Double delight
The New Zealand class of 2022 can throw their mortar boards in the air at the end of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
This team claimed more golds (20) than ever and was just one gong short of 50, with a number of memorable performances over the 11 days in Birmingham.
Rob van Royen and Ian Anderson covered the Games for Stuff. Here’s how they rated New Zealand’s showing in each sport:
CYCLING: A
Highlighted by Ellesse Andrews and Aaron Gate winning three track gold medals apiece, the track team got New Zealand’s campaign off to a scorching start at the London velodrome. When all was said and done, the track cyclists had 13 medals – eight of them gold – making them the best performing country ahead of Australia. Arguably, only the men’s sprinters will feel they didn’t hit the mark.
The injury to Ally Wollaston hampered the women’s road team in the time trial and road race, but Georgia Williams fetched bronze in the former. When Gate missed a fourth medal by one spot in the time trial, it felt that may be cycling’s lot for the
Games. But Gate produced one of the sport and New Zealand’s most memorable and meritorious rides to enter the record books.
If Anton Cooper had not succumbed to Covid, it seemed New Zealand would have claimed the trifecta in the men’s mountain bike event.
SWIMMING/DIVING: ANine
medals, featuring five golds, was an outstanding return for a sport which has struggled to have any impact at the Games for most of this century, bar para swimming superstar Dame Sophie Pascoe.
New Zealand now has a worldclass individual medley swimmer in Lewis Clareburt, as long suspected.
Andrew Jeffcoat’s backstroke sprint gold was a joy for a swimmer who’d missed selection for the Tokyo Olympics, while 17-year-old Joshua Willmer’s triumph was a delight for both athlete and fan.
Joelle King and Amanda Landers-murphy handed New Zealand their 20th gold and final medal of the Games with victory in their squash women’s doubles final.
The duo scored an 11-8 11-8 win over the England duo of Sarah-jane Perry and Alison Waters.
With the gold, King drew level with Val Young on five as the most prolific winner at the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand history.
SQUASH: AWhen
Joelle King was shocked by Canada’s Hollie Naughton in the women’s singles semifinals, New Zealand’s campaign was in some danger of being derailed.
But Paul Coll lifted spirits by seeing off persistent Welshman Joel Makin to win gold before King recovered from not getting a medal to combine first with Coll and then with Amanda Landers
Murphy as the Kiwis claimed mixed and women’s doubles gold.
ATHLETICS: ASix
medals, two of them gold, and impressive performances on the track by Sam Tanner and Zoe Hobbs. It’s fair to say little more was expected from the 17-strong team.
That said, Oceania record holder Lauren Bruce bombing out
of the women’s hammer after failing to register a legitimate throw in qualifying, and Olivia Mctaggart’s fourth in the women’s pole vault were cases of expectations not being met.
But they were overshadowed by Hamish Kerr becoming the first Kiwi male to win high jump gold at the Games, and shot putter Jacko Gill finally snaring his first major senior medal (silver) behind