Kiwis who conquered at the Commonwealth Games

Peter Snell winning the mile with fellow New Zealander J.L.Davies second

1958 (Cardiff) - Murray Halberg

Four years earlier in Vancouver, Halberg had run fifth in the mile. In 1956 at the Melbourne Olympics he finished 11th over 1500m.

But in the only Commonwealth Games held in Wales, when pitted against some of the biggest names in middle distance running including Gordon Pirie, Derek Ibbotson, Alby Thomas and fellow New Zealander Neville Scott, Halberg's target was the three miles.

His victory, in a Games record 13m 15.0s, was achieved in stunning fashion when, with four of the 12 laps to run, he burst to a 20-yard gap and ran a solo last mile for gold.

Significantly, he adopted virtually the same tactics two years later over 5000m at the Rome Olympics for one of New Zealand's great golden moments. In 1962, in Perth, Halberg outfoxed the field again to retain his Commonwealth crown.


1962 (Perth) - Melody Dot Coleman

New Zealand's first success at the Games held in the stifling West Australian heat came not in one of the more established sports but in fencing, when the 26-year-old Auckland postie shocked the first day crowd with her victory in the foil.

In an unbelievable day's competition, Coleman, in temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside the army drill hall and much higher inside it, began with a win over team-mate Rosemary Tomich.

By the end of the day she had won six of her seven bouts including a 4-2 triumph over Olympic champion Gillian Sheen (England). A win over Jackie Reynolds (Wales) by the same margin in her last bout assured Coleman of gold. It remains the sport's only gold medal on the piste.


1962 (Perth) - Peter Snell

Snell could not count on the element of surprise which had helped him to Olympic gold in Rome two years earlier when he turned up at the Perry Lakes Stadium for the half- and one-mile.

He had Jamaican George Kerr, third in the Olympic 800m, among his rivals in the half. It didn't faze Snell, who won his heat, semifinal and final with Kerr second.

He then turned to the longer distance and without the challenge from Australian Herb Elliott, who had unexpectedly retired, Snell won as he liked - dragging John Davies through to silver and a Kiwi quinella.

To prove his greatness, Snell repeated the middle-distance double at the Tokyo Olympics two years later.


1966 (Kingston) - Roy Williams

In 1964 Williams had been denied the chance to compete at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics by bungling officialdom. The first Commonwealth Games decathlon two years later became his goal.

In an event often staged away from the spotlight, with a points system few but the purists really understand, Williams, inspired by the deeds of his sister Yvette years earlier, set out to beat his 10 rivals.

One of the first events at the Games, the decathlon began in morning sunshine on the first day of competition. After 14 hours of nerve-wracking competition and at close to midnight the following day, Williams staggered across the finish line after the gut-wrenching 1500m to claim gold.

He had proved his point to the doubters who had treated him so badly two years earlier.


1974 (Christchurch) - Dick Tayler

New Zealand's tradition in grabbing early Games gold continued at QEII Park when Tayler, from nearby Temuka, upstaged all and sundry in perhaps still the most publicised of New Zealand's golden Games moments. It was, after all, one of the first big sporting moments beamed live into New Zealand living-rooms in colour.

With scant regard for the classy opposition and their cut-throat tactics out front, Tayler, sticking to a plan devised by master coach Arthur Lydiard, bade his time. When it came time to get started, Tayler moved into overdrive and started mixing it with the guns from England and Kenya.

In the 30.1s he needed to charge the last 200m and out-finish David Black before, in absolute joy, cavorting and then collapsing on the brick-red track, Tayler had won a nation - and his gold medal.


1986 (Edinburgh) - Jimmy Peau

New Zealand had not fought for gold in the boxing ring since 1966 - although light-heavyweight Bill Byrne was handed silver in 1974 when he was unable to contest the final due to a cut eye sustained in the semifinals - when Jimmy Peau stepped out against local hope Scot Douggie Young late on finals night.

In his only other fight in Edinburgh, Samoan-born Peau, 20, had beaten Canadian Dominic D'Amico when the referee called it off in the third round.

The final was one of those typical mauling, little-action heavyweight contests until Peau unleashed the big one and dropped his opponent and soon had a gold medal draped around his neck.

It was New Zealand's first boxing gold since Bill Kini won at the same weight in Kingston 20 years earlier.


1990 (Auckland) - Madonna Harris

Having competed in other events for New Zealand at summer and winter Olympics, Harris turned in one of the great gold medal rides at the Manukau Velodrome to win cycling's 3000m individual pursuit.

After coming through three earlier rounds in style, Harris faced formidable Australian foe, and favourite, Kathy Watt in the final.

Watt set the pace throughout in a hectic battle. She led Harris by 44/100ths of a second as the bell sounded. The crowd went wild in urging Harris.

In the end, and with coach Ron Cheatley punching the air in triumph, Harris got home by 11/100ths of a second.

Two days later, Watt had her revenge, winning the 72km road race with Harris less then a second back in fourth.


1990 (Auckland) - Nikki Jenkins

Jenkins holds a special place in sporting history with her victory in the vault.

It was the first by a New Zealander in gymnastics and, at 14, she remains the youngest New Zealander to win at either an Olympic or Commonwealth Games. And it came from right out of nowhere.

Given her chance to get out of her jeans as a spectator and into action when team-mate Hayley Sligo had to withdraw from the artistic teams event through injury, Jenkins responded magnificently and was soon given her opportunity in the individual apparatus.

She nailed two near-perfect efforts to vault into Kiwi sporting folklore with scores of 9.700 and 9.725 and beat hotly-favoured Canadian Lori Strong.

She remains the youngest winner of a NZ Herald Junior Sports Awards for her effort.


1990 (Auckland) - Graeme Miller

There are two photographs from the men's cycling road races in the official history of the 1990 Commonwealth Games. In both, Miller is first across the line.

He led his New Zealand team-mates Brian Fowler, Ian Richards and Gavin Stevens home in the 100km team time trial as they blew the field apart in storming down, and up, the Southern Motorway.

Nine days later it was every man for himself in the road race. Miller had the form but Fowler carried the sentiment of a nation aware that his father had been killed just two days earlier in a freak accident at Christchurch's Denton Park track.

Fowler rode in his memory but in the end a slow puncture cost him any chance and he had to be content with silver as Miller got home by 2/10ths of a second in a three-up sprint with Canadian Scott Goguen.


1994 (Victoria) - Danyon Loader

After failing to figure in his first Commonwealth Games in Auckland in 1990 he failed to get beyond the heats in the 400m and 1500m freestyle, Loader, on the back of his silver 200m butterfly medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, was ready.

He made that event his own in Victoria with a stunning victory adding two silvers, in the 400m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay and bronze in the 200m freestyle to his haul.

Two years later in Atlanta he cemented his place in Olympic history as New Zealand's greatest swimmer with double freestyle gold in the 200m and 400m.