Grace Moodie

對他來說，與眾多了不起的運動員同時站在起跑線上，已經是夢想成真了。

Olympic athlete, former surfer, and Kiwi runner—Sam Tanner is all of these things and more.Now 23, the New Zealander has already recorded the secondfastest time in the country's history in the 1,500-meter race.His personal best came in the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021.

“Standing on the start line and looking around, seeing so many incredible athletes was a dream come true,”Tanner told me in a recent interview.

Tanner's New Zealand roots run deep.He is a member of the Māori, the first people to settle this small island country in the Pacific Ocean.When asked his advice for aspiring athletes, Tanner said,“It's really important when kids are doing sport to do a variety of activities.It's important for kids to have a balanced lifestyle.”

Despite Tanner's hard work and hard training, he didn't make the top three in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.Still, he proved he was a“winner”in the eyes of New Zealanders when he immediately congratulated the first-place finisher, Oliver Hoare of Australia,with a pat on the back.

Tanner is now ready for even more success in his running career.He trains several hours each week.“It's not about performing.It's about knowing I've reached my best,”he said.

The runner is proud to represent his country doing what he loves the most.“It was amazing to be able to wear the New Zealand singlet（運動背心）at the Olympics,”he said.

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What's Tanner's advice for aspiring athletes?

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