Olympics Day 13

Welcome to Day 13 of the Olympics in Paris 2024! New Zealand athletes competed in several sports, including golf, kayaking, sailing, athletics, cycling, and sport climbing, achieving impressive results.

Gold in Cycling for Ellesse Andrews:

Ellesse Andrews won the gold medal in the Women’s Keirin event, narrowly defeating Hetty van de Wouw of the Netherlands by just 0.062 seconds. Emma Finucane of Great Britain took the bronze medal. In her Olympic debut, Rebecca Petch finished 12th in the Keirin event. Meanwhile, Aaron Gate placed fifth overall in the Men’s Omnium cycling event.

Gold for Women’s Kayak Four Team:

New Zealand’s Women’s Kayak Four team, consisting of Dame Lisa Carrington, Alicia Hoskin, Olivia Brett, and Tara Vaughan, won gold in their race, finishing with a time of 1:32.20. This victory marks Lisa Carrington’s sixth Olympic gold medal, further cementing her status as New Zealand’s most successful Olympian. For Brett and Vaughan, this was their first Olympics, while Hoskin previously competed in Tokyo.

Bronze in Sailing for Mixed Multihull Team: 

In sailing, the New Zealand Mixed Multihull team of Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson secured a bronze medal. They performed strongly in the final race, benefiting from a mistake by Great Britain, which assured them a place on the podium. Italy won gold, and Argentina took silver.

Golf Success for Lydia Ko: 

In golf, Lydia Ko delivered a strong performance, finishing her second round five strokes under par. This placed her in third position, just two shots off the leader, heading into the next round.

Other Athletics Highlights:

In athletics, Maia Ramsden set a new national record in the Women’s 1500m semi-final with a time of 4:02.20 but narrowly missed qualifying for the final. James Preston finished sixth in his Men’s 800m heat and did not advance to the semi-finals. In shot put, Maddi Wesche secured her place in the final with a throw of 19.25m, surpassing the automatic qualifying mark.

Challenges in Sport Climbing:

Julian David competed in speed climbing but was defeated in the quarter-finals by world record holder Sam Watson, clocking a time of 5.65 seconds.

Overall, New Zealand athletes displayed remarkable talent and determination across various events, bringing home multiple medals and setting national records.