Karen Hanlen (born 28 March 1980) is a New Zealand mountain biker. She represented

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, competing in the women's cross-country cycling event.

Biography

Hanlen was born in

Whakatāne Whakatāne ( , ) is the seat of the Bay of Plenty region in the North Island of New Zealand, east of Tauranga and north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatāne River. Whakatāne District is the encompassing territorial authority, ...

in 1980. She is married with two children, and works as a physiotherapist at

Whakatāne Hospital Whakatāne Hospital is a hospital in New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 sma ...

. In 2010, she switched from mountain running to mountain biking, buying her first performance bike on

Trade Me Trade Me is New Zealand's largest online auction and classifieds website. Managed by Trade Me Ltd., the site was founded in 1999 by New Zealand entrepreneur Sam Morgan (entrepreneur), Sam Morgan, who sold it to John Fairfax Holdings, Fairfax in ...

. She was the only woman who represented New Zealand at the 2012 Summer Olympics in mountain biking, beating

Rosara Joseph Rosara Joseph (born 21 February 1982 in Christchurch) is a New Zealand cyclist who won a silver medal for New Zealand in the Women's mountain bike racing event at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. She is also the current Oceania champion, ...

for the sole spot.

Olympic career

Hanlen competed for New Zealand in the women's mountain biking cross country at the 2012 Summer Olympics in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. She finished 18th, with a time of 1:37:54.

Achievements

References

External links

Facebook fan page of Karen Hanlen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanlen, Karen 1980 births Living people New Zealand female cyclists New Zealand mountain bikers Cross-country mountain bikers Olympic cyclists for New Zealand Cyclists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Whakatāne People educated at Whakatane High School Cyclists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for New Zealand