We're right behind the New Zealand Olympic Team
ANZ is proud to be supporting New Zealand’s best athletes as they take on the world at the London 2012 Olympics.
ANZ New Zealand has signed a three year agreement with the New Zealand Olympic Committee to become an Official Partner of the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Teams.
This means we’ll be right behind our team as they compete at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
To further support New Zealand’s Olympic hopes, we’re also sponsoring five individual New Zealand Olympians in their pursuit for gold at this year’s Games: Pairs Rowers Hamish Bond and Eric Murray, Rower Emma Twigg, and Cyclists Natasha Hansen and Sam Webster.
Natasha, Emma, Sam, Hamish and Eric will be our ‘ANZ Olympic Ambassadors’ for the 2012 Games, along with ex-athletes and Olympic Gold Medal winners Sarah Ulmer and Hamish Carter.
The 2012 Paralympic Games will kick off in late August, and ANZ is also proud to be sponsoring two of kiwi athletes who will be competing in the Paralympics: Swimmers Rebecca Dubber and Cameron Leslie.
ANZ Olympic Ambassadors
Hamish Bond and Eric Murray
Rowing pair Hamish Bond and Eric Murray are two of New Zealand’s leading medal hopes for the London 2012 Olympic Games. They are the current world champions in the Men’s Rowing Pairs, and have won the world title three consecutive times.
Hamish and Eric have both represented New Zealand at previous Olympic Games. They were both members of the Coxless Four which won the B final at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Since teaming up as a pair in 2009, Bond and Murray have never been beaten in competition and hopes are high that they can continue New Zealand Rowing’s proud Olympic record this year.
Despite a gruelling training schedule, Eric still manages to spend time with wife Jackie and son Zachary while continuing with a communications degree. Hamish graduated from Massey this year with a Bachelor of Business Studies and a Graduate Diploma.
Hamish and Eric are four times World Champions and have been ‘Halberg Team of the Year’ finalists four times, winning the title twice. The “Kiwipair” were also announced as the ‘FISA World Rowing Crew of the Year’ in 2011.
Emma Twigg
Originally from the Hawkes Bay, Emma Twigg is a former Junior and Under 23 World Champion in the Women’s Single Sculls. She was selected for the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the age of 21, finishing third in the B final.
Since then Emma has been a bronze medalist in the 2010 World Championships in front of a home crowd at Lake Karapiro, and again in the 2011 World Championships in Bled, Slovenia. She now lives and trains in the Waikato - where she graduated from the University of Waikato in Public Relations and Communication.
Emma will be looking to continue her improvement in London this year, where she is a real medal hope for New Zealand.
Natasha Hansen
Invercargill based Cantabrian Natasha Hansen won the National Sprint Championships Junior Competition in 2007. Touted as a future international class cycling sprinter, she won a scholarship to train at the UCI's (international cycling body) headquarters in Switzerland in 2008. Natasha returned to New Zealand in 2009 and placed first in the National Sprint Championships Elite Competition in 2010. At the Track Nationals in 2011 she won four senior titles - breaking two New Zealand records, including her own 200m sprint record. At 22, Natasha is now ranked in the Top 10 Sprint Cyclists for the London Olympics and works full time as an Air Traffic Controller in Invercargill.
Sam Webster
Through the SportsConnect programme, ANZ is also sponsoring Cyclist Sam Webster – reserve for the 2012 New Zealand Olympic Track Cycling Team.
Born in Auckland, Sam burst onto the New Zealand cycling scene in 2007, claiming four national titles and two national records in the Under 17 Age Group.
He was the NZ Flag Bearer at the 2009 Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney, and won silver in the Team Sprint and gold in the Mens sprint with a new Youth Olympic Record.
At the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games Sam won bronze in the Sprint and silver in the Team Sprint. Sam has raced at seven World Cups since entering the Elite men's ranks and recently won a bronze medal in the Team Sprint at the World Championships in Melbourne.
Olympians
Sarah Ulmer
Sarah Ulmer became New Zealand’s first Olympic Cycling gold medalist when she won the 3000 metre individual pursuit at Athens in 2004. During her Cycling career she also won two Commonwealth Gold Medals. Sarah is one of New Zealand’s most recognised Olympians. She was flag bearer for the New Zealand team at the opening ceremony for the Athens Olympic Games and was a mentor to the New Zealand Olympic team at the 2008 Games in Beijing. She has twice been awarded the Lonsdale Cup for the most outstanding contribution to an Olympic or Commonwealth Games sport. Sarah is now a mother of two and has her own business SUB (Sarah Ulmer Brand). Sarah’s goal is to help women be healthy and active through cycling.
Hamish Carter
Hamish Carter is one of New Zealand’s best known Triathletes and Olympians, winning gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics - his second Olympic Games. Hamish raced the International Triathlon Union World Cup circuit as a professional for many years and ranked no 1 Triathlete in the world from 1997 - 2000. During his career he placed on the podium 28 times, including bronze at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, silver in the Lausanne World Championships in 2006, and a win at the Xterra World Champs in Hawaii in 2006 - defeating a field of more experienced off-road Triathletes.
Hamish retired in 2007 and now sits on the High Performance Sport Board and The Triathlon World Championship Auckland Board. He also runs a programme called SportConnect – a unique partnership with SKY Television that aims to help New Zealand’s young athletes succeed on the world stage.
Paralympic athletes
Rebecca Dubber
Rebecca is heading to the London 2012 Paralympic Games with gold medals and world records in her sights.
At just 19 years of age she has collected a stash of medals and records including the S7 Women’s 800m Freestyle world record in 2010.
Rebecca was named Paralympics New Zealand Swimmer of the Year 2009 and was a finalist in 2011.
She has been swimming her whole life and is ignited by a passion to push herself to the limits.
Cameron Leslie
Cameron was a star for New Zealand at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. He took gold in the men’s 150m Individual Medley and broke the previous world record by over a second.
Now 22, Cameron is fitter and stronger and setting out to smash his own world record. Cameron’s ready to take on the world’s best once again, determined to bring back two more medals.
ANZ is bringing a taste of the London 2012 Games to towns and cities across New Zealand.
Travelling the country during June, July and August, our authentic London double decker bus has been revamped in ANZ blue and kitted out with the latest sporting equipment and technology.
Along for the ride will be a number of ex-Olympians, including ANZ Ambassadors and Olympic gold medallists Sarah Ulmer and Hamish Carter – so keep an eye out for it
