Early gold for New Zealand Olympic team for Paris

New Zealand's first-ever Olympic gold medal has been recovered and gifted to the New Zealand Olympic Committee.

With less than three weeks to go until the Paris Olympics kicks off, the New Zealand Olympic team have picked up an early gold medal before they even assemble.

The gong was actually awarded to Kiwi swimmer Malcolm Champion at the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games as part of the Australasian 4x200 freestyle relay team.

It was the last time New Zealand and Australia competed in a combined team and the swimmers showed superior stamina to hold off a strong US contingent that included legendary Hawaiian surfer Duke Kahanamoku, who had earlier claimed the 100m gold medal.

New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) CEO Nicki Nicol says the medal is an extremely special part of New Zealand’s sporting history and they’re pleased to have recovered such a significant and special treasure from New Zealand’s sporting past.

“We’re extremely thankful to both the donor, and members of Malcolm Champion’s wider whānau, who we’ve met with and who are thrilled it has been recovered and will be shared with all of New Zealand,” Nicol said.

The medal was gifted in private to the NZOC by an Australian donor, whose family was given the medal by Champion’s family in approximately the 1940s.

Malcolm Champion won gold as part of the Australasian 4x200m freestyle swim team.

The 33mm-diameter medal is made of gold and gilt silver and features two female figures placing a laurel crown on the head of a victorious athlete, with a herald proclaiming the opening of the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games on the reverse. It was awarded to Champion by King Gustaf V of Sweden.

The medal will travel with the New Zealand Olympic team to Paris, where it will be on display alongside other precious New Zealand Team taonga, including the team kākahu (cloaks) and mauri stone in the Olympic Village.

Olympic debutant Hazel Ouwehand is taking inspiration from the recovery of an important part of Aotearoa’s sporting history.

“It’s a great reminder of how enduring the Olympics are and the rich legacy that we all are a part of,” Ouwehand said.

“It’s a beautiful medal and we look forward to sharing it with our New Zealand Team and the wider New Zealand public,” said Nicol.