Nathan Limm: ZB sports reporter ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics

There's less than a week to go until the Paris 2024 Olympic Games kicks off - and excitement is brewing.

Featuring over 10,500 athletes from more than 200 nations, the event promises to showcase the world's best over a two-week timeframe.

ZB sports reporter Nathan Limm unpacked the excitement for this year's Games.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks EDB Right.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Well, we were hoping to be joined by Sarah Calie
Ross this morning, a Kiwi Olympian, to talk about the
pressure and what it will be like for the for
our Olympians to be heading to Paris at the end
of this week, and of course metal contentions, but she
seems to have gone a bit a well, but who
needs an Olympian when we have Nathan who we have

(00:34):
torn away, we have torn away from his news reading
duties and getting ready for the for the bulletin, So
I apologize for that. I'm really excited about the long
setting of the week.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
I'm pumped. It's going to be spectacular. Obviously, it's going
to be one of it two weeks where most of
the country is completely asleep deprived. So you know, if
our economy dives or our production goes down, that will
put it down to the Olympics, right because everyone's staying
up overnight every night to watch everything.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
And then of course, you know, without putting a huge
amount of pressure on our athletes, you put on a
medal or two and who cares the real world.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
Right, Oh exactly, it all just takes a back seat,
doesn't it. If Lisa Carrington's one another gold.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Exactly, and she is one that we are absolutely going
to have our eye on. And it's not just Lisa Carrington.

Speaker 3 (01:16):
Well yeah, just in the sprint kayaking as well, Amy Fisher,
Amy Fisher Lisa Carrington, who have been battling for world
domination the two kiwis over the last year, two years,
and they are likely to gain gold and silver in
the K one five hundred. We just don't know what order.
And it's been fascinating watching the two dual through the

(01:36):
world championships and even national championships, you know, over the
last few months in the lead up. So those two
would be probably in New Zealand's biggest medal contenders, and
obviously there are several different categories and just sprint kayaking
as well. The Black Fan seven's have been outstanding this year,
won the overall title except for the season ending world
season ending event on the seventh series, so they'd be

(01:58):
up there as well, definitely, And it's.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
Important to note they're starting Thursday. They're starting a day
or two early, aren't they.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
Yeah, they are so yeah, I guess we're straight into
the aren't we, and they'll definitely have the eyes of
the country, I suppose if you look too more broadly.
Hamish Kerr would be another one who's just clinched back
to back Diamond League titles.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Exciting I know.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
He posted a season best was two point three to
three meters in Monaco and he's just cleared two menues
thirty in London to win another Diamond League gold. So
he is in top top form heading into the Olympics.
Missed out on a medal last time, but he'll be
right up there, so he's another big one. Elise Andrews
also track cyclists dominated over the last couple of years,

(02:39):
so she'll be a big hopeful. Hayden Wild triathlete one
bronze in Tokyo. He's been up battling for the World
triathlon title this year, so he's a medal prospect. In
the pool. We've got Lewis Clearbert and Erica Fairweather, who
both won championship gold earlier this year. Clearbet made the
final in Tokyo of the four hundred individual medley, and
then you've got of course Tom Walsh Jenko Girl as well.

(03:02):
They both placed in the latest Diamond League event as well,
so they'll be in and around with Tom Walsh, the
favorite of those two.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Gosh, there's so much, isn't there That we actually do
have a lot of people across the world, and there'll
be a few that maybe we're not so familiar with
Nathan who might just surprise us with amazing performances. I
do love waking up to those stories. If you could
whip up a few of those, that would be amazing,
I'll do my best. Hey, log I know that here
at News Talks, they'd be the reporters who are going
to be up all night, are bringing all the big

(03:31):
action and the kiwis in action to people live, you know,
eating out of a vending machine at three am in
the morning and surviving on very little sleep. I know
that they've been working really hard for four years to
get to this point or three years. How the athletes
feeling at this point. You know that you guys have spoken.

Speaker 3 (03:47):
To Yeah, well, they're spread out all over the world.
To be honestly, there's not many of them who are
actually still in New Zealand. Most of them are in
various places around Europe and they're competing in the League.
Like obviously, as I just mentioned Hamus kerr In, a
number of our track and field athletes are in London
at the moment for the latest Diamond League event. But
it'll just be Jitters leading in. They've done all the preparation,

(04:09):
all the hard work is done. They're just about to
perform on the world stage and have the world's eyes
on them. So it'll just be I guess, settling into
the athletes village we've got. They'll sort of file in
over the next week. We will have press conference opportunities
with athletes from each sport sort of over the next week,
so you'll be hearing from a number of the top athletes.
And then the opening ceremony it's overnight next Friday heading

(04:32):
into Saturday, and obviously that as we mentioned the Black
fans kicking off a day early as well, So it'll
be a fantastic two weeks. I realized we didn't even
mention the likes of Aaron Rautliff, lu Lusan soon in
the women's doubles for the tennis golf Lydia coach yeare
Lydia Cole will be there, Ryan Fox, Daniel Hellier, who's
doing very well at the Open Championship at the moment,
and a type for fifteenth heading into the final round

(04:54):
overnight tonight. So we've got so many athletes in such
good form that it's just going to be the most
spectacular couple of weeks.

Speaker 2 (05:02):
I completely agree Nathan them. Thank you so much for
popping in and giving us, just reminding us of the
wealth of incredible talent that New Zealand is sent into
the Olympics. Lots of wonderful names there to be following.
Thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
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