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August 10, 2024 13 mins

The Olympics are drawing to a close, but New Zealand is wrapping up its campaign on a high note.

From Lydia Ko completing her medal trifecta for golf, Hamish Kerr winning gold after an intense run in the men's high jump to Dame Lisa Carrington winning her third gold - it's been a record-setting day.

New Zealand Chef de Mission Nigel Avery says it's been an amazing Olympiad for New Zealand.

"We're extremely proud of all our athletes - they've all given their all, and that's what I was asking them to do."

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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Well, the penultimate day of the paras Olympics has wrapped
up and as I said before, what a day it
has been for the key. We's our best ever three
gold medals. We just heard from Lydia Coe. Here is
Lisa Carrington after her gold medal race.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
Yeah, it's incredible, it's it probably means I mean it
means a lot. I think after achieving what we did
in the K four, in the K two, and then
you know, making an individual race like this a team
event with my three teammates on the sidelines cheering me on,

(00:50):
I mean, it's just special to have even think that
I could have tried to achieve this. So yeah, I mean,
this one's really special.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
We also heard from Hamish kerr our high jumper, who
won gold this morning and quite a long drawn out
drum matic final. Here he is.

Speaker 4 (01:08):
Yeah, I can't, I can't quite put it into words.
I think that, you know, I knew I was capable
of it, and I knew that the jumps were there.
I've spoken about it a lot. You know, I have
to trust I know my team's good. I know my
process is really good, but to actually go out there
and excip, especially the way I did, I was in absent,
dream of true.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Hamish Kurve will be with the Jason Pine and Weekend
Sport this afternoon as well. But you know, all good
things must come to an end and by this time
tomorrow she'll be all over. It goes by so fast,
doesn't it. I have just loved these Olympics and we've
had some fabulous moments to wrap it all up. New
Zealand chifter mission. Nigel Avery is with me now. Good

(01:45):
evening in Paris.

Speaker 5 (01:46):
Nigel, Good morning to you too. How are you?

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Oh? I'm good. What a night for the Keiweds. Gold
for Carrington, gold for Co and gold for Hamish Kerr.
Three gold medals.

Speaker 5 (01:59):
It's I think it's und president, it's amazing And I
don't know about you, but I haven't got any fingernails
left after that high jump.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
It was too much much.

Speaker 5 (02:09):
It was awesome.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Lisa Carrington eight career golds, three at this Olympics. You've
been out there the last few days. She's phenomenal, isn't she?

Speaker 5 (02:18):
She really has and as and like that that race
today was just incredible. Just she just absolutely smashed them.
You know, there's no no two ways about it, and
just proves that she is right up there and then
legion status and her sport and then and for us
as an Olympian, how clearly it can take something very
special to pass what she's done.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Well, absolutely, I mean her eight golds exceed that of
Simone Biles. It equals, you say, Bolt, when you think
about how highly regarded those two are. Do we appreciate
just how good she is?

Speaker 5 (02:54):
I hope so? But it's like, you know, it's not,
it's it's not that's like why the MW Zealand consciousness.
But once you start understanding her sport and others as well,
you truly appreciate just how good the people are. And
clearly she's very very good. So you know, our hats
off to her and she's truly an amazing, amazing sports person.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Nigel, we just talked to Lydia Coe on the show.
You were also at the golf today. You've got a
good job, haven't you. Gold for Lydia Coe overnight she
was pretty emotional.

Speaker 5 (03:26):
She was and must spend her time with her sister
as well, who was extremely emotional at the inn. It
that just just highlights the importance that you know, she
and they place on the Olympics and competing for the
New Zealand team beer. And you know, she was just outstanding.
I watched her first most of her first round and
much of the final round, and check out composed she is.

(03:48):
She's an amazing woman, just beautifully composed, obviously excellent what
she does. And now she's got the full seat gold
sil Ran Brawn. So yeah, incredible for her and the
family and us as a team.

Speaker 2 (04:02):
And I know that you didn't go in with any
expectations when it comes to the medal Italian mind. And
we're not finished yet, we have another day to go.
But how is everyone feeling about New Zealand's achievement.

