In August 2019 we kicked off our search for the Next Gull Athlete and we were blown away by the incredible response! Over 140 quality entries were received, making it a hard decision to select a Top 20, but we managed. The job was made even hard when we had to select a Top 5 but this job proved impossible and a Top 8 resulted with four talented male athletes and four talented female athletes.
Congratulations to our eight finalists who are each walking away with a $1,000 cash prize, plus our runners up below!
Danielle Halcrow
Speedway rock-star, specifically saloon and super saloons. This talented lady has been racing motorsport since she was 12!
Goals: Danielle would like to compete in as many meetings as possible, with roughly around 20 meetings in the 2019 season and to qualify and place top three, or better yet, win the champs.
Piera Hudson
23 year old Alpine Ski Racer, Piera has been sitting on the NZ National Ski Team and representing NZ internationally since she was 9 years old. From the Hawke's Bay originally, Piera is a winter gal. She spends NZ winters in Wanaka, then tours Europe, North America and Asia for the remainder.
Goals: To make history with her results for NZ on the Alpine World Cup tour and at the Winter Olympics, and to inspire more kids to get into her awesome fast-paced sport. Piera would also love to be the first Winter Olympian from her home town.
Lynette Deacon
An Enduro and Downhill mountain biker from Rotorua, Lynette is a self-confessed adrenaline junkie, kicking it at World comps, having only been riding for the last six years! Go girl!
Goals: To push as far as she can, inspire all, complete at 2020 Crankworx and the 2021 Enduro World Series.
Carlos Hanlon
A freestyle motorcross athlete from small-town Tarata in the Taranaki, Carlos is currently 17 years old and got on his first motorbike at 3, completed his first back-flip at 13, and is now good mates with legends of the sport - Nick Franklin and Levi Sherwood.
Goals: To travel the world performing in comps and shows, entertaining and impressing the crowd.
Morgan Haakma
Morgan is 22 years old and loves to wakeboard and HOLY MOLY she is good! Having been on the wakeboard since she was 10, Morgan entered her first comp in 2009, defended her title as 2019 NZ Open Women's National Champ and she's basically just continuing to smash it.
Goals: This girl has big goals in mind and lots of them. Her main one though is to train hard so she can learn some 540 spins.
Matt McGregor
Matt, talented surfer from Northland with goals in mind to showcase how New Zealanders do summer, from his point of view. A beautiful ambition.
View more of Matt's journey on Instagram at @mattjackmcgregor.
Bradlee Wong
NZ Judo Athlete. About Bradlee:
He wins EVERY. SINGLE. OPEN.
He LOVES Auckland. Trust us.
He has big ambitions to compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2024 Olympics.
Follow Bradlee make his way onto the international stage on Instagram @bradoladd.
Cole McOnie
A 19 year old elite BMX racer from Te Awamutu, Cole has recently returned from racing internationally in Europe for six months. Back on home ground, he's gearing up for a hopeful selection into the 2020 Olympic team.
GOALS:
Long term: To receive a 2024 Olympic Gold Medal and become one of the greatest BMX racers in history.
Short term: To crack into the Top 32 in the UCI international rankings and qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Runners Up
It was incredibly hard picking a top eight from all the amazing entries. Congratulations to our Runners Up!
Hamish Miller: NZ rep surf lifesaver and talented triathlete. Follow Hamish as he just gets better and better at his chosen sports on Instagram @Hamish_Miller. VIEW ENTRY
Levi Goodall: Freestyle mountain biker with 14 years in the business and winning big comps! Learn from the best and follow Levi on Instagram @levigoodall. VIEW ENTRY
Logan Price aka Pitbull: Pro MMA fighter, pro boxer, pro kickboxer, pro combat superstar. Follow Logan on Instagram @upaidtheprice. VIEW ENTRY
Talei Aldiss: A dedicated and inspiring boxer from Wellington. Follow Talei's journey on IG @taleialdiss. VIEW ENTRY
Mike Garvey: Freestyle motocross biker who loves a back flip. Follow Mike on Instagram @mikegarveynz. VIEW ENTRY
Teresa Adam: Professional long-distance Ironwoman Athlete. Follow Teresa on Instagram @teresajadam. VIEW ENTRY
Josh Bleakley: Athlete of strength and conditioning, hockey, calisthenics, kickboxing, power-lifting and taekwondo. Athlete of athletes. Follow Josh on IG @actn3_performance_athletes. VIEW ENTRY
Rebecca Annan: #GirlPower rep and Jiu-Jitsu athlete. Follow Rebecca achieve BLACK on Instagram @rebeccaannanjj. VIEW ENTRY
