Dame Lisa Carrington, Finn Butcher, and Issac McHardie were among the athletes who arrived home today after New Zealand's most successful Olympics ever. Video / Cameron Pitney
That breakdancer
The Olympics is not just a celebration of sport but also its athletes and when one falls short of the bare expectations, fans don’t hold back their criticism.
The performance of Australian breakdancer Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn – which included hopping like a kangaroo – failed to score asingle point in her three round-robin battles in Paris. Gunn’s performance quickly sent social media into a frenzy for all the wrong reasons, leading to a wave of criticism.
Raygun competes during the Breaking B-Girls Round Robin Group B battle on Day 14 of the Olympic Games. Photo / Getty Images
It’s hardly surprising. Her routine – which could be likened to a fish flopping around on dry land – was a disservice to the real athletes who put on a proper show. She may be a great person and she may have qualified, but her presence was a disservice to the thousands of talented breakdancers out there, regardless of whether one considers breaking a sport or not. – Luke Kirkness
Chiles left in the cold
The low for me was the debacle with American gymnast Jordan Chiles. On appeal, Chiles was promoted from fifth to third because the judges had failed to score a particular move properly. That should have been the end of it. Instead, she had her bronze medal ripped off her because the appeal was a few seconds too late.
I’m sorry but that’s an administration error, not hers! They need to own that. – Toni Street
The Kiwi C2 shambles
There was something a bit off about the appearance of Max Brown and Grant Clancy in the C2 500m.
The New Zealand pair were comically off the pace in their race – which was understandable as they were effectively novices, racing against the best crews in the world. While the other six crews in their qualifying race finished within three seconds of each other, the Kiwis came in more than 40 seconds later. It looked terrible.
Canoe Racing New Zealand (CRNZ) defended the decision to send them; the presence of Brown and Clancy at the Games meant that New Zealand was also able to enter a crew in the K4 500m.
Max Brown and Grant Clancy from New Zealand in the men's canoe double 500m. Photo / Photosport
“No rules have been broken,” said Brown.
Rules might not have been broken, but loopholes were found, and loopholes haven’t featured in New Zealand’s Olympic history.
How about this for an idea, CRNZ: If we can’t get there properly – as high-performing competitors – let’s not go. – Winston Aldworth
Dangers of social media
Imane Khelif’s success in Paris proved that much of society still struggles to accept and celebrate a woman who is dominant in their field.
The Algerian boxer was forced to fight out of the ring for her place in the 2024 Games – while the focus of her competitors and fellow athletes was strictly on performance.
It showed hate is still rife, particularly in women’s sports and confirmed how dangerous the misinformation spreading on social media can be.
Imane Khelif of Team Algeria celebrates victory. Photo / Getty Images
There’s difficulty in embracing the notion that no Olympian’s body is the same and each individual will have their own physical advantages... whether you’re cis-gender, transgender, have differences in sex development, or not. – Bonnie Jansen
The marathon course
A marathon needs to finish in the stadium again. I’m a sucker for tradition so it saddens me that 2008 was the last time an Olympic marathon ended in the main stadium.
Sure, the northern areas of Paris near the Stade de France wouldn’t have made the same backdrop as the Palace of Versailles, Opera Garnier, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower... OK, maybe it was the right call. But please Los Angeles, make a stadium entrance in 2028 happen. - Cameron McMillan
Bombing schools
A spell is always cast by the Olympics, an illusory global village in which competition rarely obscures camaraderie. But in Paris reality snapped back with the introduction of every Israeli athlete, competing under a flag being used in the relentless massacre of civilians within the borders of another IOC member nation.
While athletes from Russia and Belarus were forced to compete in neutral colours, owing the former’s invasion of Ukraine with the latter’s support, no sanctions applied to Israel.
So we watch a race with a cyclist representing Israel, then read about the bombing of another Gaza school. In fairness, the IOC did take some action, preventing protest by banning political slogans.
One athlete on the refugee team was disqualified from the breaking competition for revealing a message reading ‘free Afghan women’, in case you thought Raygun receiving no points was the biggest travesty of that event. – Kris Shannon
All Blacks Sevens fail... again
When sevens became an Olympic sport at Rio 2016, it seemed an inevitability that New Zealand’s men’s team would claim gold by default.
Three Games on, and they’ve only reached the gold medal match once. Sevens in this country seems precariously poised at the moment.
While the Black Ferns Sevens are clearly in a golden period, the men’s team appears to be made up of journeymen specialists, only by way of not making Super Rugby sides.
Coach Tomasi Cama outlined his want for the All Blacks to put themselves forward in 2028, even if the likes of Sonny Bill Williams, Liam Messam and Caleb Clarke all failed to inspire gold in 2016 and 2021.
Here’s hoping the right mix can be found over the next four years. – Alex Powell
Tone Ng Shiu consoled by Brady Rush after their quarter final loss against South Africa. Photo / www.photosport.nz
The Seine
A river that was deemed to be too unclean to swim in without risk of infection was in fewer than 24 hours then deemed at a safe level - to absolutely no one’s surprise Kiwi Hayden Wilde subsequently contracted E-Coli after swimming in Paris’ Seine river.
Lower intestinal bacterium aside, the Seine debacle highlighted everything that is wrong with climate action: too little, too late.
Assurances were made, billions were spent and still the water was filthy. – Will Toogood
Missing out!
The River Seine was a real lowlight as it seemed to have more crap in it than a look back at my TV career. While our New Zealand journalists and presenters in Paris did a fantastic job, the jealousy I felt seeing them up close at the events and chatting to athletes, was a personal lowlight.
I would have swum open-mouthed through the dirty Seine water just to get to ask one question in a US Basketball press conference. – Ben Boyce
Team losses
With the notable exception of the Black Ferns Sevens, New Zealand performed poorly in team sports. The Black Sticks men, Football Ferns and Oly Whites combined for 10 losses out of 11.
The All Blacks Sevens suffered just one defeat, but because it came in the quarter-finals, they were eliminated from medal contention before the opening ceremony, an ignominious outcome. – Simon Kay
Hear it as it happens with live commentary of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on GOLD SPORT & iHeartRadio, plus comprehensive coverage on Newstalk ZB.
