Pathway to Podium is a Sport NZ initiative established to support emerging athletes within their
region in their preparation for the demands of high performance sport.
The “Pathway to Podium” programme is designed to provide high quality support and education to young athletes to help prepare them for the high performance sport system. This programme is intended to cover the gap between young athletes and those who go on to elite level in the Olympic sports.
Regional Talent Hubs will assist national sporting organisations with delivery of regionally based athlete and coach support. As a part of this support, individual performance plans will be developed specifically for young athletes to help determine if they need training regimes, strength and conditioning, diet alterations or a sport psychologist.
The Pathway to Programme for the Manawatu region is led by Kashif Shuja, and will be run between High Performance Sport New Zealand, Massey University and Sport Manawatu. Kashif Shuja is a five-time national squash champion and has a passion for helping young athletes achieve their goals in their respected sport.
The Manawatu athletes for cycling are Luke Mudgway, Kate Stewart and Jordan Castle and they are joined by fellow Bike Manawatu members Jaimee Leader and Lizzie Stannard that are included in the Pathway to Podium programme but for Triathlon.