Who is Nick Willis?
Nick Willis is a professional middle-distance runner from New Zealand. He has been to the Olympics five times. Nick Willis is the only person from his country to have won two medals in the 1500 meters at the Olympics.
He is not only a great runner but also a master at using strategy to win races. In most races, he stays out of sight until the last few meters, which gives him an edge.
He just recently qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and said that this would be his last time competing.
Still, he’s looking forward to his last chapter and passing the torch to the next generation.
Willis got a bronze medal at the Olympics in Rio.
Nick was happy to get third place at the Olympics in Rio.
He wants to win more this time because he has never won a gold medal in the Olympics.
Ian came back, though, and won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. So, his fans and family are hoping that he will win a third Olympic medal.
Here are a few quick facts about the Olympian before we get into his life and career.
Relationship Details, Nick Willis is Married?
The Olympic athlete who has won two medals is now married to his longtime girlfriend, Sierra Willis. Also, they were married on September 30, 2007.
Since the Olympic runner likes to keep his personal life out of the spotlight, not much is known about their wedding.
Nick, on the other hand, has been very open about how much his wife helps him. He has also asked Sierra to join his coaching staff, along with Ron.
In fact, after being with him for more than ten years, she knows everything there is to know about the sport. So, she always tries to get her husband to do better.
She told Nick he couldn’t retire and helped him get the ranking points he needed to get into the Tokyo Olympics.
Both people respect the other’s point of view in their lives. So, they’ve been happy living with their two handsome sons, Lachlan and Darcy.
Also, their oldest son, Lachaln, was born in 2012, and their second son, Darcy, was born in 2018.
Quick facts about Nick Willis
| Full Name | Nicholas Ian Willis |
| Birth Date | 25 April 1983 |
| Birth Place | Lower Hutt, New Zealand |
| Nick Name | Not Available |
| Religion | Christian |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Education | University of Michigan |
Nick Willis: Early Life, Age, Wiki, Parents, Ethnicity
Nick Willis and his brother Steve, who is a personal trainer, author, and TV star, were both born in Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
As a child, they were very interested in sports and took part in many of them. When the Willis brothers went to Hutt Valley High School, they were known for being very fast.
Not only that, but they are the only brothers in New Zealand’s history to have broken the 4-minute mile record.
So, this helped him decide to make running his job. In the same way, he ran in and won several races as a young athlete, which gave him a good name.
So, the University of Michigan gave him a full scholarship to play sports there. So, he moved to the United States to study and train while also taking part in some local events.
Ron Warhurst, who retired as head coach at the University of Michigan in 2010, was his coach at this time.
Nick then talked his college coach into becoming his trainer after he retired. Ron said yes, and they have been working together ever since.
Education, Schooling, University
There is no information about his education and schooling.
Professional Career, (Track And Field Athlete)
First Olympic Games and a Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games
Nick won both the 800m and the 1500m races at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships when he was 17 years old.
In the same way, the next year he ran a mile in 4 minutes and 1.33 seconds, which made him the fastest high school student in New Zealand.
With this performance, he became more well-known among track and field fans. So, after four years, he was chosen to compete in the Men’s 1500m at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Even though he tried hard, he didn’t make it to the finals and finished 13th overall. But after the loss, he started to feel better because he was more motivated.
So, a year later at the Golden League series, he broke a 32-year-old national record for the 1500m.
In 2006, he won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 3 minutes 38.49 seconds. This was because of how well he ran.
The first Olympic medal, and a race that wasn’t fair
After some amazing shows, there was no question that he would be chosen for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
After two rounds of qualifying, he moved on to the final round. He had some experience on his side, which helped him. His experience and maturity showed as he won the bronze medal.
On his second try at the Olympics, he won his first medal. But officials thought the race wasn’t fair because both the winner and the runner-up were accused of taking drugs.
So, after more research, the first runner-up, Rashid Ramzi, was kicked out of the race. Nick’s bronze medal got upgraded to a silver medal, which he got in 2011.
Nick was awarded a silver medal.
Willis was given a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
The investigation kept going, and ten years after the 2008 Olympics, officials found out that the winner had also used a drug that was against the rules.
Willis was supposed to be named the winner of the 2008 Olympics because of this. But it was very rare for any drug punishment to last that long.
So, there was never any official news that the champion was kicked out and Nick was crowned the new champion.
Don’t like the 2012 Olympics and make up for what you lost.
The New Zealander runner was chosen for the third time in a row in 2012. He has now officially named the person who will carry the New Zealand flag at the Olympics.
In the 1500m race, he was also the oldest runner to make it to the finals, at age 29. He had a terrible performance in his finals, which broke his heart and made him feel embarrassed.
So, he didn’t just run fast this time; he ran smart. He ran very slowly for the first two laps so he could save his energy for the end.
As soon as he started to move, he started to sprint hard to stay in third place. He tried to catch up to the first or second place, but he couldn’t. He ended up in third place.
Check out Usain Bolt’s early life, career, the Olympics, family, lifestyle, and net worth.
Tokyo will host the Olympics in 2020.
The five-time Olympian will be competing for New Zealand in his last Olympics in Tokyo in 2020. Willis also said that this was the first time he was happy to be chosen for the Olympics.
In the same way, he said that he used to be sure about his choice and feel confident, but this time he wasn’t sure. So, the two-time Olympian who won two medals loved the uncertainty and said it was fun.
Nick has never won an Olympic gold medal, so in his last Olympics, he hopes to bring gold back to New Zealand.
Surgery and Getting Hurt
In 2009, the athlete had surgery to fix a Labral tear in his hip. He could barely walk after the surgery, let alone run.
In 2010, the Olympian had to have another surgery on his knee’s meniscus soon after he got better. Also, doctors had to cut him open again in 2011.
Net Worth, Salary, Assets
Most of the middle-distance runner’s money has come from his career as a sprinter. But no one knows how much he is worth.
NEVERTHELESS, MANY SOURCES CLAIM HIS WORTH TO BE BETWEEN $1 MILLION TO $5 MILLION.
He has gotten some very good sponsorships and endorsement deals because he is a track and field superstar.
One of these deals was with Adidas, which is a well-known clothing brand. But on May 11, 2020, he posted on Facebook that he was leaving Adidas after seven long years of working together.
In his next post, though, he said that he was going to work with Tracksmith as their Athlete Experience Manager. So, he has made enough money for himself and his family to live well.
Rumors and Controversy
Talking about his rumors and controversy, he has not been in any part of rumors as well as controversy to date.
What is the Height of Nick Willis? Weight, Full Body Status
On April 25, 2022, Willis turned 39 years old. He takes great care of his health, nutrition, and diet because he is an athlete.
The professional runner is 1.83m tall and weighs 68 kgs. His body is also in good shape so he can run quickly.
But based on his height, many people think he is too skinny. Still, he is happy and goes on a special diet to keep his weight the same.
He also follows a strict training schedule to keep his body flexible and reduce the chance of getting hurt.
Social Media Accounts
The New Zealand runner is very present on social media. So, he has an Instagram account with over 800 posts and 32.8 thousand followers.
Willis’s Instagram account is where he mostly talks about his life as a professional runner. In the same way, he has several posts where he is seen working out or running.
Nick loves his family very much, and they all adore him. Also, his whole account is filled with pictures of him and his family.
Nick is also active on Twitter, where he has 24.3 thousand people who follow him. He mostly tweets about track and field news and how much he loves his family, especially his wife.
Ian is also active on Facebook, where he has 5.4 thousand fans. In the same way that he does on Twitter and Instagram, he posts news and training videos along with some memorable photos.
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