Six months ago, Paris witnessed possibly the greatest Games of the modern era. It was also New Zealand’s most successful, with a staggering 10 golds, seven silvers and three bronze. But what was it like to be there? Michael Burgess relives the indelible moments from 16 magical, mythical and sometimes
2024 Paris Olympics: Behind the scenes memories from New Zealand’s most successful Games
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
“You’ve caught me at a good time,” he laughed. “We were just about to pop the champagne.”
Dale and wife Wendy had first taken Finn paddling as a 3-year-old and worked days, nights and weekends – across decades – to support his career.
“Slalom and his career was our hobby, if you know what I mean,” he said. “Some people buy a nice car and do overseas trips, but we always supported him and we have loved every minute of it.”
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
A classic scam
As I tried to get on the crowded train, heading east of Paris, two burly North African men stood in the doorway, while a third was kneeling on the floor, scrambling for his glasses. In a hurry, on the morning of the K1 500m showdown, I angrily barged into one of them.
Only then, like the final scene from The Usual Suspects, did everything click. With people everywhere, the man on the floor had his arm wrapped around a tourists’ leg, while another blocked him from moving. The third was holding the train doors, stopping them from closing. Everything was a blur but in a flash, the trio withdrew, moving quickly down the platform.
The English tourist, off to Euro Disney with his family, was in shock. So was I. On the penultimate day of the Games, I had witnessed a classic scam. There was a happy ending though, as the man somehow lost nothing, even though his shoulder bag was open and pockets rummaged, while your Herald correspondent was relieved to find his phone and wallet intact.
World records and honey sandwiches.
With silver medals around their necks, Ellesse Andrews, Shaane Fulton and Rebecca Petch were munching away on honey sandwiches. Nothing special – just plain white bread. It didn’t seem quite appropriate for Olympic heroes, who had broken the world record earlier in the day and then won only the second team sprint cycling medal in New Zealand’s history. But it also summed up their humble approach. “I know, white bread, honey…so Kiwi,” laughed Petch. “But it does the job.”
Hayden Wilde’s remarkable sportmanship
As we talked to Wilde in the mixed zone, two things came to mind. The first – why had nobody found a knife and fork, or even a spoon, for the silver medallist, who was forced to eat noodles from a container with his hands. The second – how could someone, who has just run the race of his life, in extreme conditions, and been pipped for Olympic gold, show such sportsmanship?
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Wilde was devastated but also seemed genuinely happy for his great rival Alex Yee.
“He was the better man,” said Wilde. “It was just nice that we both had races to be satisfied with. It was something special. We might be rivals, but we’re really good friends at the end of the day.”
Uber crazy
Taxi drivers in Paris are friendly, skilful and sometimes a little mad. A Senegalese man, who had been in Paris for 25 years, told me that people from his homeland are much happier, even though the average monthly wage there might be 100 Euros a month.
The most memorable – and craziest – was one that starting looking “New Zealand” up on his phone – using a world map, while driving – as he couldn’t understand where I was from. I quickly grabbed the phone out of his hand, before we finished the geography lesson at the destination.
Hobbs heartbreaker
Talking to Zoe Hobbs minutes after the 100m semifinal wasn’t easy. She was crushed, knowing that a time well within her personal best would have seen her advance to the Olympic final. It didn’t take long for the tears to start but her words were heartfelt and mature.
“There are mixed emotions,” said Hobbs. “To know what the times were that progressed into the final, I feel like I let one go. And it could have been a really good opportunity to make an Olympic final, it was definitely within reach. I’m definitely disappointed but just being here on the start line is a huge deal.”
Dronegate
Of the long list of things I thought I might be doing in Paris, appearing live on Canada’s biggest broadcaster to talk about their soccer team spying on the Football Ferns was not one of them. But there I was, being interviewed on CBC, as the bemused hosts tried to understand what had happened. Nobody could. ‘Dronegate’ was a mad, unbelievable and crazy story, that rumbled on for days.
