New Zealander physiotherapist and field hockey player
Angela Cullen (born 5 August 1974) is a New Zealand physiotherapist and former field hockey player. From 2015 to March 2023, she worked for Hintsa Performance and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. She is best known for being the physiotherapist to seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Biography
Born in Devonport, New Zealand, in 1974,[3] Cullen played hockey at an international level for New Zealand between the ages of 15 and 21.[3] She holds a degree in health science and physiotherapy.[4]
Cullen worked at the English Institute of Sport in London as a senior physiotherapist, supporting the British Olympic team, UK Athletics the British triathlon team and other corporate clients.[5][6] In the British Olympic team, she worked with 100 m and 200 m sprinters and the 4 × 100 m relay team, the latter going on to win a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympic games in Athens.[5]
Cullen undertook a cycle tour in 2006 riding from Tierra del Fuego to Colombia, cycling up to 155 miles a day.[7] She was later a senior advisor for SPARC High Performance in New Zealand. Cullen also worked with the New Zealand Academy of Sport and Sport New Zealand.[6]
In 2015, Cullen joined the Hintsa Performance company.[8] Following the death of Aki Hintsa [fi], a mentor to Hamilton, she became Hamilton's physiotherapist and assistant.[8] Cullen took up the role in 2016, also being described as his chauffeur and confidante.[9]
On 17 March 2023, it was announced that Angela was moving on and would no longer work alongside Lewis Hamilton.[10]
She currently works with young star Marcus Armstrong – who also hails from her homeland of New Zealand. During NBC’s broadcast for the first-ever Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge event, the 50-year-old was spotted in the pit box of former Ferrari junior prospect Armstrong.[11]
Personal life
Cullen has two children, a son and a daughter, and lives in the Alps region of France.[12][13]
References