A golden moment, a new pool prospect who looks like the old and some New Zealand grit against the odds were all in evidence at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore yesterday.
The gold came early in the day when Southland teenager Aaron Barclay dominated the men's triathlon in a superb display of front running.
Former Waikato swimmer Matt Stanley, with an uncanny look and links to the great Danyon Loader, beat a New Zealand record on the way to fifth place in the final of the men's 200m freestyle.
As well, the women's hockey side ran in a remarkable three goals in five minutes with a player off the field to come back from 0-2 down to beat Korea 3-2.
Barclay secured New Zealand's first medal of the Youth Olympics in stunning fashion after being first on to the bike and the run before clearing out from American Kevin McDowell to win in a time of 54 minutes 41 seconds.
"It is pretty incredible. I was trying not to give the other guys an inch. They were all unknown to me before the race so I had to be aggressive," Barclay said.
Stanley, 18, originally from Matamata, won his heat of the 200m freestyle in a new national record of 1min 51.21sec, nearly 2sec inside his previous best and quicker than Loader's best age group time.
Now swimming in the Swimming New Zealand squad at the Millennium Institute in Auckland, Stanley finished fifth in his final in virtually an identical time.
Stanley resembles to double Olympic gold medallist Loader with his effortless style, perhaps not surprising in that he was nurtured in his recent years by Graham Laing, son of the late Duncan Laing, who guided Loader to greatness.
"Graham and I worked so long getting my technique so perfect. I think that is why I am the swimmer I am today because I have had that platform to work off.
"To be compared with Danyon, to be put in the same book but not on the same page yet, is pretty amazing."
Leading results:-
Men's triathlon (750m swim 20km bike 5km run): Aaron Barclay (NZ) 54min 41sec 1, Kevin McDowell (US) 54:55 2, Alois Knabl (Austria) 55:04 3.
Swimming, 200m freestyle, heats Matt Stanley (NZ) 1min 51.21sec 3rd fastest (NZ age record). Final: Andrey Ushakov (Russia) 1:49.81 1, Cristian Quintero (Venezuela) 1:49.98 2, Jeremy Bagshaw (Canada) 1:50.67. Also: Matt Stanley (NZ) 1:51.59 5.
100m freestyle heats: Chloe Francis (NZ) 58.84 23.
Wrestling, 60kg: Tayla Ford (NZ) lost to Battsetseg Baatarzorig (Mongolia) 0-3, lost to Svetlana Lipatova (Russia) 0-3, lost to Christiana Victor (Nigeria) 0-3, bt Chao Huang (Singapore) 4-0.
Rowing, repechage, men's single scullss (1000m): Lunti Ivanov (Ukraine) 3:33.14 1, Hayden Cohen (NZ) 3:36.95 2.
Women's pair: NZ (Beatrix Heaphy-Hall, Eve MacFarlane) 3:49.63 1, India 4:00.27 2, South Africa 4:03.86 3.
Badminton, men's singles: Asher Richardson (NZ) lost to Sai Praneeth Bhamidipato (India) 12-21 12-21.
Women's singles: Victoria Cheng (NZ) lost to Katherine Winder 16-21 21-19 10-21.
Women's hockey, round one: New Zealand 3 (Samara Dalziel 2, Michaela Curtis 56) Korea 2. Halftime: 0-1.