Athlete Articles

Mar 1 '108:09AM

Sandford to Lead Team

New Zealand’s top performing athlete, Ben Sandford, has been named to lead the Olympic Team into BC Place in downtown Vancouver tonight for the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games.

New Zealand Cross Country Skier, Katie Calder, has withdrawn from the 30km Mass Start in Vancouver this Sunday (NZT). After contracting a stomach bug earlier in competition, Calder has failed to regain the weight she lost.

Vancouver, 24 February 2010: Olympic short-track speed skater Blake Skjellerup has missed out on the quarter-finals in the 500 metres at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.


It completes Skjellerup’s three event campaign. His best result was a quarter-final appearance in the 1000m.

Feb 24 '1012:25PM

Snow on Cypress for Greig

New Zealand free skier Mitchey Greig qualified 30th for the ski-cross on Cypress Mountain at the Vancouver Olympics but failed to progress beyond the heats.

New Zealander Ben Griffin has failed to finish the Giant Slalom today at Whistler Creekside after coming out of the course in the first half of the race. 

Feb 23 '101:52PM

NASCAR on Ice Debuts

It has been described as a mixture between NASCAR, moto-cross and bullfighting. That is the prospect 21-year-old Mitchey Greig faces when she debuts in the first-ever women’s Olympic ski-cross at Cypress Mountain tomorrow.

Feb 21 '102:45PM

No Tussle for Skjellerup

In the electric atmosphere of the Pacific Coliseum young New Zealander, Blake Skjellerup, took on Olmpic Record holder Sung Si Pak in a fast-paced 1000m quarter final. With no chance to win on speed alone, Skellerup was looking for

Illness caused cross-country skier Ben Koons to withdraw from the 30-kilometre pursuit event in his debut as an Olympian.


As one of the New Zealand Olympic team’s younger athletes, Koons had been expected to finish a credible halfway up the field and was track to do so.

He’s shrugging his shoulders at his 11th placed performance but skeleton racer Ben Sandford has produced another credible effort at an Olympic Games, backing up from his 10th at Torino.

He’s shrugging his shoulders at his 11th placed performance but skeleton racer Ben Sandford has produced another credible effort at an Olympic Games, backing up from his 10th at Torino.