How Terenzo Bozzone Gave Up Gold
When it comes to winning, there are more important things than finishing first, as Christine Miles discovered.
My goal is to be an Olympic gold medallist and élite world champion,” stated Terenzo Bozzone prior to the Athens Olympics.
Now that’s a goal! And one that seemed likely to become a reality for the South African–born 19-year-old.
Although he is of Italian, French and Mauritian ancestry, Terenzo Bozzone says he’s proud to be called a Kiwi. “I feel like I’ve lived in New Zealand all my life—” he says, “like a born-and-bred Kiwi.”
He came as an immigrant to New Zealand with his family in 1996. Then, over the past few years, Terenzo has collected 22 national titles in cycling, swimming and athletics, including multi-sports events.
While in secondary school, he completely dominated the triathlon and duathlon competitions, and in 2002 achieved the rare feat of winning the senior triathlon, duathlon, cross-country and 3000 m track-and-field titles. Add to this list his World Championship and the junior duathlon and triathlon titles (he is the first person to simultaneously hold the junior titles for both triathlon and duathlon) and one begins to seriously appreciate Terenzo’s athletic abilities.
“I do triathlons because I love it,” Terenzo says. “I love being fit and healthy.
“By doing triathlons, I’m able to influence groups of people positively. Knowing that I can actually make a difference sends shivers down my spine. I have a great group of people around me that help make life and training easy—my family and friends, manager Dean Flyger and my coaches and sponsors.”
Flyger has been managing Terenzo for two years. “It has been great to be involved with him during this time as he is always positive and polite,” he says. “I believe he has great potential and a great attitude to anything he does; he always does it with a smile.”
In 2002, Terenzo was headboy at Rangitoto College on Auckland’s North Shore. There he gained a bursary with a scholarship in physical education before studying physiotherapy at the Auckland University of Technology.
“I want to major in sports physiotherapy—mainly so that I can fix things that go wrong with myself!” he says.
In the course of the year Terenzo supports a number of charity fundraisers for youth-related causes. He trains with and mentors a number of younger athletes in a variety of sporting disciplines while making time to speak to groups ranging from primary school students to corporate organisations.
He’s also Youth Ambassador for What’s Up.* What’s Up is a national telephone counselling service for Enzedders aged five to 18 years. Trained counsellors provide assistance to callers seven days a week from noon to midnight.
“New Zealand has a terribly high rate of youth suicide, and What’s Up is aimed at trying to reduce this rate,” Terenzo says. “If I can help make a difference to the youth of today in a positive way, then I will know that I am not wasting my time.”
He’d like to remind kids that there is more to life than what’s happening right now.
“I love to encourage kids to enjoy life,” he says. “If I could recommend anything it would be to get out there and have fun playing whatever sports or activities that you like. Don’t do something that you are going to regret later on in life.
“Drugs and alcohol are a big no-no. You only have one body and you only live once. Your body is not made for you to abuse it, so look after it.”
Inevitably, Terenzo has a demanding training schedule. Coaches Jon Ackland (Performance Lab), Frank Clarke (Firsttier), and Swim Coach Jan Cameron (Millennium) designed his training program. The training program ranges from four to six hours each day, with varying intensities and types of training.
moment of truth
In May 2004, he attempted his third World Junior Men’s Triathlon title at the ITU World Championships on the resort island of Madeira. Regaining the title would also have given automatic entry to the Athens Olympic Games to be held three months later. He came 35th. Yet his loss was a keen reminder there is more than one way to win.
Terenzo didn’t stop to think about his own race when he rushed to assist fellow Enzedder and long-time rival and training partner Ben Pattle during their event.
Pattle, having led the field from the water and out of transition, suffered an asthma attack and collapsed on the cycle leg.
“It was a bit scary,” Terenzo said. “Pattle was about 50 metres up the road. All of a sudden he dropped off his bike and fell to the side of the road. I rode up to him and jumped off my bike. . . . He was unconscious and was huffing and puffing. I helped him into the recovery position. I wasn’t going to leave him in the gutter.”
Terenzo lost a couple of minutes while helping his “good mate.” He also lost any realistic chance of defending the World Title he’d won in Queenstown, NZ, the previous December, and qualifying for the Olympics.
Would he do it again? “You don’t think too much about things like that in that situation,” said Bozzone. “It was just one of those things that happened.”
He got back on his bike and began to chase the leaders, but it was a lost battle. He eventually finished two places behind a third New Zealander, Caleb Hill.
“I’ve won races from further back than that, but really, I was battling after a slow start,” he commented.
Pattle crossed the finish line in an ambulance—beating Terenzo. “I wasn’t too happy about that,” he jokes.
Terenzo’s mother, Diane, says her son’s actions were true to character. “That’s just his nature. Ben’s his friend; he couldn’t leave him there, and he’s happy with what he did,” she said. “He’d do it again if the situation was the same.”
And father Carlo Bozzone is full of praise for Terenzo. He says his son would not have given up trying to win when he resumed racing: “That’s just my son, you know. He thinks he’s Superman sometimes. . . . Winning doesn’t make me proud of him; winning makes me happy for him. This is what makes me proud of him.”
There should be a gold medal, somewhere, for Terenzo.
*The service is benchmarked with the operating policies and standards of Kids Help Line in Australia (www.kidshelp.com.au), which has provided similar services to Australian children.
Sources:
www.terenzo.com
www.whatsup.co.nz
www.nzherald.co.nz/storyprint.cfm?storyID=3565423
www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/print/0,1478,2903415a1823,00.html
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