Emma Foy and Jessie Hodges get a helping hand from coach Brendon Cameron
Waipā athletes dominate the finalist nominations for the Halberg Awards to be announced next month.
Former Olympic cyclist Brendon Cameron and rower Mike Rodger – both of them live in Cambridge – are two of five finalists in the coach of the year.
Devon Briggs (New Zealand) wins the MC3 10km Scratch Race World Championship. Photo: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com
The awards cover the period from December 1, 2024, to November 30 last year, a timeframe that included major success for two Waipā para athletes: Nicole Murray of Ngāhinapōuri and Cambridge’s Devon Briggs, coached by Cameron.
They face fierce competition in the Para Athlete/Para Team of the Year category.
Briggs won gold at the UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships, while Murray claimed bronze.
Nicole Murray of Ngāhinapōuri. Photo: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com
Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, who made his senior football debut for Cambridge, features in a five-strong field for the Sportsman of the Year while Cambridge-based Emma Twigg is a finalist in the women’s category for coastal rowing.
Emma Twigg wins gold at the world coastal rowing event.
Nominated in the emerging talent category are Cambridge footballer Luke Brooke-Smith and BMX cyclist Lily Greenough.
All White 645 – Luke Brooke-Smith
Lily Greenough in action at the UCI BMX Racing World Cup in Sarrians, France. Photo: Craig Dutton.
Cameron, 52, was born in Ōtorohanga and attended Te Awamutu College, where he is a member of the school’s prestigious Hall of Fame.
Brendon Cameron
He now lives in Cambridge with partner Sarah Ulmer – who he coached to individual pursuit Olympic gold at Athens in 2004 – and their two daughters.
As a former New Zealand track cyclist he has a huge pedigree in the sport competing in the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympics. He won a bronze medal at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in the men’s team pursuit and followed it up four years later with another bronze medal in the same event at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
Cameron rejoined Paralympics New Zealand two years ago as Para cycling programme manager after four years at Cycling New Zealand and two at Cycling Canada. Prior to that he had been six years at Paralympics NZ where he became the first cycling coach to have coached both a Paralympic – Phillipa Gray at London in 2012 – and Olympic gold medallist.
Mike Rodger
Cambridge-born Rodger, 60, is high performance coach at Rowing New Zealand. He came back from a near fatal car crash six years ago to coach Emma Twigg to gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
Since then, he has coached medal-winning boats at every pinnacle event including gold for Ben Taylor and Oli Welch in the men’s pair at the world championships and silver for both the men’s four and women’s single at the Paris Olympics.
As a rower he won silver at the 1994 World Championships in the lightweight men’s double sculls with Rob Hamill. He also competed at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996.
Emma Foy and Jessie Hodges get a helping hand from coach Brendon Cameron on the final day of the UCI Para-cycling Track World championships in Rio de Janeiro last year. Photo: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com
