The New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) announced this morning that Podmore, 24, had been found dead at her home.
Podmore’s death has once again shaken the sports world after Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles put the spotlight on the importance of athletes’ mental health during the Tokyo 2020 Games.
“The feelings when you lose, when you are not chosen despite being qualified, when you get injured, those feelings are also different.”
Only a few hours before her death, the New Zealander posted a message on her networks in which she reflected some sadness.
“Sport is an incredible outlet for many people. A very rewarding fight. The feeling when you win cannot be compared to any other,” she said.
“But the feelings when you lose, when you are not chosen despite being qualified, when you get injured. When you do not meet the expectations of society, such as having a house, getting married, having children because you have tried to give everything for your sport, those feelings are also different.”
The New Zealand cycling federation stepped up, ensuring that it would review its support for mental health for athletes following the sudden death of the Olympian.
Podmore’s cause of death was not confirmed, but a friend expressed concern for her mental health and sports officials said the rider had contacted support services offered to athletes.
“Right now for us it’s about focusing on the well-being of the people who are here and dealing with this loss,” Cycling New Zealand CEO Jacques Landry said at a press conference.
“There will be a time for us to review and see if and where we have had missteps or where we did not act correctly.”
Former Olympic rowing champion Eric Murray, a friend of Podmore’s, said he was with her Monday and described her death as a “shock and a tragedy”.
“I wish I had said something,” he told reporters in Cambridge, a high-performance center in New Zealand for cycling and other sports. “We have lost a sister, a friend and a fighter who lost that will to fight within her,” he explained.
“If you had seen her in the last 72 hours, you would not have thought this could happen. This is why there is so much talk about mental health right now.”
High Performance Sport New Zealand Director Raelene Castle said the support for athletes in the programs was not perfect. “Her legacy has to be that we make improvements,” he told reporters.