Speaker 5 (04:16):
Oh look, I think we're extremely proud of all our
all our athletes. We've had a chance to stand on
the dice or not. They've all given their all and
that's that's what I was asking them to do leading
into this, because we know they all couldn't stand on
that on the podium. Having seid that to have nine
gold medalists, you know, I think I believe that's a record.

(04:36):
I think it was eight and nineteen eighty four in
Los Angeles and nine. It's amazing, it's truly amazing for
a country of our size, what these young people have
done is truly incredible. We all should be so so
proud of them.

Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, I do feel like we've exceeded expectations in Paris.

Speaker 5 (04:56):
Yeah, well, I think Tokyo was an amazing, amazing Olympiad
for New Zealand and Rio before that. And so look,
there's always the start, got to be in alignment and
a lot of these things, because the thing you can
remember is there's many many other countries and athletes what
we're trying to do, what we are, and so with
the difference between success and failure or not success I

(05:18):
shouldn't say can be so small or even the smallest
kind of mistakes of areas can result in quite a
significant impact on position. And so I guess we've the
stars have been aligned for many of hours and we're
fortunate to have them. And you know, hearts go out
to those who have been so drastically you know, you know,
tantalizingly close to it was like Erica. He would have

(05:41):
an example, you know, there's a fifty one meter pool.
She would have been standing on there and Amy Fisher
this morning. Had it been a you know, you know,
our fifty five hundred and two meter race, she might
have gotten there as well. So you know, we've got
also going to recognize the efforts that those have made
as well, because they are certainly contributing to the success
of the overall team result.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
Absolutely. When we talked before the games, we talked about
what a spectacle power Us was going to be. Did
it live up to the hype?

Speaker 5 (06:10):
Well, it certainly did. I mean, I don't know what
You've only got to look at the cycling road race
or the marathon and look at some of the overhead
shots of what they're showing at a city. It's just
extraordinarily beautiful, you know, the palace of this ie for
equestrian you know you're sitting on the on the pont
watching the triath and go, this is just it's just surreal.
It's it's unbelievably beautiful. And so La and Brisbane have

(06:32):
got a job to do to try and try and
match that.

Speaker 2 (06:36):
And have they been a good host?

Speaker 5 (06:39):
Very good, yep, exceptional, very welcoming, helpful. You know, there's
always the grumbles the four games, and I'm sure there
will be before La and Brisbane too from the locals
in particular about how much impact it's having on the
daily lives. But right about now they're super proud of
the country and city and rightly so because they and

(07:00):
amazing events and I'm just really so happy that the
New Zealand team has contributed to that success of the
overall games.

Speaker 2 (07:08):
No, You're right, the venues and the locations have been
the scenery has been absolutely spectacular. I think probably the
one thing that we have all been thinking was why
did they think it would be a good idea to
swim in the Seine? Was that probably the only haircut
venue wise? Do you think?

Speaker 5 (07:25):
I guess so. I suppose that was just playing for
no rain, and unfortunately it came down at maybe the
wrong times for them, but they got anything underway and
the program went off, and so yeah, there may have
been a few people that Brits didn't come away totally unscathed,
but I'm pretty sure who okay now and hopefully so.

Speaker 2 (07:45):
How have the athletes found the games? Looking online at
social media, it's just looked like a blast.

Speaker 5 (07:52):
Yeah, there's I think, well, young people, they make it
take advantage of every opportunity, and you know, there's a
lot of sort of like minded, positive people in these teams,
and so there's lots of useful exuberance and enthusiasm and excitement,
and with social media in particularly, they're right into it,
and rightly so because you know, the amount of work
and effort has gone in to get here, even just

(08:15):
to get here is enormous, and so you can only
imagine once competition's finished, you know, the handbrake comes off
and they can really really express themselves in other areas
away from away from the field of play. So it's
been it's been a wonderful environment to be part of. It,
really really has.

Speaker 2 (08:29):
Maya Ramsden made the comment after her SEEMI about how
special the New Zealand team was, how you celebrated and
supported athletes when they returned to the village, and she
thought that that was quite unusual compared to other teams.

