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Team New Zealand at Rio 2016


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:(:(

NZ's heartbreaking Hockey participation at Rio is over after the women's Black Sticks fell 2-1 to you know who...(grumble). Still, both teams were not rated to be anywhere near medals (especially the men) and the glimmer of hope after some great pool game upsets soon extinguished by the real powers of the game. A good close but no cigar B.

They need to be funded as Full Time...all the teams they took on are.

:)

Meanwhile... Lydia Ko blasted her way back into the medals in the Golf...really good effort. 

Semi Finals BMX for Trent Jones was going well but an awkward landing and tyre blow out in the second race ruined his position and he was eliminated... The curse of Rio striking again.

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:D

A Bolter!!!

19 year old debutan Pole Vaulter, Eliza McCartney has picked up a Bronze!

So much promise was to be had for this school girl as a future hope...And she got herself onto the medal dias. 

:)

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:)

Three more chances for some medals today(tonight).

Woman's Golf

Men's 1500

Woman's 4 Kayak

...somewhere amongst the wall of Bledisloe Rugby, Provincial Rugby, League and Test Cricket through the NZ night.

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6 hours ago, micheal_warren said:

Don't forget about the Women's Triathlon. I would love to see Andrea Hewitt win a medal after losing her husband in November. 

:) Both Kiwis doing well into the cycle sector.

Hope Andrea's little body can hold on.

 

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SILVER!:)

Lidya Ko.

An epic fighting spirit brought her back up to a bronze contention but luck went her way.

NZs youngest female Olympian, succeeding Eliza McCartney who held the title for a mere 17 hours.

:)...Women to the fore...Awesome!

C'mon Nick! - One more for the boys! 1500m...our last medal chance.

Good grief...17 medals.

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:)BRONZE!

Nick Willis Mens 1500m!

Well done! 

He deserves it. 

(Bit of argy bargy in there as well...officials looking into it)

18 medals NZ...

Athletics, Kayaking/Canoeing, Yachting and Golf providing redemption for the NZ Olympic Team.

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1 hour ago, Alexjc said:

:)BRONZE!

Nick Willis Mens 1500m!

Well done! 

He deserves it. 

(Bit of argy bargy in there as well...officials looking into it)

18 medals NZ...

Athletics, Kayaking/Canoeing, Yachting and Golf providing redemption for the NZ Olympic Team.

 

A fantastic BRONZE medal for Nick Willis - a great career from the champ - 18 medals is an amazing achievement from New Zealand. We should be very proud of what our small country has done! Just brilliant.

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Yup, a very pleasing Games with our best medal haul every beating Seoul and London by a few.

Yep, without a doubt there were some disappointments, but I guess if we are happy to take the shooting surprise and a bronze by the likes of Eliza McCartney, we have to also be accepting of those expecting to medal who did didn't. It's the reason we watch sport. Will be time to go over those, but so pleased at the range of sports which we did have success in. 

Be interesting to see who they pick to bring the Kiwi flag into the closing ceremony. Without knowing who has gone home already, I guess Lisa Carrington would have to be at the top of the list. I wouldn't mind seeing Eliza McCartney though. Her personality and attitude was just so amazing, it would be such an ideal fit for the closing ceremony. 

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Nice to see Nikki Hamblin getting a mention by IOC Pushover Thomas Bach for her spirit of Olympic sportsmanship earlier in the week. Could be something in the Closing Ceremony for her?

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:)

Lisa Carrington will carry the New Zealand flag into Maracana stadium in tonight's Closing Ceremony. 

Very appropriate as her Gold in the K200 and Bronze in the K500 kayak sprint sees her the most rewarded athlete. 

The last week seen as a very redeeming week with a mix of medals in Yachting, Athletics, Golf and Kayaking.

Overall the medal haul stands out simply because of it's unprecedented size and where they came from. Of the mega funded sports, only yachting paid back the best return. (Yes Rowing got two golds but they cost the taxpayers $10.7million each (in the four year cycle) and golds won by men coming to the end of their career.)

The HPSNZ review in December will reprofile where the money will go...With criticism levelled towards the "Rich White Man" sports taking most funding, and not overly delivering, the review is timely. 

And let's not forget...we are short by four golds from London...that's where I feel ever so slightly hollow.

We always expect so much. 

(And don't even get started on how Australia feels with their haul)

The future is VERY bright and the trend since 2004 sees the NZ medal haul trending UP! :)

Roll on 2020...B)

 

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We were only 2 gold short of 2012 - we won 6 in London and 4 in Rio! The 18 medals is a fantastic achievement.

 

Just remember 16 years ago in Sydney when we won just four medals - seems a distant memory now. 

