Nicole Van Der Kaay

New Zealand
NZL
Nicole Van Der Kaay

While Hayden Wilde has been lighting up the triathlon scene for New Zealand’s men, Nicole Van Der Kaay has been leading the way for the Kiwi women and is now returning for a second Super League Triathlon Championship series.

The best placed New Zealander in the last three major Games including the Commonwealths (2018 and 2022) and the Tokyo Olympics, Van Der Kaay also secured a runner-up spot behind Germany’s Laura Lindemann in the World Triathlon Championship Series in Hamburg in 2022. Making that podium she describes as “surreal” particularly because the return of crowds after Covid made for an “epic race experience.”

Growing up in Taupo, Van Der Kaay was involved in surf lifesaving as a youngster and “took to it like a duck to water” according to her father John. Her potential for multisport was evidenced by winning an age-group aquathlon world title in Auckland as a teenager.

John has been more than a loyal supporter through Van Der Kaay’s rise. During lockdown, with public pools closed, along with her brother, John built a homemade swimming pool with a tarpaulin and bungee cord to help the 26-year-old prepare for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. It even had a filtering system that allowed the water to be heated by sunlight.

Van Der Kaay started 2022 with a win on home soil in New Plymouth and then second place a fortnight later in Taupo. It was a particularly busy July, competing over two days of action in the individual and then mixed relay events in Hamburg, followed by placing ninth in the individual event and fourth in the mixed team relay in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. It was a second Commonwealth Games appearance after picking up a bronze medal in the mixed relay with teammates Andrea Hewitt, Tayler Reid and Ryan Sissons on Gold Coast in 2018, having placed seventh in the individual competition.

At the 2022 Super League Triathlon Championship Van Der Kaay produced top ten finishes in four out of five events to finish in 9th place overall. Her best event was at the season finale in NEOM where she had her only top 5 placing, finishing in 5th position, and with another year’s experience under her belt, she will certainly be one to watch at the 2023 series.

Outside of triathlon, she is a fan of New Zealand rockers Six60, and the US cop-comedy show set in New York, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. A keen photographer and artist, she also loves a family BBQ and is more than adept at baking her own sourdough.

Race Results

Championship Season 23
Rank #11
Points 11.0008
RESULTS
Rank
Points
Jerseys
London
#9
7
 
Toulouse
#12
4.00080004
 
Malibu
#TBD
0
 
Neom
TBD
TBD
 
Championship Season 22
Rank #9
Points 33
RESULTS
Rank
Points
Jerseys
London
#10
6
 
Munich
#10
6
 
Malibu
#9
7
 
Toulouse
#13
2
 
Neom
#5
12
 

Results posted shortly after the race may contain errors.

RR - Race Ready | TBD - To Be Determined | DNS - Did Not Start | DNF - Did Not Finish

Nicole's Videos

Nicole's Photos

Superleague Championships Womens Munich Germany 2022 Dw 0031
Slt Malibu 2022 Women Tz 103 (1)
Super League Triathlon
Superleague Grand Final 2022 Neom Pro Women Dw, 347
Superleague Grand Final 2022 Neom Pro Women Dw, 477
Women Race Superleague Triathlon Grand Final Neom (bz) 2022 118

Social & Links

Other Info

World Triathlon Ranking
#
World Triathlon Starts
World Triathlon Podiums
World Triathlon Wins
Age
27 (1996)
Weight
57kg (125.7 lbs)
Height
1.70m (5'6")
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