
"I have spoken first hand with the informant and confirmed that the circumstances described are factual ... Something serious to deal with, the ripple effect is significant," the email read.
Podmore's complaint eventually led to an independent inquiry into Cycling NZ headed by former solicitor general Mike Heron KC.
Podmore first disclosed suicidal ideation to medical staff eight months before her death
The court heard Podmore told a health practitioner in January 2021 that she was having thoughts of taking her own life.
She told the practitioner she felt flat, both physically and mentally since endometriosis surgery in October 2020 and that she sometimes wondered if she would be better off dead.
"I was very concerned obviously. That's the first time she'd presented with any thoughts of self-harm or suicide, and that's a very serious thing to say," the practitioner wrote in his evidence.
He queried whether she had made any plans or searched methods, which she had not, and discussed a safety plan including who to call if she had the thoughts again.
Two health practitioners treating Podmore also testified that it was recognised that the Tokyo Olympic Games - which the sprint cyclist missed selection for - would be a difficult time for the young athlete. Plans were made for Podmore to receive additional support during the Games period, but the first check-in was not scheduled until August 6 - two days out from the closing ceremony.
Podmore cancelled the appointment as she was away down in Queenstown snowboarding at the time. Three days later the practitioner received the tragic news that Podmore had died in a suspected suicide.
"More assertive steps should have been taken" when Podmore first reported suicidal ideation, according to independent expert witness
Natasha Hansen and Olivia Podmore at the Cambridge UCI Track World Cup in 2019. Photo: Getty Images
Dr Erik Monasterio, an independent expert witness, told the court when Podmore's state of mind deteriorated to expressing suicidal thoughts, health practitioners should have considered more interventions.Dr Erik Monasterio, an independent expert witness, told the court when Podmore's state of mind deteriorated to expressing suicidal thoughts, health practitioners should have considered more interventions.
"Given her known history of having been considered a whistleblower, given the stress in her relationship with the sporting bodies, and what seems to me to be a fairly pervasive pattern of fluctuating but definite deterioration in mental state, more assertive steps should have been taken at that time."
Monasterio said suicidal ideation to deal with stress, especially at a young age, was not a normal response and should have been a warning flag - especially as it was a new response in January 2021.
Dr Monasterio also told the court there appeared to be a widespread lack of recognition among Cycling NZ officials and medical staff about the impact being a "whistleblower" had on Podmore's wellbeing.
"Here is a young woman, who, at a very early age, finds herself in a very stressful situation," Dr Monasterio said.
"It's interesting that this concept of her being a whistleblower isn't identified as a key issue, and the reason I say that is that the impact of whistleblowing is relatively well understood in science and in clinical practice, and it's very sad to say, that people who whistle blow don't do well.
"She did not receive any assistance to try to come to terms and manage the impact of the whistleblowing, which carried quite a burden for her."
Dr Monasterio's evidence will continue this week.
Sport bosses say Podmore's death has led to tangible change
After Podmore's death, HPSNZ launched another major inquiry into Cycling NZ and the wider system.
Cycling NZ's current chief executive, Simon Peterson, gave evidence the sport has undergone a marked cultural transformation since the findings of the second inquiry were published.
Peterson said one of the biggest developments he has seen during his time at the organisation is the appointment of a fulltime people and culture manager.
The Cycling NZ boss said when an issue is reported by an athlete, the people and culture manager "immediately removes the conversation from the HP space and says 'what is best for the person' not the programme".
"It's been a game changer in terms of bringing issues to the fore."
Sport NZ chief executive Raelene Castle said Podmore's "very real legacy" can be seen in the many reforms the government agency has undertaken in the wake of the young athlete's tragic death.
She highlighted changes to the Tailored Athlete Pathway Support (TAPS) system as something that has made a "significant difference" in athletes' lives.
Castle said TAPS payments to athletes increased in 2024 to $50,000 per year for those on an elite training grant, and $25,000 for athletes on a potential training grant.
"The most significant change is that most of the elite grants will now be guaranteed for four years to give athletes more certainty around how long they are going to be funded for, and this was instigated on the back of consultation with our athlete voice groups."
Castle also pointed to other reforms including beefing up record keeping, improving the organisation's electronic health systems, education programmes for coaches, and a greater focus on women's health as being evidence of her organisation's commitment to wellbeing.
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