| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael John McRedmond | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 1958 (age 66–67) Dannevirke, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) [1] | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country | New Zealand | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Cycling | ||||||||||||||
| Event | Sprint | ||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Max Vertongen [2] | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Michael John McRedmond (born 1958) is a New Zealand cycling coach and former racing cyclist who won a silver medal competing for his country at the 1982 Commonwealth Games.
Born in Dannevirke in 1958, [1] McRedmond grew up in Palmerston North and was educated at St Peter's College. [2]
McRedmond began competitive cycling after seeing the Tour of Manawatu cycle race, which had the finish of its final stage close to his family home. [2] Without a natural talent for the sport, McRedmond says that he succeeded through hard work and perseverance:
I wasn't a great cyclist, but with training, hard work, determination and resilience I gradually got better. My philosophy is to be the best I can be so to achieve success I had to apply myself. [2]
McRedmond represented New Zealand in the men's 1000 metres sprint at the 1982 and 1986 Commonwealth Games. [1] At the 1982 games in Brisbane, he advanced unbeaten to the final, where he lost 0–2 to the defending champion, Kenrick Tucker from Australia, and so won the silver medal. [3] Four years later, in Edinburgh, McRedmond placed sixth in the same event. [4]
Domestically, McRedmond won the New Zealand national sprint title five times, and the national 15 kilometres scratch race title on three occasions. He later won a national Masters 80 kilometres road race championship. [2]
After retiring from competitive cycling in 1986, McRedmond began coaching young cyclists in the 1990s. [5] In about 2000, he started unpaid coaching at Palmerston North Boys' High School, [5] where his protégés have included Jesse Sergent, Campbell Stewart, and Simon van Velthooven. [2] Between 2005 and 2010, he was the national junior track cycling head coach. [2]
McRedmond has received numerous accolades at the annual Manawatū Sportsperson of the Year Awards. He won the award for coach of the year in 2007, [6] 2008, 2009, [7] 2014, [5] and 2015. [8] In 2012, he was named Manawatū's sports personality of the year. [9] In 2019, McRedmond was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by Milson Rotary, for services to cycling. [2]
McRedmond had a 41-year career in banking, beginning in 1976. He subsequently took a position as new vehicle consultant with Manawatū Toyota. [2]
McRedmond and his wife, Natalie, have two daughters. [2]
