| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Cory Francis Hutchings |
| Born | 8 March 1972 [1] |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Surf Lifesaving |
Event | Ironman |
| Retired | 2003 |
Cory Francis Hutchings (born 5 March 1972) is a former world surf lifesaving Ironman champion from Gisborne, New Zealand. [2] Hutchings was born in Gisborne to a family of passionate sportspeople. His father Ben was the coach of the New Zealand men's canoeing team who won gold in four events at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. [3] Cory's involvement in surf lifesaving begun at age five. [4]
Hutchings held the New Zealand Ironman title for more than a decade. He also represented New Zealand as an individual and as part of the national team. [4] At the beginning of his career he had trouble finding a sponsor. As a last resort he approached Durex condoms who were more than happy to sponsor him, making Hutchings the first athlete in New Zealand to be sponsored by a condom company which was controversial at the time. In 1994, he suffered from a debilitating bout of Hepatitis A which was picked up through water contamination at Manly, Sydney. During this time he ate three peeled beetroot a day as medication. [3] Hutchings won the World Surf Ironman biannual title in 1998, 2000 and 2002. [2] [4] He retired from the professional circuit in 2003. [3]
Hutchings is currently working as an ambassador for SPARC's Sports Ambassador Programme. The mentoring programme aims to assist promising young athletes in achieving sporting goals. [5]
Cory hosted TV2's local surf lifesaving television series Surf Club 174, and appeared as a contestant on the televisions shows Celebrity Treasure Island and Dancing with the Stars [4]