Thirty-six years after her father, Nigel, won gold on the cycling track at the Commonwealth Games, former student Sami Donnelly is ready to emulate his win. Update: It’s silver in the team pursuit and silver in the women’s 10km scratch race!
Former Burnside High School student, Nigel, will be in the crowd with his wife and Sami’s proud mother, Lyndal, at the Commonwealth Games, cheering on alumna Sami as she rides in three events this week.
Sami is partnering up alongside Paris Olympic silver medalists Ally Wollaston, Bryony Botha and Emily Shearman, and recent World Cup medalist Prudence Fowler in the women’s team pursuit and will also take on the scratch and elimination races at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow, Scotland.
Sami has shared that the Commonwealth Games have been the goal for sometime – with dad’s success fueling the desire, having won 1990 Games Gold in Auckland as part of the men’s team pursuit with Gary Anderson, Glenn McLeay and Stu Williams.
Sami’s selection in the New Zealand team was confirmed in June and was an incredibly special moment for the Donnelly family. ‘Chasing my own chapter in a story that started long before me,’ she wrote alongside images of her dad’s winning feats and her own success on social media at that time.
Sami went on to say that she started taking cycling seriously as a student at Burnside High School after playing every sport available to her and on a bike, she tried mountain biking and BMX before turning to track cycling.
Sami joined the NZ cycling international track squad in 2022 and was part of the winning team pursuit at the Nations Cup in Adelaide and Hong Kong in 2024. She was also a reserve for the New Zealand team at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
This year, Donnelly claimed her first individual World Cup medal, winning bronze in Malaysia in the omnium, while also being part of the quartet that won the team pursuit World Cup finals in Hong Kong and Malaysia – all combining to make her a cyclist to watch in Glasgow.
Join us in following Sami’s progress as she takes on best of the Commonwealth. Action starts on Thursday 30 July and continues over the weekend.
You can also check out the display in our very own library with the Donnelly family having shared some momentos for our students to view.
