2022 Adams Academy Awards

Wilde has been named Athlete of the Year by the Adams Academy – a high performance sport programme that he is a member of at the University of Waikato Adams Centre in Mount Maunganui.

The 2022 Adams Academy Awards were held on Friday night and more than 20 local athletes were recognised and celebrated for their sporting success, both at home and abroad.

Wilde received the top gong after notching up a string of impressive international achievements over the past 12 months, including a silver medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

He was also crowned the overall winner of the 2022 Super League Triathlon Championship Series, after winning events in London, Malibu, and Toulouse.

On top of that, Wilde finished third in the 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series. He won races in Hamburg and Leeds, and came second in Montreal and Yokohama.

This all comes after he won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year.

Middle distance runner Sam Tanner also competed at the Tokyo Olympics – in the men’s 1500m – and he was named Emerging Athlete of the Year at the Adams Academy Awards on Friday.

It has been a great year for the 22-year-old from Pāpāmoa. He had a sixth-place finish and personal best time at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, a big win at the 2022 Oceania Athletics Championships in Australia, and several other significant victories at events in the United States, including the Prefontaine Classic.

Those international races were a long way from the University of Waikato Adams Centre for High Performance, where Tanner has spent countless hours training.

“It's awesome to have a facility where we can develop from age-group champions into professional athletes,” he says.

“It's also cool to be a runner and be surrounded by professional athletes from a bunch of different sports.”

The main mission of the Adams Academy is to put local Bay of Plenty athletes on the world stage, head strength and conditioning coach Loretta Hogg says.

“Our academy does this by supporting those who qualify for our programme with a full wrap-around service of strength and conditioning, access to a dietitian and sport psychologist, group seminars on various sport and exercise topics, and any lab testing they need with the University of Waikato.”

She says the Adams Academy has athletes from 26 different sports, from rally driving to lawn bowls, kickboxing to cricket.

“Working with such a diverse cohort allows for continual improvement and idea sharing in our strength and conditioning space, which is reflected in the performance of our athletes both nationally and internationally.”

Record-breaking swimmer Keira Allott and up-and-coming shot put and discus star Harrison McGregor both won a Junior Emerging Athlete award on Friday.

There were also eight Outstanding Performance awards presented to Emma Diprose (kickboxing), Suraj Singh (wrestling), Jaxon Woolley (Para athletics), Isaac Dobbs (wrestling), Tash Wakelin (cricket), Nensi Patel (cricket), Mariah Ririnui (long jump), and Ellie Hulsebosch (enduro mountain bike).

Guest speakers at the event included Black Cap Neil Wagner and Olympic gold medal-winning rower Joe Sullivan, who has also won two America’s Cups as a member of Emirates Team New Zealand. Dr Nic Gill, the All Blacks’ strength and conditioning coach, and Dr Stacy Sims, a leading expert in female physiology and training, were also special guests.

“It is great to have a local facility that provides specialised support and education to the young sports talent of New Zealand,” Dr Sims says.

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2022 Adams Academy Awards – The Full List

• Athlete of the Year: Hayden Wilde - Triathlon

• Emerging Athlete of the Year: Samuel Tanner - Athletics (1500m)

• Junior Emerging Athlete: Keira Allott - Swimming

• Junior Emerging Athlete: Harrison McGregor - Athletics (shot put and discus

• Industrial Athletic Mahi Award: Mia Finlayson - Rowing

• Body in Motion Road to Recovery Award: Kylen Scholmann - Volleyball and beach volleyball

• Carly Styles Sports Performance Nutrition Award: Nic Tomsett - Lawn bowls
  
  

Diligence Awards

• Josh McCaul - Hockey

• Fynn Pierce - Hockey

• Jackson Gilbert - Football

Outstanding Performance Awards

• Emma Diprose - Kickboxing

• Suraj Singh - Wrestling

• Jaxon Woolley - Para athletics

• Isaac Dobbs - Wrestling

• Tash Wakelin - Cricket

• Nensi Patel - Cricket

• Mariah Ririnui - Athletics (long jump)

• Ellie Hulsebosch - Enduro mountain bike

Scholarships

• Adams Family Trust: Jordan Grant - Rally driving

• Adams Family Trust: Sam Clode - Cricket

• Zespri: Harrison McGregor - Athletics (shot put and discus)

• Zespri: Isaac Dobbs - Wrestling

• Zespri Resilience Award: Maddison Shanks - Rowing

• Signature Homes: Mitch Zandstra - Waka ama