"I love sharing my story with the community" - Ben Hamilton '12
Thursday, 4 April 2024
Sport is one of the strongholds of the Auckland Grammar School ethos, alongside a rigorous academic education and the performing arts. With more than 30 sports on offer to students, there will be something for everyone.

Ben Hamilton ’12 is no stranger to sports, having participated in Running, Cycling and Triathlon while at Grammar. Despite not competing in any events while in Form 7 so he could focus on Cycling, it is in the Triathlon where Ben now shines brightest. “I was a member of the School’s Triathlon squad under the late Rodney Gordon. Grammar taught me a lot and I left knowing I wanted to focus on a career in sport; at the time, this was pursuing Cycling to a professional level.”

Ben has had numerous successes on the bike. In 2017, he was named the Under 19 New Zealand Road Cyclist of the Year, the Under 19 New Zealand Road Race Champion, and he represented New Zealand at the Junior World Championships in both the Road Race and the Time Trial. He then transitioned into Triathlon as a professional athlete three years ago.

Watching Triathlon events growing up and being fortunate enough to witness them live at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the switch to training for the swim and the run legs didn’t come naturally to Ben. “I had not done swimming for about seven years and no running training for about five years. It took some time to build these disciplines back up, and I knew my first triathlon back was going to be a challenge.”

Ben has only been racing professionally for the last year, but those 12 months have seen an incredible amount of success. In March this year, just three years after his first half Ironman, Ben was third at the Taupō Ironman, behind Australia’s Steve McKenna in first and Niek Heldroorn from the Netherlands in second.

What is equally as impressive is that Ben’s third placing guaranteed him a spot at the Ironman World Championships in Kona in October and his initial reaction, which was captured on his Instagram account, was everything. “Taupo was incredible! The emotion captured was truly special. I had been so focused for eight straight hours, so it felt amazing to unleash that emotion and show how happy I was. Kona is the Full Distance Ironman world championships and is the most historic race on the Ironman circuit, so my goal heading into the race was to place top three and earn a Kona slot; I was ecstatic to achieve that.”

The success in Taupō has given Ben the confidence, justification and motivation to continue training and he would like to keep racing as long as he can – he has big plans for 2024. “I plan to race over the half and full Ironman distances, I have the St George 70.3 in Utah in May followed by two races in Australia, Kona in October and then the Taupō Half Ironman World Championships 70.3 just before Christmas.”

Racing in Taupō was also special for Ben for another reason, as his gear included a very tangible way to honour Rodney, who sadly succumbed to cancer in 2022. “I have ‘Race 4 Rodney’ stitched onto my trisuit to remember him and the things he taught me in triathlon at a young age.”

‘Leave the jersey in a better place’ is a mantra that current students are taught each day in assembly by the Headmaster - that is, leaving a legacy for future generations of students - and that is exactly what Ben is doing by giving back to the School that gave him so much. “I have a connection with anyone who has ever attended the School and I am still associated with Grammar today. I was the Junior cycling coach in 2022 and I am now helping the triathlon squad prepare for their upcoming races. I am a proud Old Boy and I love sharing my stories with the Grammar community.”

Overcoming challenges and adversity to achieve greatness is what the School’s motto - Per Angusta Ad Augusta - is all about, and that is the same piece of advice that Ben would give to current students looking to pursue sports at a professional level. “Believe in yourself. Set yourself a challenge and don’t let anyone tell you it can’t be done. Professional sport can be very tough at times; it is learning from the setbacks and not giving up that teaches you so much and makes the success that you achieve that much more special. It is a journey, but one that you can only do whilst you are young, so you might as well try and find out than never find out at all.”

UPDATE: on Sunday 5 May, Ben completed the St George 70.3 in Utah and took out second place, placing him 43rd overall in the men’s standings. An incredible achievement!