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Prime Minister talking to the Hosk this morning has mentioned the funding cycle and success of the team. But also mention of those frustrating Leather medals...that should have been bronze. Cycling was a letdown...Not mentioning names, but quite a few riders gave up...finding Team GB too intimidating? 

Rowing looks like its reached end of its top cycle but redeeming it's self with a bright future... Was proud of both Eights crews getting back up there. Gotta get those multi crew teams hardened up.

Sprint Kayaking needs a new Lisa Carrington...This is a sport our Polynesian waka-ama type paddlers could easily excel in...upper body strength and all. Multi crews a must. 

I'm still humming and harring over why Mark Todd's horse suddenly lost it in the show jumping round that would've given us a medal. Was someone in the stand using a "screaming" device hidden in an everyday item to distract his horse?...That will bug me forever.

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For those who might have missed it I was interviewed on Stuff about my PhD topic which is about New Zealand and the Olympic Movement and National Identity. 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/83204255/Rio-Olympics-2016-Why-the-Olympics-epitomise-our-national-identity

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2 minutes ago, micheal_warren said:

For those who might have missed it I was interviewed on Stuff about my PhD topic which is about New Zealand and the Olympic Movement and National Identity. 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/83204255/Rio-Olympics-2016-Why-the-Olympics-epitomise-our-national-identity

Nice one Michael! Great to see some of us get called in as "experts". 

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46 minutes ago, micheal_warren said:

For those who might have missed it I was interviewed on Stuff about my PhD topic which is about New Zealand and the Olympic Movement and National Identity. 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/83204255/Rio-Olympics-2016-Why-the-Olympics-epitomise-our-national-identity

 

Interesting read. Well done.

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2 hours ago, Mainad said:

 

Interesting read. Well done.

:)

Awesome... Hope Victoria Uni publishes it.

Pretty much sums up NZs insatiable appetite for sport success.

I'll openly admit that we are far to hard on ourselves when it all goes pear shaped like it did in the first week.

Oh and as for the Rugby thing...the All Blacks demolished the Wallabies on Saturday night, we expected nothing less. Already forgotten as the nation was absorbed in Eliza McCartney's surprise Bronze in the Pole Vault. 

See...

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:)

Since it's been a week and everyone is home...nerves have settled and the country has moved back into Rugby mode...Its time to rate our successful Olympic team(s). Some surprises, some average and some...well...even they admitted it.

ATHLETICS. 

What an amazing Olympics this team had. Hauling in some tin. The throwers did well to get onto the dias. Leaping off the end of a pole now give long and lanky girls some respect. No doubt Health and Safety officials will be working on how to cover school sports programs from liability for when it goes pear shaped for some. Running medium distances in circles another return to success and gave a touching moment in sportsmanship as well. Athletics have a future for those who wear a black singlet or in the case of Nikki and Eliza, black undies (seriously, they need to do something about that). Considering how fat our kids are, what better and cheaper way to get them fit. A few $$$million more should do it...A+

CYCLING... Track and Road

Even they admit being totally outclassed by Team GB, but also European and Australian cyclists.

NZ has spent millions on this sport since 2000. Built a full UCI Olympic track velodrome and have gone talent spotting. Still perceived as a rich mans sport and the attitudes that come off the track almost confirm it. Sad to see the demise of females not really getting up there although not from a want of trying...a couple if horrific crashes to prove it.

A Silver to show for the effort, but we just might be simply outclassed here. C+

GOLF.

Delivered... It's predicted medal even though it was Silver.

Naturally the girls have a medal future thanks to Ko. Men, well still luck of the greens. Nice to have there. B+

EQUESTRIAN

Disappointing, as Sir Mark Todd would say. So unpredictable and dependant on how the horse behaves on the day. NZ has punched well above its station in this sport. We do so well to make it happen. Its the ultimate Rich Man's game and funded as such through necessity. Egos in play don't help and there is a nasty dark side to the 3 Day Eventing that I hope someone will have the hooves to reveal...there just is something not right about Todd's horse flipping out in the critical final jumps round that would've given NZ a gold. B

HOCKEY

The heartbreaking campaign clearly shows both teams need to be turned into a full time paid sport. This clearly showed up and was found wanting in Rio. The men's team was there by fluke but did scrape through to the quarters and then on the brink of an upset, choked.

The women had a full repeat of 2012. In effort as well as attitude. Probably a full management and coaching overhaul will take place here.

