Simon Poelman

{{Short description|New Zealand decathlete (born 1963)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}

{{Use New Zealand English|date=July 2019}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| image =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|5|27|df=y}}

| birth_place = Hamilton, New Zealand

| height =

| weight =

| country = {{NZL}}

| sport = Athletics

| event = Decathlon

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalSport | Men's athletics}}

{{MedalCountry| {{NZL}} }}

{{MedalCompetition|Commonwealth Games}}

{{MedalSilver| 1990 Auckland|Decathlon}}

{{MedalBronze| 1986 Edinburgh|Decathlon}}

{{MedalBronze| 1990 Auckland|Pole vault}}

}}

Simon Roderick Poelman (born 27 May 1963, Hamilton) is a former New Zealand decathlete, who has been described as New Zealand's best ever all-round athlete.{{cite web|last1=Salmistu|first1=Janek|title=Simon Poelman’s biography|url=http://www.decathlon2000.com/609/|website=Decathlon 2000|access-date=16 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602180403/http://www.decathlon2000.com/609/|archive-date=2 June 2016}} In the decathlon, his personal best of 8359 points (which is adjusted from 8366 points as it was hand timed) is still a New Zealand national record.http://www.anzrankings.org.nz/ NZ athletics rankings (Search Decathlon/Open Mens/All time) This was set at the national athletics championships in Christchurch 1987. As well as being the national decathlon champion seven times. He was also the New Zealand senior men's national champion in several individual events including the 100m (once), 110m hurdles (seven times), long jump (twice), pole vault (three times), and shot put (once).

He won the bronze medal at the 1986 Commonwealth games in Edinburgh and at the 1990 Commonwealth games he won both the silver medal for decathlon and bronze in the pole vault. At the time of the Seoul Olympics he was ranked fourth in the world at decathlon, but had a bad start when a series of false starts led to a slow 100m time in his heat, and he finished in 16th place on 8021 points.

In 1998, Poelman was convicted of importing ecstasy tablets with a value of $NZ200,000 and sentenced to 3 years in prison. He initially denied the charges but later confessed.{{cite web|url=http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_national_story_skin/458840|title=Athlete comes clean about drug past|access-date=24 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110124013322/http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_national_story_skin/458840|archive-date=24 January 2011|date=15 November 2004|publisher=TVNZ|work=Sunday}}

Poelman returned to competitive athletics in 2004, setting a [http://www.oelv.at/static/mehrkampf/htm/290604b.htm world age-group record], breaking a 23-year world record, for the decathlon.

He was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal