I think Maia Ramsden ran a national record at 4:02 so she'd be pretty stoked with that.
I believe RayGun was a secret agent sent by Australia to torpedo breakdancing out of the Olympics: mission accomplished.
The prices of test tickets doesn't encourage you to take your kid along from a distance either. Making a pilgrimage from somewhere like Palmerston North to eat cold chips and sit miles away just isn't as appealing as building a blanket fort in the lounge with the kids and watching Lisa Carrington take souls.
I was fortunate enough to go to 8 Olympic events and see NZ win 5 gold medals. The Black Ferns win was the biggest relief after watching the mens team dip out early. 7s can be a fickle game and an individual bit of brilliance can swing a game so it was a relief to get through with the win over Canada.
Finn Butcher's win was the best for me for a few reasons. I went to the event with no expectations and just hoped to see him and Luuka race a few times. The venue was incredible. Every seat gives you a good view of the action and there was action aplenty. Kayak cross is such chaos, I loved it. I was heart broken for Luuka being penalised in the semi for missing the gate and then so elated when Finn absolutely dominated the final.
It was incredibly special to see Lydia win gold. She is an amazing athlete who comes under a lot of criticism and pressure from the media and fans. She has talked a lot about prioritising the Olympics and how much it would mean to her to win gold and that showed in her tears when she birdied the 18th and received her medal.
You forgot best hair: this absolutely has to go to Aaron Gate. Watching that mullet flow round the velodrome was a thing of beauty.
Lots there to comment on, but I'll start with rugby. As a kid we used to go down to the test (or even NPC games) in the morning, head into town for some shopping, watch the game, grab some food and then head home. Back by 8pm (ish). With matches at 7pm, there's an awkward period between 5pm when you don't really want to be walking round town, the game finishes around 9pm meaning that by the time you've got home (Palmy) its midnight. Accommodation in Wellington makes the $520 for tickets for a family seem cheap...
NZ Rugby decided 25 years ago that they didn't care about the matchday experience for fans and are still determined to eek out the last penny they can from TV at the expense of the spectator at the match.
1. NZ Athlete of the Games - Hamish Kerr, just 'cos winning anything at track and field is a phenomenal achievement.
2. International athlete - Armand Duplantis. World records and cool personified.
3. NZ Team - K4 team
4. International Team - The Netherlands women's team. Bossed the sport in the rounds leading to the final then won in the clutch moments.
5. Moment - Nothing beats the shear surprise of Finn Butcher winning that mad sport. Loved it.
6. International Moment - 19 year-old Toby Terminator Roberts winning the Boulder and Lead climbing event. Ridiculously exciting for a sport I've never watched before. He couldn't believe it either.
7. Mulligan, please - everybody that competed who was injured beforehand. Especially that 1500m bloke. Why go?
8. Don’t be so harsh, perhaps? I can't think of anything...the breakdancing maybe - it's obviously not a sport and shouldn't be in there, so it's not breakdancing's fault but the IOC.
I'm late to the party but finally saw it last week
Stuff of legends, the documentary is awesome - and it shows what hockey needs in this country. Fantastic schoolkids' sport and for the life of me I cant see why it isnt more popular than cricket given the state of administration in that summer game
Cheers - I can only compare to rugby here and its a heeeeeaaaappppp cheaper than that :) And much nicer being able to play on the turf, especially under lights at night to free up the weekend!
Yeah mate for reference in our neck of the woods: cricket= 120, bball= 145, netball= 170, rugby= 120 (not First XV), football= 120 and hockey is 260.
There is nuance there though: hockey get turf and paid umpires and lighting etc. Cricket gets arty wickets and teachers/parents umpiring. But yeah, still more money, and that doesn't include tournaments.
Agree with most of your assessments Dylan, although I would have given the GOAT a slight edge over Elesse Andrews; she was equally dominant and proved a fantastic mentor to her younger teammates. Also, my favorite kiwi moment was Kerr's gold ... perhaps cos the tension at home went thru the roof when the commentators told us he had clinched gold only to correct themselves ages later!
