Nick Willis

Who is Nick Willis?

Nick Willis is a five-time Olympian and professional middle-distance runner from New Zealand. Nick Willis is the country’s only two-time Olympic 1500-meter medalist.

Aside from being an excellent runner, he is also an expert at adopting techniques to win races.

In most of his races, he remains unnoticed until the final few meters give him the advantage.

He recently qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and stated that this would be his final Olympic appearance.

Nonetheless, he is looking forward to his final chapter and passing the torch to the next generation.

Willis takes bronze at the Rio Olympics.

Nick celebrates after finishing third in the Rio Olympics.

Furthermore, the middle-distance runner is confident that he will win another medal for his country on the final lap.

He is more driven to win this time after never winning a gold medal in the Olympics.

In addition, he made his Olympic debut in Athens in 2004 and won a silver medal in Beijing in 2008.

He finished tenth in London in 2012 after winning his maiden Olympic gold.

Ian, on the other hand, came back to earn a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

As a result, his fans and family are hoping to see him add a third Olympic gold to his collection.

Childhood, Families, and Education

Nick Willis was born alongside his brother Steve, a personal trainer, author, and television personality, in Lower Hutt, New Zealand.

They were highly active as children, participating in a variety of sporting events.

The Willis brothers were well-known for their speed at Hutt Valley High School.

Not to mention that they are the only brothers in New Zealand history to have broken the 4-minute mile mark.

Furthermore, Don Dalgliesh coached both of the brothers in high school.

Furthermore, he genuinely assisted Nick in developing his core athletic skills.

As a result, he was able to pursue running as a career.

Similarly, he competed in and won a number of running races, earning him a high reputation as a young athlete.

As a result, he was awarded a full athletic scholarship to the University of Michigan.

As a result, he began to study and train in the United States while also competing in local tournaments.

During this period, he was coached by Ron Warhurst, who retired as the University of Michigan’s head coach in 2010.

Nick persuaded his former collegiate coach to become his personal trainer once he retired.

Ron agreed to his request and they have continued to collaborate to this day.

Height, Weight, And Age

Willis will be 39 years old on April 25, 2022.

As an athlete, he prioritizes his health, nutrition, and diet.

The best runner stands 1.83 meters tall and weighs 68 kilograms.

Furthermore, his body is in good shape for a quick run.

However, many people believe he is underweight for his height.

Nonetheless, he is overjoyed and follows a particular diet to maintain his weight.

He also follows a stringent exercise regimen to maintain his body supple and avoid injuries.

Marriage, Wife, And Children

The two-time Olympic medalist is married to Sierra Willis, his long-term lover.

Furthermore, the couple married on September 30, 2007.

Because the Olympian runner prefers to keep his personal life private, there is little information about their marriage available.

Nick, on the other hand, has been outspoken about his wife’s support.

Furthermore, he has asked Sierra to join his coaching staff alongside Ron.

Willis, with his wife and kid. Veteran Runner Nick, with his wife and son.

Indeed, after more than ten years together, she has learned everything there is to know about the sport.

As a result, she always encourages her husband to be better.

In fact, she rejected Nick’s retirement plan and persuaded him to earn the ranking points required to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.

Both the pair respect the other’s point of view throughout their lives.

As a result, they have enjoyed a happy life with their two lovely sons, Lachlan and Darcy.

Lachaln, born in 2012, is their elder son, followed by Darcy, born in 2018.

More Facts about Nick Willis

Running and Olympic Career

Nick Willis competed in and won the 800m and 1500m double in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships as a seventeen-year-old.

Similarly, the following year, he became the fastest secondary school student in New Zealand, running a mile in 4 minutes and 1.33 seconds.

He gained popularity in the track and field scene as a result of this performance.

As a result, four years later, he was selected for his first Athena Olympics in the Men’s 1500m in 2004.

Despite his best efforts, he was unable to reach the finals and finished 13th overall.

His spirit, on the other hand, was just beginning to light up as he became more driven following the loss.

Thus, a year later, at the Golden League series, he shattered a 32-year-old national record for the 1500m.

Following his exuberant effort, he won a gold medal in 3 minutes 38.49 seconds at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

He also won two first-place finishes at the New Zealand Track & Field Championships that year.

As a result, his IAAF global ranking rose to 16th in May 2007.

Unfair Olympic Race and the First Olympic Medal

There was no debate about his selection for the 2008 Beijing Olympics after some incredible performances.

After qualifying for two rounds and having some experience on his side, he advanced to the final round.

His maturity and experience were evident when he won the bronze medal.

On his second attempt, he won his first Olympic medal.

Officials, however, considered the race unjust because of doping charges against the winner and runner-up.

As a result of the investigation, Rashid Ramzi, the first runner-up, was disqualified.

As a result, Nick’s bronze medal was upgraded to his silver medal from 2011.

Willis accepts his silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The investigation continued, and eleven years after the 2008 Olympic Games, officials discovered that the champion had also used a prohibited substance.

Willis was intended to be crowned Olympic champion in 2008 as a result of this event.

However, it was quite unusual for any drug sanction to last that long.

As a result, there was no official announcement of disqualifying the champion and crowning Nick as the new champion.

Disappointment at the 2012 Olympics and Redemption for the Loss

The New Zealander runner was chosen for the third time in a row in 2012.

Following his selection, he has formally named New Zealand’s Olympic flag bearer.

Similarly, at the age of 29, he was the oldest runner to qualify for the 1500m final. Unfortunately, he had a dreadful performance in the finals, which he described as heartbreaking and embarrassing.

Furthermore, the setback motivated him to put in more effort and devotion to his games.

As a result, he was fully prepared to make amends for his defeat in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

As a result, this time he didn’t just run fast; he ran smart. He ran relatively slowly for the first two laps in order to save energy for the final sprint.

He began sprinting hard just as he planned to maintain third place.

However, he was unable to bridge the gap for first or second place and ended third overall.

Willis stated after the game that he was pleased that he had corrected all of London’s mistakes.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

The five-time Olympian will make his final Olympic appearance for New Zealand at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Furthermore, Willis stated that this was his first time being selected for the Olympics.

Similarly, he stated that he used to be certain and confident in his choice, but he was unsure this time.

As a result, the two-time Olympic medalist enjoyed the uncertain experience and thought it was enjoyable.

Nick aims to bring home gold for New Zealand in his final Olympic outing because he has never won an Olympic gold medal.

Injuries and Surgery

In 2009, the athlete underwent hip surgery for a labral rupture. He could hardly walk after the procedure, let alone run.

In 2010, shortly after his recovery, the Olympian had to have another meniscus surgery on his knee.

Furthermore, the doctors reopened him in 2011.

Similarly, he strained a calf muscle in 2013.

Salary, Net Worth, and Endorsements

The middle-distance runner made the majority of his money as a sprint specialist.

His exact net worth, however, is unknown.

EVEN SO, MANY SOURCES SAY HIS WORTH IS BETWEEN $1 MILLION AND $5 MILLION.

As a track and field superstar, he has received several lucrative sponsorships and endorsement deals.

One of these deals was with the well-known clothing company Adidas.

However, on May 11, 2020, he revealed via Facebook that he has severed relations with Adidas after seven years of collaboration.

However, in his subsequent post, he mentioned working with Tracksmith as their Athlete Experience Manager.

As a result, he has a nice life for himself and his family.

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Online Presence

The New Zealand runner is active on social media.

As a result, he has an Instagram account with 32.8 thousand followers and over 800 posts.

Willis primarily chronicles his life as a professional runner on Instagram.

Similarly, he has various posts in which he can be seen running and training.