Gold medallist Hamish Kerr knows a thing or two about winning. After becoming the world champion in September, the high jumper has now claimed every major title in athletics. But he also understands that hard work can only get you so far if you don’t have the financial support to back up the passion. So he has teamed up with friend and fellow Olympic medallist Tom Walsh to create the Aotearoa Athletics Trust to ensure more Kiwis get their shot at glory.
“Athletics has given me everything,” Hamish tells the Weekly from his home in Christchurch.
“I’m unbelievably grateful for the life that I live and the opportunities that I have through sport. I know how important it is to have the support of the community around me and I want other athletes to feel like the only limitations they have are the ones they set themselves.”
In the past few years, New Zealand’s roster of athletic talent has grown exponentially. Hamish was proud to be a part of one of the biggest teams Aotearoa has ever sent to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in 2023.
But it was also the moment he and shot putter Tom realised that while their number had increased, the funding pool had not.
Funding pressure
“We realised there were six people in the team of 19 who weren’t funded,” he explains.
“That means they’ve gone to Europe on their own dime, taken time off work and are still paying rent back home. “The stress of having to do that on top of the fact that for many of them it was their first major black-singlet representation, that’s a pretty big thing to undertake.”
From there, the idea for the trust was born to fill that gap and support more athletes to compete on the world stage. Hamish is especially excited to embark on this mission with Tom, who has turned from idol to friend over the past few years. When Hamish moved to Christchurch in 2018 to go all in on his athletics career, it was the same year Tom, who is also based in the Garden City, won his first gold medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
“He was such a huge idol of mine,” the 29-year-old smiles.
Idol, friendship and balance
“I remember he went over for four days and I thought that was so cool, just popping over, winning the games, then popping back. “To know that we’re actually really good friends now is pretty special. It can be pretty lonely when your coach or your partner can’t be there. There’s a decent number of competitions each year that we line up and make sure we’re there together.”
One of the best things Hamish has learned from Tom is how to balance his personal life with his busy sporting schedule.
“People think all we do is go over to these competitions and we compete like robots – it’s eat, sleep, train, repeat. But Tom showed me that you can have a lot of fun while doing it. He’s got great mates all over the world and I really look up to that.”
Balancing love and gold
After the whirlwind of 2024 – Hamish won his first international title before taking out the gold medal in Paris – he has made a special effort to implement those lessons. The most important thing is carving out time with his girlfriend, heptathlete Maddie Wilson, 23.
Hamish was especially thrilled to be there to cheer her on at her first international heptathlon in Austria.
“She’s come overseas to support me quite a bit, but she’s also had her own training and competitions,” he tells.
“It’s been a nice mix of balancing my goals with hers.”
As both of their careers ramp up in the lead-up to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July, Hamish says that coming from the same high-performance world is one of the secrets to their strong relationship.
Thriving under pressure
“It is quite high stress at times, and we’ve been able to grow and understand when we need our space and also when we need support, so it’s pretty healthy,” he reflects.
While Hamish would love to defend both his Commonwealth and Olympic titles, he adds the only thing that could make it better would be for Maddie to be on the track in the hunt for her own medal.
“A big part of what I see as a successful Olympics is if we were to share it together,” he says.
To donate to the Aotearoa Athletics Trust and help support athletes at the Games, visit aotearoa athleticstrust.com/donate