The personal highlight? Getting the exclusive that FIFA had commenced an urgent investigation, news that was picked up by global outlets.
Banter with Boris Becker
It’s not every day you run into Boris Becker on your lunch break.
Wandering out of the Roland Garros media café I walked past Becker, a childhood tennis idol, after he won the 1985 Wimbledon as a 17-year-old. Taking a break from his television commentary duties, he refused a quick interview – ‘If I talk to you, I have to talk to everyone’ – but was friendly enough and complimentary of New Zealand.
Moments later, World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz walked past, accompanied by his coaches on the way to the practice courts. They stopped to greet each other.
“I love what you are doing,” said Becker. “Keep it going.”
“Thank you legend,” replied Alcaraz with a grin, as they embraced, “It’s great to see you.”
The K4 500m miracle
Dame Lisa Carrington couldn’t stop smiling. Neither could Alicia Hoskin, while Olivia Brett and Tara Vaughan embraced, as they stood on the pontoon. And with good reason, celebrating one of the great gold medals in New Zealand’s history, as the K4 crew had beaten the big nations in the big boat. The highlight of the race was their late surge – with less than 200m to go – as they pulled past the German crew, before hanging on to the finish. It was the first time that any country outside Germany or Hungary had won the event since 1988.
“Coming into those last 200 metres it’s like, ‘this is it’,” smiled Carrington, as she munched on a well earned baguette.
Melting down in the mixed zone
Heat, humidity and harried deadlines made the mixed zone, where media wait for post race interviews, an entertaining place to be. After the men’s triathlon – where the Kiwi media pack had been camped in the burning sun watching the race – Hayden Wilde’s coach Craig Kirkwood scooped out handfuls of ice from a nearby drinks container for the grateful hacks, some putting cubes down their backs.
The best meltdown? That came after Dame Lisa Carrington and Alicia Hoskin’s glorious triumph in the K2500m. After being informed that the duo would be some time and wouldn’t do media until after a warm down paddle, an angry Scottish journalist proclaimed ‘F**king hell - that is absolutely useless’ and stormed off, leaving a few stunned volunteers in his wake.
Hamish Kerr shows human touch
It was almost 11pm when Hamish Kerr emerged to speak with media. He was in demand, wanted by almost every international outlet as he made his way up from the track, after his epic high jump gold. Kerr was exhausted but gracious, giving time to all, before stopping to talk with the Herald for a few minutes. Then, as he exited the media zone, Kerr acquiesced to signing caps, flags and shirts of some young fans, passed over the railing by a volunteer.
“Amazing guy,” said the volunteer later. “I haven’t seen anyone stop there all week.”
Rowing ‘Super Mums’
Across the rowing regatta there wasn’t more popular triumph than Lucy Spoors and Brooke Francis. Even fans from opposing nations were cheering them on. They were doing something truly special – the first New Zealand rowers to return to the elite level after giving birth. The going was tough at times but that only made them more resolute.
The final was spectacular, as they put the hammer down from 700 metres out to overtake the Romanian crew, then withstood a final push from the world and Olympic champions to win by less than a quarter of a second.
“We have had a lot of messages from competitors and other teams saying that we really respect what you are doing,” said Spoors. “[Saying] we want to say thanks because we haven’t seen it done much in our sport.”
Potpourri of press
As always, meeting journalists from around the world was memorable. There was the Chinese cameraman who ran 20 kilometres from his hotel to see the Eiffel tower in the morning. The Korean journalist who was a big fan of Hamish Kerr; “He’s very popular in our country”. The sole Rwanda representative, finding her way around Paris – “It’s hard – I am the only one here”. And some aggressive Dutch scribes, who didn’t take kindly to be rebuked by the Herald team, as they talked loudly behind us, sipping coffees and scoffing pastries, while we were filing on deadline for a Rowing medal.
