Olympic silver medalist Nicole Shields passed on the message of working hard and building resilience to students at Omakau and Poolburn schools on Tuesday afternoon.

Omakau School principal Adelle Banks said students welcomed Nicole, an Olympic cyclist, with the school pepeha.

“Nicole answered questions, talked about her journey and signed items for the students. 

“She was very open and generous with her time and the students took away the idea that it doesn't matter where you come from, if you want to work hard and you enjoy what you do, you can do great things.”

Nicole proudly wears her silver Olympic medal while meeting Omakau School children (from left) Te Ara Davidson, Louis Lee, Pippa Kerr, Bede Chisholm and Oakley Hinton. PHOTO: Omakau School

Poolburn School also welcomed Nicole with a mini pōwhiri onto the school grounds.

The school's Year 4 to 8 teacher Emma Prentice said Nicole spoke to the tamariki about teamwork and friendship, and the school felt honoured to have her visit.

“[Nicole] explained they were a bit upset with silver . . . but that she would rather get silver with a team she got on really well with . . . how incredibly important and valuable that was to her.”

Poolburn School students from the ages of 5 to 13 learned life is not always easy as Nicole spoke about health challenges she faced. PHOTO: Poolburn School

Facts about Nicole’s bike were interesting to students, including the weight of it, the $10,000 cost of each wheel and the $50,000 cost of the frame.

“That led to some maths about working out the cost per track team, including a reserve cyclist.”

Frankie Pyle tried on Nicole's Olympic silver medal. PHOTO: Poolburn School

Emma said Nicole shared how her training rides took her from Clyde through the Ida Valley and that resonated with students, many who spend a lot of time on their mountain bikes. 

Read more: Olympic silver medalist visits Clyde School