As for the Kiwi track athletes, that was my biggest letdown. Apart from Ramsden, I dont think of them came close to PBs ... James Preston in the 800m (both his races) was pretty much 4 secs off the mark he set in breaking Snell's record recently. That margin is a lifetime in a 2 lapper. Injuries def disrupted a lot of our track stars, but that cant totally explain such a disappointing effort across the board.
I would not argue with you for a second re Carrington or Ellesse. Bot astonishing performances and truth be told, the fact I love cycling l would have tilted my thinking.
I’ve really enjoyed the Olympics write ups thank you Dylan. I’m a UK based kiwi so have felt a bit disconnected from the NZ narratives about the games, and your newsletter has helped a lot with this. The coverage here is (understandably) very team GB focussed so you miss some of the little stories about the kiwis.
One positive is the time zone though. Spent a lot of time on the couch these last two weeks - on Saturday managed to catch all three golden moments. You weren’t the only one struck by sudden high pollen counts.
Thanks for your mahi, and look forward to the cricket coverage upcoming.
Nz athlete I am torn between Lisa Carrington- I mean she is an absolute legend ! And Hamish Kerr - doing what no Kiwi has done and won a high jump gold
Medal- and athletics has a piece of my heart.
International- if you go past Thomas Ceccon- I totally agree re Marchand should be the hero here.
Favorite team- hard to call but I will chose the delightful workhorses of the K4, but closely
Followed by “the mums”.
I agree with your sentiment that NZ do so well on the water if they have a vessel!
Fav moment- any NZer on the podium regardless of the medal color. Any time an underdog came through but ultimately the hug between Wilde and Yee at the end of the Tri- that is the Olympic spirit for me through and through and gave me all the spine tingles.
The mulligan- The Aussie Breakdancer, the NZ men’s 7s Or Aimee fisher - but perhaps that is cruel and just big game got to her and I really do hope that she will be back.
1. NZ Athlete - Ellesse and Hamish Kerr. Ellesse for that confidence and ruthlesness. Kerr for landing those last chance jumps in the first round and early in the final. That was big pressure. So was the winning jump tbf.
2. International Athlete - can't really disagree with you, but it's the internet so I'll try. Remco winning the TT and Road Race was impressive.
3. NZ Team - I'll go K4
4. International team - yeah that Femke Bol run was my favorite memory. Dream Team v Serbia and France was brilliant too
5. Moment - Ellesse bossing the sprint final race and the GOAT in the K1
6. International Moment - that Bol leg, and Pidcock's last lap.
7. I was bummed out by the swimming and Aaron Gate getting 3 top 5s and no medal.
8. I hoped that the road race course would have suited Pithie and Strong to nick a top 10
I have never really been out of love with the Olympics (although Covid and no crowds made it harder to love Tokyo), but you're right, there's been something special about these ones.
Quote of The Olympics to my mind goes to a master of euphemism and the gold-medal winning Cambridge supermum rower Brooke Francis; 'I do my talking in the boat,' said Brooke.
Trying to explain many cycling events is a challenge (how is staying still a sprint? What's the motorbike doing?). But I love every arcane moment. And now for the Tour de France femmes and the Vuelta.
I think Maia Ramsden ran a national record at 4:02 so she'd be pretty stoked with that.
I believe RayGun was a secret agent sent by Australia to torpedo breakdancing out of the Olympics: mission accomplished.
The prices of test tickets doesn't encourage you to take your kid along from a distance either. Making a pilgrimage from somewhere like Palmerston North to eat cold chips and sit miles away just isn't as appealing as building a blanket fort in the lounge with the kids and watching Lisa Carrington take souls.