Marchand mania
You knew something special was unfolding when you saw the queues. Swimming is always popular at the Olympics but this was ridiculous, as the lines snaked more than 600 metres, stretching almost back to the metro station from the La Defense Area. Most were there to see one man, Leo Marchand. He lived up to the hype, destroying the field in the 400m Individual Medley, to a wall of noise, before walking a full lap of the arena, with hand shakes and high fives with as many fans as possible.
Kiwi Lewis Clareburt could only shrug his shoulders afterwards, admitting Marchand might be “light years ahead of us,”. The 22-year-old won three more golds, with coach Bob Bowman assessing he was superior to former protégé Michael Phelps.
Magnificent Maddie
Maddie Wesche had been a few minutes away from a gold medal, until the German Yemisi Ogunleye pipped her in the final round. It could have been deflating but the 25-year-old was beaming, draped in a flag as she talked to the Herald.
“I am on cloud nine right now,” said Wesche. “I know I would have liked the gold - everyone wants a gold medal - but being a silver medallist is pretty good.”
Sarah’s Hirini’s break
There seemed nowhere to go when Sarah Hirini got the ball, 30 metres from her own tryline. She was covered by two defenders, who were closing fast. But with a step and a move she was in open territory, sprinting away, before setting up the try to seal New Zealand’s first gold. It was a beautiful moment for Hirini, who had ruptured her ACL the previous December, before a gruelling recovery, with her husband and sister in the grandstands, cheering on one of our most underrated athletes.
L’Equipe reigns supreme
Getting to peruse L’Equipe – the bastion of global sports newspapers was a daily treat. It didn’t disappoint with beautiful photography, spectacular graphics and eye catching headlines. Their stable of writers were also on point with pre-Games predictions. There were one of the few global outlets to tip Lydia Ko’s gold, they also foresaw the France-Fiji quinella in men’s sevens and New Zealand’s gold in the womens. Other successful tips included Kiwi K4 500m gold, Dame Lisa Carrington in the K1, the Yee-Wilde result and Emma Twigg’s silver.
Nadal’s last stand
For a moment, everyone could dream. Playing his great rival Novak Djokovic in the second round of the men’s singles, Nadal lost the first set 6-1 and was down 4-0 in the second. Then came the comeback, one break, followed by another. The crowd went nuts, willing the ‘King of Clay’ to one last miracle. It wasn’t to be but he went down swinging. The morning had been a melee, with hundreds of journalists desperate to get a vantage point, while the Herald watched from the fifth floor balcony, alongside the resident Roland Garros hawk, employed to keep bird life away from centre court.
People power
The locals were amazing. There were friendly, accommodating and full of joy, making the stereotypes about Parisians hard to believe. There was the Franprix supermarket worker always ready to share a joke, the fruit store guy that didn’t have a day off to go to the Games - but was “so happy” that we could - and the volunteers that worked tirelessly. They welcomed the world and did an incredible job of it.
Antoine the Great
Antoine Du Pont had been seen as the saviour of the French men’s sevens team. It seemed ridiculous – could one man make such a difference? But actually he did. The 29-year-old filled his teammates with belief and confidence, while his performance in the final was a stunner, with his 85 metre break down the touchline an inedible memory. The Tricolors triumph produced a level of noise and celebration equal to anything across the Games
Carrington’s coronation
It’s only when you are at an overseas kayaking event, you realise the true scale of Dame Lisa Carrington’s impact. She is an icon, to competitors, coaches and fans. A Spanish family approached outside the venue to say “Congratulations on Lisa – she is a machine” while some of her biggest rivals admitted it was a privilege to compete against her.
“She is the best...for a long time,” said Hungarian Tamara Csipes.
The final word went to Carrington, after her golden trifecta.
“There’s probably not one moment that I don’t feel pressure,” said Carrington. “But it’s learning to manage it and understand it, using it to my advantage. I have my own expectations. I’m just a Kiwi, trying to constantly grow and step up to some big challenges
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns.
