After missing out on automatic qualification for Paris, 22-year-old Maia Ramsden was selected to represent New Zealand in her first Olympic Games on Monday. Photo: AFP / Nur Photo
Next week, middle-distance runner Maia Ramsden will be heading to Paris to represent New Zealand in her first Olympic Games.
The 22-year-old was the first woman in 20 years to defend her National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division One 1500m title last month. She also set a new 1500m national record of 4:02.58 in Los Angeles in May.
The Harvard University graduate student missed out on automatic qualification for Paris but was selected for the team.
Ramsden told First Up the NCAA races were quite different to the professional ones.
"I think that's one thing that the US collegiate system has really taught me," she said.
"I've done two professional races since finishing up at school, and both of those, it's been just a new experience."
But Ramsden won't be doing anything different on the day of the race in Paris.
"It's the biggest stage, but it's also just another race on the same 400-metre I've been doing, so don't want to make it too complicated."
Maia Ramsden from New Zealand competing in the 1500 meters event at the 2024 World Athletics Championships at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Ramsden, who was born in the US, has a New Zealand father and an American mother.
Her father works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and she has lived in New York, Wellington, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Ethiopia.
She submitted her senior thesis, on the relationship between Pacific poets and climate change migration, on the same day as 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in March.
"That was one of my top five days ever in my life, I was just so happy the whole time," Ramsden said.
Since then, Ramsden has shifted her focus to running, but hopes to pursue a Master's and PhD after she retires.
"I really think I was made a better athlete by having these other interests and passions and I definitely am going to return to them when my running career is over, but I feel like I kind of owed it to myself to give running my full attention for a bit."
NZ Olympic team finalised for Paris
New Zealand will have 195 athletes competing at the Games, with 101 competing for the first time.
They will be among thousands of athletes from more than 200 countries vying for gold in 329 events.
New Zealand team Chef de Mission Nigel Avery told Morning Report it was important he takes some time to calm any nerves.
"I generally just have a bit of a chat to say, look, you're obviously very, very good at what you do, and you've done some great things to get to this point. You just got to replicate those and find out what the recipe was to get there and try to do it again at the games," Avery said.
He said they were "an amazing group of people to be around".
"They really are incredible human beings and just great ambassadors for New Zealand."
Olympian and five-time Commonwealth Games medalist and New Zealand Olympic team Chef de Mission Nigel Avery. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The full list of New Zealand athletes for Paris 2024 can be viewed here.
