NZ cyclist Kiaan Watts disqualified after punch on rival in Dutch race

NZ Herald

7 Mar, 2026 10:22 PMQuick Read

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Kiaan Watts’s altercation with Marijn Maas.

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New Zealand professional cyclist Kiaan Watts has been removed from an event in the Netherlands after he appeared to punch a fellow competitor at the front of the race.

Watts’s team issued a statement, saying that the team “deeply regrets” his actions.

“The team expects that its riders race in
a sporting and professional manner at all times and wishes to extend an apology to Marijn Maas, the BEAT CC p/b Saxo team, race organisers and the UCI commissaires”, the NSN Development Team’s post on X (formerly Twitter) read.

Watts, a 24-year-old from Tauranga, was listed as disqualified from the Salverda Bouw Ster van Zwolle (1.2).

His team say he will be given time to “reflect on his actions and the consequences”.