Photos: Tessa Burrows
When Hamish Kerr soared over the 2.36-metre bar to take home gold for New Zealand at this year’s Paris Olympics high jump, much was made by commentators of how cool, calm and collected he looked. But there was one person in the crowd who knew that was far from what was in his head – his girlfriend of three years, Maddie Wilson.
“I obviously wanted him to win, but even though he was in such good shape, executing it on the day, on the biggest stage, is the hardest part,” says Maddie, 22, who lives in Christchurch – where she’s studying civil engineering at Canterbury University while also training to be a heptathlete – with Hamish.
“Last year, at the World Champs in Budapest, I saw how hard it was for him when he didn’t achieve his best, so I was really hoping he could do a performance he could be happy with. I was so nervous for him!”
Adds full-time athlete Hamish, 28, who this year led the procession at the popular Santa Parade on Auckland’s Queen Street, “I’d been quietly confident going into the Games and I was so focused on executing the plan. But there were a lot of nerves. I was very, very stressed about my performance.”
While Hamish knew he could win gold, he had the crowd – including Maddie, Hamish’s older sister Julia, 29, her boyfriend Quentin, 27, and Hamish’s younger brother and sister James and Rebecca, both 22 – holding their breath when he almost made an early exit, missing the jump twice at 2.20 metres.
“In the qualifying rounds, I looked up at Maddie and the guys, and they gave me smiles and thumbs up. Then I failed twice and their faces completely drained of colour. It was a good reminder to focus on what I was doing!”
There was a lot of anxious breath-holding from many in New Zealand too. His mum, speech therapist Bridget, and dad Andrew were included.
“I found out later that when I nearly ended up making that early exit, Mum got so nervous, she walked outside – it was the middle of the night – and stayed there watching the stars until Dad called her in and said I’d made it through. The first thing I did was ring her and say I was very sorry about putting her through that. I promised I’d never do it again!”
But fellow athlete Maddie understood what was going through Hamish’s mind. Of the seven heptathlon events, high jump is her favourite. That’s something the pair often laugh about, teasing each other around who does it better.
“We both share James [Sandilands] as our coach, poor guy!” laughs Maddie. But that’s just the beginning when it comes to the sporty pair’s competitive spirits.
“Of course, Hamish has to be competitive, but I come from a very competitive family too,” she says. “My granddad was one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met! Even when we were kids, he’d never let us win or beat him at anything.”
That mindset is clearly a big part of Hamish and Maddie’s personal relationship.
“Where we really get competitive is when we’re at home,” smiles Hamish. “The worst is playing board games like Monopoly. Maddie always beats me, and I hate it and get really grumpy.”
Hamish famously rejected the offer of jointly sharing gold at the Olympics with American Shelby McEwen after the pair tied for the top spot, opting instead for a jump-off.
“Although I knew before I competed that I’d do a jump-off rather than share gold, I had no idea how I’d feel when the time came,” he recalls. “Jump-offs are very rare and I’d never been in one before. I was so excited I was almost laughing, which is a bit weird!
“A big part of competing for me is getting the crowd involved – I love getting them to clap along in the build-up to a jump and having them feel the moment along with me” he says. “That’s how I want to feel when I’m watching sport – like I’m part of it. So I knew going for gold would be a really cool moment for everyone there to experience.”
Hamish and Maddie’s burning desire to win seemingly knows few bounds, The pair can even get competitive about their own families.
“We both have medical parents and both our dads are professors. But my dad’s more senior!” laughs Hamish, earning himself a playful nudge from Maddie.
However, while they’ll always try to outdo each other on the athletics track and at home, the pair say they also bring out the best in each other.
“We have lots of similar values and goals, but very different personalities and strengths we bring to the table,” muses Hamish. “My sense of self is something I’ve always struggled with, while Maddie is unapologetically her, which is awesome. I’m more of an introvert, while Maddie will happily chat to everyone. The way she is always herself often reminds me that I can sometimes take myself a bit too seriously.”
Surprisingly, given Hamish’s admission, it’s actually his sense of fun that Maddie loves about him.
“We always got along well as friends and enjoyed spending time with each other,” she says. “He’s very funny, but so driven. I really admire the way he can be fully switched on while he’s working, then completely turn it off and relax when he’s home.”
Chilling out at home is something the couple are very good at, as downtime is essential for all elite athletes.
“We spend a lot of our time trying to recover when we’re together. So, we often just lie on the couch and watch TV, movies and lots of sport. We just enjoying being in each other’s presence,” explains Hamish, as he gives Maddie an affectionate smile. “What we do is pretty high-stakes, so it’s good that we can just park up and switch off.”
Maddie adds, “Hamish is really good at the recovery part of athletics. That’s a big component of why he’s so successful. He’ll go to training for a couple of hours and completely focus on what he needs to do. But when he’s home, he leaves it behind. It’s something I’ve learned from him. Watching how he trains has made me better at that process as an athlete myself.”
While they’ll chat about “pretty much everything” at home, one conversation is very off-limits – giving high-jump tips. “Everyone asks me if I get advice on my high jump from Hamish,” groans Maddie. This year, she did the third-highest female high jump in New Zealand.
Although he admits it can be tempting to say something, Hamish keeps his opinions to himself.
“I’m very aware that in athletics, everyone has an opinion. As you get better at your sport, more and more people feel they’re entitled to share theirs with you,” he says. “I know how annoying that is, so I make sure I hold back! She also has the best coach in the world with James, so she doesn’t need me for that.”
The couple treasure the times they have together because despite living in the same city, both being athletes and sharing a coach, they are actually only together for around six months of the year.
“My job necessitates a lot of travel, so we’re used to spending time apart,” says Hamish. “We make a conscious effort to call regularly, but we’re both always busy, which helps the time go faster.”
Maddie adds, “The past few years, I’ve been able to travel to watch him at major competitions, which is very cool.”
Despite the long-distance, the pair has found a way to make it work.
“The base of our relationship is that we’re just very good friends,” tells Hamish. “We both have big goals and we understand that about each other.”
While the couple will be with their respective families for Christmas, they’re enjoying the moment at the end of a very good year.
Says Hamish, “There aren’t a lot of times in your life that you get to experience the sort of success I had at the Olympics. So for now, we’re just taking a minute. Training starts back up for me this month and it’ll get busy again. I’m making the most of our time together while I can.”
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