Olympics 2024: Let us bask in the glow of New Zealand’s golden run in Paris – Editorial

Dame Lisa Carrington celebrates her eighth Olympic gold medal. Photo / Photosport

EDITORIAL

New Zealand’s golden run at the Olympics shows just why the Games are so captivating for audiences around the world.

While pundits had predicted some of the results enjoyed by our athletes over the weekend, few surmised that New Zealand would notch up its greatest day in Olympic history.

As of Sunday, we had snared nine gold medals – our nation’s most at a single Games.

With Dame Lisa Carrington’s success in the women’s K1 500m, Lydia Ko’s performance in the women’s golf tournament and Hamish Kerr’s dramatic men’s high jump victory, the 2024 crop of New Zealand athletes surpassed the record tally of eight gold medals set in Los Angeles in 1984.

Their performances combined for the country’s greatest 24 hours at the event, winning three gold medals on the same day for the first time.

Carrington won her third gold medal of the Games with victory in the K1 final on Saturday night to go with her K2 and K4 victories. She now has eight career gold medals and nine medals in total, putting her among the likes of Olympic legends Usain Bolt and Simone Biles.

Ko became the first Olympic golfer to claim the complete set, with her gold going with silver in Rio and bronze in Tokyo. A record that may never be matched in the sport.

Kerr became the first New Zealand male to win gold in a field event and the second Kiwi after Dame Valerie Adams.

These inspirational athletes – and all of our participants at the Games – embody the qualities so many of us admire and hope to emulate: commitment, determination and passion for a chosen pursuit.

It was truly brilliant to see their hard work and sacrifices pay off as they stood on the podium to accept their medals.

At the time of writing, New Zealand sits 12th on the medal table with nine gold, seven silver and two bronze.

There are countries that have deeper pockets and far bigger populations who rank below us.

That, too, is something to be proud of.

Many New Zealanders are finding life tough right now. The state of the economy, rising unemployment and ongoing cost-of-living pressures mean it’s hard going for many.

Our success at the Olympics won’t help to pay the bills. But it does give us the chance to come together as a country and celebrate the achievements of some of our own.

So we hope today, even just for a moment, you can bask in the golden glow of our wonderful athletes in Paris.