Rejoice in our athletes' ongoing success

By now, there are probably more than a few bleary eyes about so it's a good thing the weekend is finally upon us.

The cause of the extreme tiredness for many will be driven by a desire - need even - to keep up with the Olympic action in London and the fate of the New Zealand athletes, especially those with links to Wanganui.

It has all been so exciting and entertaining there has been little chance of what you might call Olympics-fatigue. Highlights for me have included Mark Todd's remarkable equestrian skill, and the form of our rowers. I was also impressed with the grit and determination of the single sculler from Niger, who has only been at it three months. His pluck has been evident and it's no wonder he has been a crowd favourite.

Of course, there have been controversies and bad calls, drug cheats and all but it is great to watch Kiwis doing so well on the world stage.

I was watching on Wednesday night as our rowers put on yet another superb display and, aside from cringing at the pronunciation, wondered just how many times Wanganui had been referenced.

In the rowing alone, the efforts of Sarah Gray, Chris Harris and Rebecca Scown have given our city and region some fantastic exposure.

All of which begs the question, with so many talented sports people and coaches from here involved at top level, what is it that produces these stars. Is it genetic? Something in the water? The available space and lack of pollution?

Is it our facilities, or the support and encouragement our talented youngsters get that propels them towards world-beating heights?

There is no doubt we have an abundance of talent, and not just participants. Look at the coaching expertise available in this city and admire those whose talents are used at a national level.

Our feature story on B1 today canvasses some of the reasons for Wanganui's amazing level of athletic achievement, and as that continues, we will endeavour to give those who are enjoying success the coverage they deserve.

If I was to have a gripe about the Olympics, it is in respect of the timing. It really doesn't work for us, with most of the action at night. Personally it makes it hard to follow competitors and events you want to, while on the news side it makes coverage difficult as we battle deadlines to enable our paper to be printed and distributed across the region.

It took quite a bit of effort, for instance, to get details of Rebecca Scown and Juliette Haigh's medal-winning row into the paper the next day. Technically it was too late but with a bit of negotiation with agencies writing stories, the print site and others who contribute to the production of the paper we made it happen. But we also had to plan a backup in case the race was delayed or technical issues affected us and we couldn't obtain coverage. Thankfully that didn't happen.

The extra effort was worth it, just as we went the extra distance in September last year when the crew won the world championship title. That, too, dominated our front page.

It's always pleasing to be able to report on such wonderful success. It's one of the joys of the job. And one thing's certain: With the Wanganui X-factor, there's sure to be plenty more success to come.

Feedback: editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz