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， andKiwi runner—Sam Tanner is all of thesethings and more. Now 23， the New Zea?lander has already recorded the second?fastest time in the countrys history in the1，500?meter race. His personal best camein the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of2021.“

Standing on the start line and look?ing around， seeing so many incredible ath?letes was a dream come true，”Tanner toldme in a recent interview.

Tanners New Zealand roots run deep.He is a member of the Māori， the firstpeople to settle this small island country inthe Pacific Ocean. When asked his advicefor aspiring athletes， Tanner said，“Itsreally important when kids are doing sportto do a variety of activities. Its importantfor kids to have a balanced lifestyle.”

Despite Tanners hard work and hardtraining， he didnt make the top three inthe 2022 Commonwealth Games. Still， heproved he was a“winner”in the eyes ofNew Zealanders when he immediately con?gratulated the first?place finisher， OliverHoare of Australia， with a pat on the back.

Tanner is now ready for even moresuccess in his running career. He trainsseveral hours each week.“Its not about per?forming. Its about knowing Ive reached mybest，”he said.

The runner is proud to represent hiscountry doing what he loves the most.“Itwas amazing to be able to wear the NewZealand singlet（運動背心）at the Olym?pics，”he said.

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Whats Tanners advice for aspiring athletes？