Taupō hockey player Kevin Rigby's Olympics memorable for sad reasons

Taupō man Kevin Rigby was a talented all-round sportsman and a member of the New Zealand men's hockey team that competed at the Munich Olympics in 1972. Photo / Supplied

Taupō sports writer BEVAN CHOAT looks back at local athletes who became part of Olympic history.

Several top Taupō sporting personalities have represented New Zealand at Olympic Games, the ultimate level of sporting achievement.

One of those was Taupō plumbing business owner Kevin Rigby, who in 1972 was in the New Zealand hockey team to the ill-fated Munich Olympics.

The team finished ninth overall at the Games, playing against Germany, England and India in pool play.

Despite the tragedy at those Games, Kevin regards being a member of the New Zealand Olympic Games team as his most memorable moment in his sport.

"Unfortunately history tells us there was a real stamp of sadness and tragedy about those Games," Kevin said.

"Right next door to us, in a night of horror, 11 Israeli team members were shot by Palestinian terrorists after being taken to the Munich Airport."

Kevin remembers seeing the gunmen wearing masks and balaclavas.

"The scene was horrific and extremely frightening."

In all, 11 Israelis, a German policeman and five of the terrorists died. Kevin recalls that after a day of meetings and delays and also a day in the main stadium of mourning the dead, the Games ultimately resumed.

An all-round sportsman, Kevin also played cricket, rugby, indoor basketball and tennis in his younger days in Hawke's Bay and in his first year at Napier Boys' High School he played for Hawke's Bay in representative hockey.

He played rugby the first year at intermediate school making the Hawke's Bay Ross Shield team that won the tournament beating Dannevirke in the final at Dannevirke in 1956.

The following year he was too heavy to play Ross Shield rugby, so took up hockey.

The same year he was the school senior athletics champion, won the steeplechase, the tennis singles title and helped win the mixed and the boys' doubles.

During his secondary school years he was a member of the Napier Boys' High School hockey 1st XI basketball and cricket 1st XI.

Except for 1965 when he represented Whanganui at hockey, Kevin played every season for Hawke's Bay from 1957 to 1975 and after moving to Taupō in 1975 he represented Bay of Plenty until 1982, an amazing 26 years of national hockey.

He played 21 times for New Zealand, starting in 1965 with a tour of Australia. He toured Australia again in 1969 and in 1970 represented New Zealand in a Asian Tournament in Singapore.

Kevin was captain of a Minors (the smaller hockey association) team that toured Queensland in the early 1970s.

As well as being a top player, Kevin was also a huge influence on Taupō hockey for many years as a coach and administrator.

He says the undoubted highlight of his sports career was being part of the New Zealand Olympic hockey team.