In sporting terms, New Zealand's performance confirms this country of five million as the biggest smallest Olympic nation in the world.
The Netherlands with 17 million is the least populated country ahead of us on the table.
The pile of golds is one short of New Zealand's previous best of eight nearly four decades ago.
It's enough to stir a few 'what ifs'.
What if our equestrian, sailing and cycling cohorts, who had fairly quiet competitions this time, had performed some of the heroics of previous Games?
But individual sports are subject to cycles and great champions are by definition hard to replace. And the range of sports Kiwis compete in has widened over the years.
There are usually a few athletes at each Olympics who carry a bit more of the weight of team expectations and inspire their colleagues. Established stars with previous Olympic form showed their class again with one of them, Lisa Carrington, powering out in front with three golds.
The kayak sprinter is in a category all her own as New Zealand's most successful Olympian with six medals overall. Carrington exemplifies what can be achieved with talent, a drive to be her best and many years of hard work.
But part of the pleasure for people watching from their couches is seeing the surprise packets who rise to the occasion.
The cycling velodrome provided a couple of such highlights.
Ellesse Andrews delivered a compelling mix of power, pace and persistence to claim silver in the women's keirin. She looks the brightest of bright prospects.
And then there was Campbell Stewart's inspiring ride in the omnium for silver. In the final points race he showed boldness and strategic nous to take his chances to lap the field twice.
Dylan Schmidt was another Kiwi who soared, bringing home a bronze in trampoline gymnastics. Triathlete and medalist Hayden Wilde won fans for helping the exhausted winner.
Feel-good moments ranged across sports with the Black Fern Sevens and rower Emma Twigg overcoming past heartbreak and landing previously elusive gold medals.
Dame Valerie Adams and Tom Walsh reflected on personal challenges leading up to their Olympic efforts for which they both collected bronze medals.
The Games were delayed a year because of the pandemic and athletes generally had their preparations disrupted. Aside from trying to peak at the right time, they had to deal with Covid-19 protocols throughout. Tokyo recorded 4000 new Covid cases on the final day.
As a spectacle, the Games themselves suffered from atmospheric weirdness owing to the lack of crowds at most events. Their absence served to show just what masses of people add to sporting events normally.
Still, with such a great overall result for New Zealand, the sporting performances will long be remembered.
And as with our Covid response, this small country has punched above its weight and set an example for others to follow.
