Kiwi girls set to lead way at Rio Olympics

Lauren Boyle will continue her quest for an Olympic medal in Rio. Photo / Photosport

New Zealand's female athletes are primed to outshine their male counterparts next year.

New Zealand's men face a struggle to sustain medal parity with the country's best women at the Rio Olympics and next year's Games could see women win more medals than men for the second time.

August and September are moving months for a number of athletes, such as those in swimming, canoeing, sailing, rowing, triathlon and athletics. Their world championships or pinnacle events take place, which establish rankings and give a clearer idea of Olympic success.

New Zealand women athletes or teams are in the world's top five in 14 disciplines (without including injured shot putter Valerie Adams). New Zealand's men have 11 in the top five. Two disciplines - equestrian eventing and the Nacra 17 sailing class - are mixed gender.

A battle of the sexes is a manufactured concept, and only a patriotic fantasist could believe New Zealand will return anywhere near 28 medals (High Performance Sport New Zealand have opted for the conservative estimate of 14 or more after earning 13 in London). However, it's a promising frame of reference into the state of gender equality in New Zealand sport.

Rio could be just the second summer Games when medals earned by females outweigh those of males. In 1952, Yvette Williams won long jump gold, while Jean Stewart (100m backstroke) and John Holland (400m hurdles) earned bronze.

In the past three summer Games, women have secured as many or more gold medals as men, but failed to win more medals overall.

Lisa Carrington is aiming to paddle into Kiwi Olympic history when going for gold in the K1 200m and 500m. Photo / Photosport

In 2004, Sarah Ulmer and Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell won two of three, in 2008 the Evers-Swindells and Adams won two of three, and in 2012 Adams, Lisa Carrington and Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie won three of six.

Such evidence highlights a change in expectation since 2000. Until 2004, New Zealand had only two female gold medals - long jumper Williams and boardsailor Barbara Kendall.

Contributing factors to the change have been achievement-based funding, better access to sponsorship and publicity, more available sports and a greater independence to aspire to sporting goals before families, tertiary education or the workforce intervene.

At London, New Zealand had their highest percentage of women (87 of the 185 athletes or 47 per cent) in a Games team. That compares with 46 per cent at Beijing (85 of 185) and 45 per cent at Athens (67 of 149). Sometimes such statistics are distorted by team sports such as football, basketball and hockey but it indicates a trend.

Carrington, who won two world kayaking titles in Olympic disciplines last weekend - the K1 200m and K1 500m - will be a campaign talisman as she works to join Peter Snell, Ian Ferguson, Paul MacDonald, Alan Thompson and Danyon Loader as New Zealand athletes to win two or more golds at the same Games.

Her efforts could be supplemented by the prospects of veteran Olympians Adams, Aleh, Powrie, Lauren Boyle, Emma Twigg and Andrea Hewitt, and rowing will lead the female team contenders with at least four crews in contention. Rugby sevens and golfer Lydia Ko, in new Olympic sports, also heighten ambitions for a bumper medal haul.