• Sarah Walker has been made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to BMX and sports governance.
• Walker is a 12-time BMX world championship medallist and New Zealand’s first Olympic BMX medallist.
• She has promoted sports in schools, organised community outreach and contributed to Rotorua’s BMX track development.

Sarah Walker has been made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to BMX and sports governance.

Born in Whakatāne and growing up in Kawerau, Walker said Rotorua will “always” be her home club.

She started racing at the age of 10, in 1999 and is now an internationally accomplished BMX rider.

Walker is a 12-time BMX world championship medallist, including gold medals in 2007 and 2009.

She competed at the Beijing Olympic Games, placing fourth, and London 2012, where she claimed silver, becoming New Zealand’s first Olympic medallist in BMX.

“I wasn’t training hard for this honour, but it’s special,” Walker said.

She told the Rotorua Daily Post that having spent 20 years plus riding BMX, she was “stoked” the honour was recognising services to the sport.

“I reflected to pre-2008, before BMX was an Olympic sport, and no one knew what it was.

“To have it be part of the honour is a really cool acknowledgement of the sport and how far it has come as well.”

Walker said that, in terms of her results, winning an Olympic medal in London was a moment that stood out most, as well as the World Cup in 2018.

“There was a podium in 2018, at the World Cup in South America, and it had been a long time since I’d been on the podium.”

New Zealand BMX rider Sarah Walker with her Olympic silver medal. Photo / Brett Phibbs

She said she had been through “many injuries” and people suggested she should give up.

“I knew that there was still more left in me, I didn’t give up on myself and I finished third.

“I didn’t win the race, but being on the podium was kind of like this acknowledgement of me believing in myself.”

Walker said she didn’t expect this honour for BMX and just enjoyed being a part of sports governance.

“I did BMX because I loved it, and I gave everything to it and did what I could to give back.

“With sports governance, I really enjoy being able to be part of it, and being honoured for something I love doing it’s special, and I’m very fortunate.”

Walker has promoted sports in schools, organised community outreach programmes and worked with policymakers to secure funding and resources for sports facilities, programmes, and events.

She had a heavy hand in the works towards Rotorua’s $1.16 million BMX track, and was on the committee that helped organise the UCI BMX Racing World Cup in Rotorua last year.

“Rotorua will always be my home club.”

Walker said she was at the Tauranga BMX club until Rotorua created its club.

Walker has promoted sports in schools and organised community outreach programmes. Photo / Warren Buckland

“Technically, I was one of the first members of the new club in 2005 and I’ve been a member of the Rotorua club since then.

“That’s definitely my home BMX track and home club.”

She said one of the coolest things about BMX was that you could have an Olympian riding a track at the same time as a 5-year-old on a random day of the week.

“If you’re at the track at the same time as me and I’m riding and you’re riding, then we can hang out and ride together.

“I can give you some tips and it’s just that real community hangout space.”

Walker said she hadn’t been putting as much time into the BMX community as she’d been putting " a lot more time" into being a mum.

“My community input has been less because I’m putting effort into shaping my own children’s future and understanding how to do that well.

“I think the better I understand and do that well, the better I can help shape others.”

On the other side of the sport, Walker represented New Zealand as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was appointed to the IOC Athletes’ Commission in 2016, and in 2022 was elected as the second vice-chair.

“The more I apply myself and the better I apply myself, then, the more chances I hopefully give others to be able to have the same opportunities,” Walker said.

She led the creation of the Athletes’ Rights and Responsibilities Declaration, which tackles issues of integrity and clean sport, governance and communication, careers and marketing, safeguarding and competition.

Sarah Walker pictured during the women's BMX final at the London Olympics. Photo / Brett Phibbs

“It was pretty massive to have that responsibility, leading the development of that.”

She said it has been adopted across most sports and “half the countries in the world” had adopted the declaration.

“We’re working towards the remaining countries and sports to adopt as well.”

Reflecting on her BMX career, Walker said when competing, she did her best, and gave everything she could.

“I guess I apply that somewhat to sports governance as I’m doing the best that I can, and if I do that, well, then hopefully I can bring others with me as well.”

Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.