I was fortunate enough to go to 8 Olympic events and see NZ win 5 gold medals. The Black Ferns win was the biggest relief after watching the mens team dip out early. 7s can be a fickle game and an individual bit of brilliance can swing a game so it was a relief to get through with the win over Canada.
Finn Butcher's win was the best for me for a few reasons. I went to the event with no expectations and just hoped to see him and Luuka race a few times. The venue was incredible. Every seat gives you a good view of the action and there was action aplenty. Kayak cross is such chaos, I loved it. I was heart broken for Luuka being penalised in the semi for missing the gate and then so elated when Finn absolutely dominated the final.
It was incredibly special to see Lydia win gold. She is an amazing athlete who comes under a lot of criticism and pressure from the media and fans. She has talked a lot about prioritising the Olympics and how much it would mean to her to win gold and that showed in her tears when she birdied the 18th and received her medal.
You forgot best hair: this absolutely has to go to Aaron Gate. Watching that mullet flow round the velodrome was a thing of beauty.
Paris felt like a perfect venue for the Olympics: steeped in history and not afraid to play on it to enhance the Games. Hope you had a ball.
Lots there to comment on, but I'll start with rugby. As a kid we used to go down to the test (or even NPC games) in the morning, head into town for some shopping, watch the game, grab some food and then head home. Back by 8pm (ish). With matches at 7pm, there's an awkward period between 5pm when you don't really want to be walking round town, the game finishes around 9pm meaning that by the time you've got home (Palmy) its midnight. Accommodation in Wellington makes the $520 for tickets for a family seem cheap...
NZ Rugby decided 25 years ago that they didn't care about the matchday experience for fans and are still determined to eek out the last penny they can from TV at the expense of the spectator at the match.
1. NZ Athlete of the Games - Hamish Kerr, just 'cos winning anything at track and field is a phenomenal achievement.
2. International athlete - Armand Duplantis. World records and cool personified.
3. NZ Team - K4 team
4. International Team - The Netherlands women's team. Bossed the sport in the rounds leading to the final then won in the clutch moments.
5. Moment - Nothing beats the shear surprise of Finn Butcher winning that mad sport. Loved it.
6. International Moment - 19 year-old Toby Terminator Roberts winning the Boulder and Lead climbing event. Ridiculously exciting for a sport I've never watched before. He couldn't believe it either.
7. Mulligan, please - everybody that competed who was injured beforehand. Especially that 1500m bloke. Why go?
8. Don’t be so harsh, perhaps? I can't think of anything...the breakdancing maybe - it's obviously not a sport and shouldn't be in there, so it's not breakdancing's fault but the IOC.
Hey Dylan and Bouncers - have you seen the doco on Ruamata school hockey team and their journey to Rankin Cup? https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/ruamata
I'm late to the party but finally saw it last week
Stuff of legends, the documentary is awesome - and it shows what hockey needs in this country. Fantastic schoolkids' sport and for the life of me I cant see why it isnt more popular than cricket given the state of administration in that summer game
It's blooooody expensive mate, particularly at secondary school when you throw in tournament fees too. Though, I imagine it varies around the country.
Cheers - I can only compare to rugby here and its a heeeeeaaaappppp cheaper than that :) And much nicer being able to play on the turf, especially under lights at night to free up the weekend!
Yeah mate for reference in our neck of the woods: cricket= 120, bball= 145, netball= 170, rugby= 120 (not First XV), football= 120 and hockey is 260.
There is nuance there though: hockey get turf and paid umpires and lighting etc. Cricket gets arty wickets and teachers/parents umpiring. But yeah, still more money, and that doesn't include tournaments.
I haven't seen it but you're the second person to suggest I should... so I will!
Agree with most of your assessments Dylan, although I would have given the GOAT a slight edge over Elesse Andrews; she was equally dominant and proved a fantastic mentor to her younger teammates. Also, my favorite kiwi moment was Kerr's gold ... perhaps cos the tension at home went thru the roof when the commentators told us he had clinched gold only to correct themselves ages later!
