MEIKLE'S OLYMPICS
Three favourite moments
1 Erika Fairweather finishing second in her heat of the 400m freestyle, smashing the New Zealand record. We were excited about seeing the Dunedin schoolgirl swim at the Olympics — but we never expected that. It was late on a Sunday, New Zealand time, and we watched in shock and delight as she sizzled in the pool. She is now ranked fourth in the world (yes, my pleasant friend who rang to berate us for making a mistake, she is) and could be a real medal prospect at Paris 2024.
2 Ellesse Andrews and Campbell Stewart winning back-to-back silvers on the cycling track. I’d literally just talked to someone that day about the track cycling team being underwhelming. Then blam, two wonderful rides from two young stars to claim our 18th and 19th medals at Tokyo, setting a record. Andrews, especially, is one to watch.
3 The New Zealand men’s eight claiming rowing gold. All the medal-winning rowing crews were great but there is something special about the eight. For an Oamaru boy, raised on stories of the legendary Rusty Robertson coaching the champion rowing eight at Munich in 1972, it was thrilling. So unexpected, too.
Star New Zealanders
1 Lisa Carrington (canoeing)
Well, duh. A performance that almost defies description. She looked untouchable from the opening paddle.
2 Emma Twigg (rowing)
One of the most heart-warming stories from any country in any sport at Tokyo. After consecutive fourth placings and a brief retirement, the single sculler simply refused to be beaten. Wonderful stuff.
3 Black Ferns (rugby)
This really was the Olympics for our wahine to shine. Watching the Black Ferns — the way they play, the way they celebrate, the way they speak from the heart — was a chance to appreciate the true joy of the Games.
Pleasant surprise
Michael Venus and Marcus Daniell (tennis)
Tennis? Yup. Some 105 years after the immortal Anthony Wilding became the first New Zealander to win an Olympic medal on the court, Venus and Daniell charged to a stunning bronze in the men’s doubles. Very big moment for the sport in the absence of a high-performing singles player.
Underwhelming Kiwis
This category is perhaps a bit unfair — if you get to the Olympics, you are good. But Natalie Rooney, while she finished strongly, was disappointed to finish 10th in trap shooting after her stunning silver at Rio. And the equestrian team flattered to deceive.
Best international athletes
The 20-year-old Australian emphatically took away Katie Ledecky’s crown by winning the women’s 200m and 400m freestyle.
2 Caeleb Dressel (swimming)
Michael Phelps will never be surpassed, But Dressel couldn’t have done much more, winning five gold medals.
Let’s share the bronze. Norwegian thunderbolt Warholm scorched his way to a world record in the 400m hurdles, giant Georgian Talakhadze calmly hoisted a combined 488kg in the super-heavy division, and Dutch running superstar Sifan Hassan.
Disappointments
1 Simone Biles (gymnastics)
Hard one to explain. Biles herself was no disappointment — she is a special athlete, and showed remarkable courage to return from her unexpected and very public wellbeing exile to claim bronze. But for the fans, it was disappointing not to see the face of the Olympics at her usual best.
2 US women (football)
Bronze represents a huge failure for them.
3 Great Britain (rowing)
Worst return on the water in 49 years for the misfiring Brits. The inquests have already begun, given the rowing squad received more funding, £24.6million ($NZ48.7million) than any other sport in this Olympic cycle.
New sports — yes or no?
Skateboarding — I am oscillating. Guts says nope, doesn’t belong. But it was fun and people seemed to like it.
Surfing — No.
Sport climbing — Yes. Fun to watch and reaches a new demographic.
Karate — No.
Baseball — No. Absolutely no point without the best players.
Softball — Yes, and we need to get New Zealand (and more international teams) there.
Should the Olympics have been held at all?
A week before the Games opened, I was highly dubious. And there is still a grain of me that thinks it was crazy. But, whether it was the Kiwi success or the old "willing suspension of disbelief", I found myself loving these Olympics. They actually worked.
Kiwis to watch in Paris
1 Erika Fairweather
Sky is the limit for our superfish.
2 Hamish Kerr
High jumper has huge potential.
3 Maddi Wesche
Heir apparent to Dame Val’s shotput crown is very cool and very talented.
SECONI'S OLYMPICS
Three favourite moments
2 The smug satisfaction that comes with seeing New Zealand near the top of the medal table. Of course, it is awfully convenient to ignore how much we spent winning those things.
3 Sevens star Ruby Tui. So funny.
Star New Zealanders
1 Ellesse Andrews (cycling)
How about this woman? Silver in the keirin. Perhaps those in the know weren’t surprised. The rest of us were. Upgrade to gold in Paris, I reckon. Ink. It. In.
2 Campbell Stewart (cycling)
Called in as a late replacement for Aaron Gate and took silver in the omnium. Clever rider. Gutsy rider. Lapped the field twice in the points race.
3 Tom Walsh (athletics)
Backed up from bronze in Rio with another tremendous effort in the shot put to finish third again. Who doesn’t love the big guy? Gave us all a fright in qualifying, though.
Pleasant surprise
We all knew she was good. Damn good. But come on. That was crazy. Wind her up and watch her go.
Underwhelming Kiwis
Sailing leaves me cold. Promised three medals. Delivered one. Scuttled.
Best international athletes
Old Ferrari shoes. The 26-year-old came from nowhere to claim the title of world’s fastest man.
2 Caeleb Dressel (swimming)
The fastest man in the pool. Has five gold medals from Tokyo to prove it.
3 Lisa Carrington (canoeing)
Three gold medals. Part paddle steamer, part propeller, completely oarsome (what’s that you say, she uses a paddle?)
Disappointments
Can I just say the New Zealand men’s football goalkeeper and sneak off quietly? Also the US track team. Plus some unnamed athletes made extraordinary improvements in a very short space of time. Was there any drug testing during Covid?
New sports — yes or no?
Skateboarding — Yes.
Surfing — Yes.
Sport climbing — Yes.
Karate — No.
Baseball — No.
Softball — No.
Should the Olympics have been held at all?
Let’s look at it through a boxing lens. The whole point of that sport is to hit someone in the head and knock them out. It is brutal, morally repugnant and should be outlawed. But God I love it.
Kiwis to watch in Paris
1 Ellesse Andrews
She is just going to keep getting better. Magic effort so far.
2 Erika Fairweather
We all love her. The Dunner Stunner is good for a medal or two in three years.
3 David Liti
Weightlifters mature later. Cannot wait to see how much tin the big fellow can thrust over his head.