Speaker 5 (08:44):
Yeah, we look at all all the teams that I
think she's right. I think we really do try to
care and nurture for all that team members, whether they
have succeeded or haven't. Things haven't gone to plan, and
you know, I had to chat with her this morning.
She's she's need to go to see the physiotherapy to
to sort of message out the cheeks. She's smiling so

(09:05):
much because she had a great time. She did her
personal beat on the biggest stage. You can't ask better
than that. So, you know, we just love supporting her
and everybody else. So it's a great environment that's been
I guess the goal of our team is to create
that environment where people can succeed, feel really welcomed, feel
like this a real true sense of belonging, and give

(09:27):
them the best chance of getting out there and expressing
themselves in the field to play.

Speaker 2 (09:30):
There's just something so good about the Olympics, isn't there?
The way it brings people together. You see a lot
of the good in humanity at a time like this.

Speaker 4 (09:39):
You do, you really do.

Speaker 5 (09:40):
And as the games go on, you're sort of walking
through the village and you know, you see athletes from
different countries engaging with each other and chatting and talking
sitting on the grass. It's really wonderful. It's a shame that,
you know, the rest of the four years can't be
the same with everybody.

Speaker 2 (09:59):
Yeah, how did you find your first Olympics as chiefter mission.
What were the most complicated things you had to sort
of deal with to help the atletic, to help the athletes.

Speaker 5 (10:09):
Look, I think yeah, I mean, look, there was there's
a few sort of tough moments just trying to navigate,
you know, getting the village set up and whatnot. There's
a few bit of heat and some you know, trans
you know, logistics kind of wasn't our friend, and it
wasn't for many others any other nations. So I was
I'm kind of wondering these I hope, we hope get

(10:29):
the uniforms in on time type moments. But we've got
a really really good team. They're dedicated, enthusiastic, and very
very good at what they do. So you know, that's
that's a really pleasing thing from my perspective, because that's
really all we can contribute is going back to that environment,
making sure that when the athletes walk and they feel
like they really belong and anything to see that for them.

(10:50):
We do as much as we can for them. I
think we can't do is run out on the field
and help them. And so you know, I think as
much as we're sort of like, I'll make sure the
wait listing now and looking at those bars at the
moment backs who's even looking at them? So I wouldn't
want to get out there in the south now.

Speaker 2 (11:04):
But that'shuse.

Speaker 5 (11:07):
Yeah, Like it's an amazing privilege and honor to be
in the position we're in and we're just just really
really delighted with obviously the medalists that plus all our
other athletes as well.

Speaker 2 (11:17):
How do you come down from something like that or
are you so exhausted you'll actually be quite happy to
all end?

Speaker 5 (11:24):
Yeah, it's one of those long haul flights you actually
do sleep on because it's been a bit sleep lacking
all around really. So yeah, look there's this year. You know,
there's the postgames blues. It's noted whether you're as an
athlete or in a support role such as such as mine.
So yeah, you sort of just re engage with family,
get back into work, set some new goals and sort

(11:45):
of carry on. But it's certainly kind of like you
remember when you know, back in think back to school
camp when you're work your mates for you know, five
or seven days or whatever it is, and you come
home and you go, where are they? I can't go
and see me mate down the hall? Because I'm at
home by myself. It's a little bit like that, but
on the larger scale.

Speaker 2 (12:06):
And finally the closing ceremony. Have many of the New
Zealand athletes been able to hang around for that?

Speaker 5 (12:14):
Yeah, So we're expecting around about one hundred athletes or so,
and we've been given marching passes for one hundred and thirty,
so a lot of the performance support and sports support
team will get to go to that. So we're looking
forward to that. The organizers tell us it's going to
be a bit a bit of a good show, so
we'll wait and see, and I'm sure the LA twenty

(12:34):
eight component of that will be the razzle dazzle, So yeah,
if you guys want to set your arms for that, that
it'll be good one to watch.

Speaker 2 (12:41):
Nigel, thank you for your time, Well done on such
a successful Olympics, and thank you to you and your
whole team who have been supporting our athletes.

Speaker 5 (12:51):
Well, thank you very much your interest. We really really
appreciate it and we're all looking forward to be getting
back home down soon.

Speaker 2 (12:58):
I'm sure they are. That was Nigel Avery there from Paris,
just wrapping up the games.

Speaker 1 (13:04):
For more from the Sunday Session with Jessica Rudkin. Listen
live to News Talks at B from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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