As for the Kiwi track athletes, that was my biggest letdown. Apart from Ramsden, I dont think of them came close to PBs ... James Preston in the 800m (both his races) was pretty much 4 secs off the mark he set in breaking Snell's record recently. That margin is a lifetime in a 2 lapper. Injuries def disrupted a lot of our track stars, but that cant totally explain such a disappointing effort across the board.
I would not argue with you for a second re Carrington or Ellesse. Bot astonishing performances and truth be told, the fact I love cycling l would have tilted my thinking.
I’ve really enjoyed the Olympics write ups thank you Dylan. I’m a UK based kiwi so have felt a bit disconnected from the NZ narratives about the games, and your newsletter has helped a lot with this. The coverage here is (understandably) very team GB focussed so you miss some of the little stories about the kiwis.
One positive is the time zone though. Spent a lot of time on the couch these last two weeks - on Saturday managed to catch all three golden moments. You weren’t the only one struck by sudden high pollen counts.
Thanks for your mahi, and look forward to the cricket coverage upcoming.
Thanks Anita, appreciate the kind words.
Nz athlete I am torn between Lisa Carrington- I mean she is an absolute legend ! And Hamish Kerr - doing what no Kiwi has done and won a high jump gold
Medal- and athletics has a piece of my heart.
International- if you go past Thomas Ceccon- I totally agree re Marchand should be the hero here.
Favorite team- hard to call but I will chose the delightful workhorses of the K4, but closely
Followed by “the mums”.
I agree with your sentiment that NZ do so well on the water if they have a vessel!
Fav moment- any NZer on the podium regardless of the medal color. Any time an underdog came through but ultimately the hug between Wilde and Yee at the end of the Tri- that is the Olympic spirit for me through and through and gave me all the spine tingles.
The mulligan- The Aussie Breakdancer, the NZ men’s 7s Or Aimee fisher - but perhaps that is cruel and just big game got to her and I really do hope that she will be back.
1. NZ Athlete - Ellesse and Hamish Kerr. Ellesse for that confidence and ruthlesness. Kerr for landing those last chance jumps in the first round and early in the final. That was big pressure. So was the winning jump tbf.
2. International Athlete - can't really disagree with you, but it's the internet so I'll try. Remco winning the TT and Road Race was impressive.
3. NZ Team - I'll go K4
4. International team - yeah that Femke Bol run was my favorite memory. Dream Team v Serbia and France was brilliant too
5. Moment - Ellesse bossing the sprint final race and the GOAT in the K1
6. International Moment - that Bol leg, and Pidcock's last lap.
7. I was bummed out by the swimming and Aaron Gate getting 3 top 5s and no medal.
8. I hoped that the road race course would have suited Pithie and Strong to nick a top 10
These Paris games have seen me fall in love with the Olympics, again.
You asked for our picks on your arbitrary awards:
NZ Athlete of the Games: Lisa Carrington. Special mention to Lydia Ko. She had more riding on the result than the gold medal.
International Athlete: Leon Marchand.
NZ Team: Black Ferns sevens.
International Team: Netherlands 4x400 mixed relay. Bol's anchor run was one of the highlights over the entire games.
Moment: Lydia Ko on the dais watching the NZ flag being hoisted. I couldn't stop my tears.
International Moment: Celene Dion's opening song.
Mulligan Moment: US sprinter Lyles talking about how he will demolish his opponents in the 200 mtr final.
The biggest star of these games: Paris
I have never really been out of love with the Olympics (although Covid and no crowds made it harder to love Tokyo), but you're right, there's been something special about these ones.
Quote of The Olympics to my mind goes to a master of euphemism and the gold-medal winning Cambridge supermum rower Brooke Francis; 'I do my talking in the boat,' said Brooke.
Trying to explain many cycling events is a challenge (how is staying still a sprint? What's the motorbike doing?). But I love every arcane moment. And now for the Tour de France femmes and the Vuelta.