A Champion’s message
By Alice Scott | Posted: Tuesday June 17, 2025
From the OBHS Auditorium to Olympic Glory – Lessons in grit and determination from Hamish Bond
There was something special in the air at the Summer Blues Awards recently. Among the celebration of our boys’ outstanding achievements, the evening was elevated by the presence of Olympic gold medalist and OBHS Old Boy, Hamish Bond.
Hamish is one of New Zealand’s most decorated and versatile athletes, a triple Olympic gold medallist and eight-time world champion in rowing, a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist in road cycling, and a key member of Emirates Team New Zealand’s successful 2024 America’s Cup defence.
Standing in the auditorium talking to Summer Blues award recipients and their families, Hamish was humble and sincere as he reflected on his own journey - one that began in the very same seats our boys occupied last night.
“I was a late developer,” he admitted. “It took a couple of years of hard toil and persistence - just showing up, day after day - before I started to see any results.”
Hamish offered a powerful reminder that grit and determination matters more than winning from the beginning. “In some ways, those who are early developers and win from the start can be at a disadvantage if they never learn the value of hard graft,” he said. “Being knocked down is tough - but it’s the getting back up, again and again, that defines you.”
His message was clear: Success doesn’t come easy, and it doesn’t come overnight. It comes to those who keep showing up.
Hamish also spoke about the shift that happens after school ends - the moment when the support net of family encouragement and school structure falls away. “After school, it gets harder,” he said. “There’s no one checking in. Mum won’t be waiting at the finish line with an iced bun. You have to map out a plan, take ownership of it, and keep going.”
That self-driven mindset carried Hamish through his years at Otago University - a time when he chose a very different path from many of his Scarfie peers. “I was very focussed on training and competing for rowing. I missed out on a lot - fun with friends, family events, holidays. But it was a choice I made, and the benefits I got back were tenfold.”
Among those benefits? Lifelong friendships forged in the trenches of shared ambition. “The mates you make through sport - these are the guys who’ll be your friends for life. You train together, you suffer together. It builds something very special.”
We are proud to call Hamish one of our own - and even prouder to see his story lighting the way for the next generation of OBs’ Boys.
