WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Former New Zealand Olympic cyclist, Olivia Podmore, has died at the age of 24, the New Zealand Olympics Committee (NZOC) confirmed.
Podmore represented her country at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the 2018 Commonwealth Games but was not part of the team that participated in the just completed Tokyo Olympics.
A New Zealand police spokesman said police attended a sudden death at a property in Waikato on New Zealand’s upper North Island at about 4 p.m. (0400 GMT) on Monday.
“Police are making enquiries in relation to the death on behalf of the coroner,” the spokesman said.
Podmore’s brother Mitchell wrote in a Facebook post: “Rest in peace to my gorgeous sister and loved daughter of Phil Podmore. You will be in our hearts forever.”
The NZOC said news of Podmore’s death had reached the New Zealand cycling team in Tokyo, which is preparing to return home.
“We are providing wellbeing support for members of her team and the wider team as we return home from Tokyo,” NZOC said in a statement.
(Reporting by Praveen Menon; editing by Richard Pullin)
