St Andrew’s College Olympians

A record-breaking five former St Andrew’s students were selected to represent New Zealand on the world’s biggest stage at the Paris Olympics, with three of the Old Collegians, attending the Olympics for the first time.

Olivia Brett (OC 2019) is competing in her first Olympics in the canoe sprint team, racing in the K4 500 alongside Dame Lisa Carrington, Alicia Hoskin and Tara Vaughan. The quartet have gone into the Olympics as World champions, having won New Zealand’s first-ever World title last year.

After setting the New Zealand Swimming Championships alight, producing the fastest 50m freestyle swim ever by a New Zealander and achieving the Olympic qualifying standard, Taiko Torepe-Ormsby (OC 2021) was selected as a member of the nine-person Aquablacks swimming team, and will also make his Olympic debut.

Robbie Manson (OC 2007) will compete in his third Olympics in Paris, teaming up with Jordan Parry in the Men’s Double Scull. He still holds the world’s best time in the single sculls when he set the mark (6min 30.74sec) at a World Cup event in 2017.

Making his second Olympics appearance as a member of the Black Sticks Men’s hockey team is Sam Lane (OC 2015). The formidable striker is renowned for his exceptional stamina and goal-scoring prowess, scoring an average of one goal every two games over the past two years.

Ben Taylor (OC 2017) has been selected as a travelling reserve for the New Zealand rowing team in the Men’s Pair. Ben has continued his great form at a national level after being in the St Andrew’s Maadi Cup and Springbok Shield winning crews at the 2017 Maadi regatta.