Only because the girls got that far...B-

KAYAKING/CANOEING

An up and comming aquatic action sport that has come back from oblivion thanks to one female Adonis bagging two medals and another showing the way for white water slalom. Now that a new white water park is built, NZ can exploit this popular sport. As for sprint Kayaking, need to fund this sport with more crews that showed promise in Rio. This would be a great sport for our Waka Ama paddlers to transition into (as outrigger canoe is not in yet) with their massive upper body strength. It would be great to bring back the Furgesson/Macdonald era...after so many dark years...A

OFF ROAD CYCLING

Quiet campaign due to serious injury to definite medal prospect Sarah Walker dropping out just before Rio. Still promised something in the mens BMX but bad luck in semis knocked our chances out. Mountain Bike failed outright simply because equipment couldn't cope. Real medal chance gone. Need to look at new cycle sponsorship. Sadly a failed campaign. C-

TRIATHALON

For a country that helped invent the sport...Ever since the glory days of Athens 04, has fallen from respectability. There really wasn't any chance for anybody in what is now considered a weekend sport in NZ. It needs funding but also a massive attitude adjustment to get back up there. D

ROWING

New Zealand's fêted Olympic glamour sport that gets everything it asks for...However this time with all the 12 boats that qualified...only a handful prospered. This is where the country expected results apart from the two golds and silver. Some crews just gave up and treated the B Final placings as waste of time jaunts. However the thrill of seeing both Eights boats in the finals with young crews fill me with hope for 2020. It has only just been revealed that all was not well in the singles and doubles group of the rowing campaign with tremendous coach falling outs, fights and admin mismanagments not helping. Multi crew group also suffered a bout of funding problems due to popularity but also the stigma of "Rich White Only" club. Easy to see why and the government needs to tread carefully on funding...the future is still golden but more money needed. B-

SEVENS - Women

They medalled. All that was asked of them. Com paired to the fully funded and professional world champion Australian team that took gold...NZ did well on part timers that wasn't all that tight on discipline and it showed up and was punished in the final. B+

SEVENS - Men

Look, we all saw this coming as far back before the Commonwealth Games. So many factors have given the reason why NZ are failing at a popular version of Rugby. However "Showboating" and a she'll be right attitude isn't a help. As much as we don't want it...a new coach is now essential and a new attitude from players a must...Thank God it was Fiji that rightfully took the Gold. NZ can live with that any day...if it had been GB or anyone else...it would've cast a fallout cloud over the entire Olympic campaign. It was bad enough ending the first week on a downer because of them. F

SWIMMING - Pool.

Buuuuuuurp! Total failure to perform. The nations only real medal prospect already to I'll to perform at top level went in with an obviously sour attitude. She would've been forgiven if she pulled out. All other swimmers were brought down as a result. Also we dont need to know some rituals that are done to psyc oneself up. Thank goodness they clorinate the water.  A sport that needs to be centralised and a core coaching program created. Poach some from America. F

SWIMMING - the rest

Not noticed apart from women's diving and tandem syncronized diving, still new to NZ but an effort made. This is a country that would medal in Bombs, Depth Chargers, Belly Flops and Most Impressive Splash! Alas none are Olympic sports. As for Synchronized swimming. No mention. There is hope for the diving pool. C

YACHTING

If one group of the Olympic Team sums up triumph over adversity... Then our yachting squadron is it! From a week of hell to one of heaven the woman's 470 crew's silver has to be the most earned medal of the NZ team. Followed by a clinical men's 49er crew Golding with brutal efficiency, a bronze and a surprise silver in there as well. NZ Yachting, due to limited funds, had to be brutal in who to send to Rio. More money means more boats but in the public eye it is of course another "Rich White Man's" sport. Still with Americas Cup crew scattered around and looking good, so does 2020! AA

ALL THE REST.

Classic examples of why funding the top end is so unfair.

A silver in the Women's Skeet shooting... That was about it.

Taekwondo...was a chance but a part timer mother of two young kids simply can't compete on a shoestring budget.

Weightlifting... You'd think NZ with its massive Polynesian background and gyms that go with it would see medals...Here in lies a nasty NZ secret. It's racist right to the core. And its well known in the weights community. 

Wrestling... Sadly due to it's in/out/in nature...no chance since the Quinlin era.

The lone road of the singletons and forgotten athletes. This group gets a B

Its tough for anyone to acheive the lofty heights of Olympian and all we can do is throw the nation's support behind them in their ups and downs. Roll on 2020.

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  • 2 weeks later...

PARALYMPICS TEAM NEW ZEALAND.

As with London, this thread will carry on with results from our team.

Awesome Opening Ceremony!!!

Actually better than the Olympics OC.

A more relaxed affair, apart from the formal opening...IOC would have been looking on in envy. No stress and happy crowds enjoying the night. Moving scenes for the Cauldron lighting. Rain playing its part and the stadium lifting up the torch bearers on. 10/10

Our annoyingly tiny team are going for 18 medals.

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Bronze :)

Rebecca Dubber, S7/100m Backstroke. Denied China a clean sweep. (China in the pool on day one already raising eyebrows). 

...Oh hey Swimming NZ. A medal in the pool already.

Com'n boys, the girls have got a head start...

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