Holly Robinson, who took gold in the F46 javelin in Tokyo, returns to the Paralympics for the fourth time and will compete in the F46 javelin and shot where she ranks seventh and second respectively. William Stedman, who took two medals in Tokyo (long jump and 400m), returns to compete in T36 long jump, 100m and 200m.
Mitch Joynt is our fastest-ever single-leg amputee over both 100m and 200m. He set an Oceania record in gaining bronze in the T64 200m in Japan earlier in the year at the Para World Championships. Anna Steven, our other competitor in T64 200m, finished eighth with an Oceania record.
Chef de Mission Raylene Bates (Otago), an outstanding coach and administrator, wisely stated that predicting medals is fraught and not always the best judge of performance even if they do grab the headlines, saying; “medals are the icing on the cake”. I support this view and if athletes in the sternest competition reach finals, produce personal bests and set records, this provides their own reward and often brings a place on the podium.
Our two Olympic track and field medal winners in Paris were at their best when it mattered most. Maddison-Lee Wesche set a personal best with her silver medal in the shot, coping with the wet conditions when others in the field struggled. Hamish Kerr equalled his New Zealand record, set when winning the World Indoor title, when he coped with the pressure of a jump-off for gold in Paris.
The post-Olympic period, both immediately after and the seasons following, is always interesting. In the past, most athletes had to wait for years for another Olympics and there were always many retirements after an Olympiad. The introduction of world championships and the lucrative Diamond League mean there are fewer such retirements.
It is not surprising that immediately after an Olympic Games some athletes choose to have a break while others, after the excitement and pressure of the games, do not match their high Olympic performances. This was the case for Kerr and Wesche in the most recent Diamond League meets.
For other athletes, there is a chance for redemption for what they might have seen as Olympic failure. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) may have rebounded in Paris with his gold medal in the 5000m after his fourth place in the much-anticipated 1500m final. At the first post-Olympics Diamond League in Lausanne, he defeated the 1500m Olympic gold medal winner Cole Hocker (US) in 3m 27.83s. The outspoken Ingebrigtsen was quick to congratulate Hocker for competing so quickly after his Olympic success. Ingebrigsten went on to slice three seconds off the 3000m world record (7m 17.550s), possibly his perfect distance, a few days later at the Silesia Diamond League. Fenke Bol (Netherlands), although winning a complete set of medals in Paris (gold mixed 4 x 400m, silver 4 x 400m and bronze 400m hurdles), quickly put her hurdles disappointment behind her by winning in the Diamond League at both Luasanne and Silesia over 400m hurdles, the latter with a meeting record of 52.13s.
Some Olympic winners carried on where they left off - notably New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko who, having won Olympic gold (to add to her previous silver and bronze medals), went on to win the British Open in St Andrews. Armand du Plantis ( Sweden) certainly highlighted “Altius” by adding another centimetre to his world record set Paris with a 6.26m jump, further highlighting his extraordinary talent.
I look forward to the Paralympics, the final three Diamond Leagues and the World Junior Championships in Lima which starts this week.
