More should have been done when Olivia Podmore expressed suicidal thoughts, the inquest heard

This story is about mental health and suicide. At the bottom of the page you will find a list of guides.

More assertive steps should have been taken to assess Olivia Podmore when she expressed suicidal thoughts, an inquest has heard.

Instead, the elite cyclist, vulnerable to bullying within Cycling New Zealand (CNZ) and seen as a whistleblower, was deemed to be at low risk of suicide.

The Rio Olympian died of suspected suicide at the age of 24 in August 2021, at the end of the Tokyo Olympics, for which she was not selected.

Psychiatrist Dr Erik Monasterio told the Podmore inquest she identified anxiety over a period of time, including discussing ways to commit suicide from early 2021.

Monasterio, the expert witness at the inquest before coroner Louella Dunn, said there was a duty of care to adequately assess Podmore or subsequently refer her to a psychiatrist, neither of which doctors treating her did.

“Given her known history of being perceived as a whistleblower, given the stress in her relationship with the sporting organizations, and what appears to me to be a fairly profound pattern of fluctuating but marked deterioration in her mental state, more assertive steps should have been taken. ” taken at the time.”

Monasterio said suicidal thoughts to cope with stress, especially at a young age, were not a normal reaction should have been a warning flag – especially since it was a new comment in January 2021.

The investigation previously found that Podmore became the target of bullying and intimidation by a coach and teammates after she accidentally exposed an affair between the coach and the athlete during a training camp in Bordeaux ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics .

In 2018, allegations of bullying within Cycling New Zealand surfaced in the media and lawyer Mike Heron began an investigation.

Monasterio said people labeled as whistleblowers generally did not fare well, let alone one so young, because almost all whistleblowers struggle.

“You have to make sure that person doesn’t get double traumatized. This was a traumatic event for a young person.

“Olivia was in the middle of an investigation that left her feeling incredibly vulnerable and it appears that within the time that the Heron investigation and its findings were made public, she began to show signs of distress.”

He said Podmore needed reassurance from CNZ that she would be protected in the future as a fundamental duty of care.

Especially since her goal in life was to succeed in elite cycling at the most important events in the world, which made it difficult to complain to CNZ.

‘Filing a complaint against an institution on which your fate depends is very compromising. It’s like biting the hand that feeds you.’

But he said she felt her trajectory in the cycling program was negatively affected by her role in the Bordeaux incident.

Podmore said it himself undergo “mental torture”. and after the Heron Report exposed a litany of cultural and leadership failures and concerns about athlete welfare, she was promoted to a Level 1 card athlete and back-paid.

But over the next twelve months she dropped to a Level 3 status, the lowest she had reached in years.

At the same time, specific, detailed psychological support appeared to be lacking, the inquest heard.

That was despite Heron writing a separate, confidential letter to then CNZ CEO Andrew Matheson outlining issues that “could give rise to further action”, including allegations that Podmore was assaulted by two of her teammates in July 2016 was bullied.

However, Matheson previously told the Hamilton inquest he had seen “no tangible value” in pursuing disciplinary action against those alleged to have harmed Podmore.

On Matheson’s latest letter to Podmore to “draw a line” on the bullying, Monasterio said if someone was the recipient of bullying they would want a fair outcome and the question was whether Podmore’s letter closing the case was a fair result considered.

If she hadn’t, she would have felt even more powerless, he suggested.

In 2020, Podmore unsuccessfully appealed CNZ’s decision not to nominate her for selection as a sprint cyclist for the Tokyo Olympics.

Two days before her death, she watched a teammate she managed to beat win a medal at the games and an endurance runner come back from a bad time in the sprint race.

Where to get help:

Do you need to talk? Call or text 1737 toll-free anytime to speak to a trained advisor for any reason.

Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357

Suicide crisis helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for people who are thinking about suicide, or for people who are concerned about family or friends.

Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 (24/7) or text 4202

Samaritans: 0800 726 666 (24/7)

Youthline: 0800 376 633 (24/7) or free text 234 or email [email protected]

What is: free guidance for 5 to 19 years old, online chat 11 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. 7 days/week or free telephone 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.

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Rural Support Helpline: 0800 787 254

Healthline: 0800 611 116

Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155

OVERVIEW: 0800 688 5463 (6:00 PM – 9:00 PM)

If it is an emergency and you think you or someone else is in danger, call 111.

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