New Zealand sport’s female trailblazers

Our country boasts a proud sporting history and women have been at the forefront of many of our finest achievements. The New Zealand Herald identified 50 of our most groundbreaking sportswomen

Barbara Kendall Boardsailing

One of the most enduring images from the 1992 Olympics is the sight of a beaming Kendall celebrating at the top of the podium. At 24, the boardsailing great cemented her place in New Zealand Olympic history, becoming the first woman to win gold since Yvette Williams 40 years earlier. She completed her set of Olympic medals with silver in Atlanta in 1996 and bronze in Sydney four years later.

Violet Walrond Swimming

Long before Yvette Williams became New Zealand’s first female Olympic gold medallist, there was Violet Walrond, New Zealand’s first female Olympian. She was just 15 when she swam at the 1920 Antwerp Games in the cold, dark waters of a canal complex which had no lanes near the city centre. Walrond stood 1.6m tall, weighed 48.5kg but acquitted herself admirably: fifth of 19 in the 100m freestyle, seventh of 16 in the 300m.

Jane Thomson Mountaineering

On January 31, 1916, after three previous attempts, Thomson became the first New Zealand woman — and second behind Australian Freda Du Faur in 1913 — to climb Mt Cook alongside her Austrian guide Conrad Kain. The 57-year-old’s determination was legendary — including reportedly marching Kain out “by the ear and thrusting his pack at him” when he was “distracted” by some other women trampers at Hooker Hut.

Jean Stewart Swimming

Dunedin-born Stewart’s 100m backstroke bronze from the 1952 Helsinki Games is still New Zealand’s only women’s Olympic swimming medal. “I heard this year that I'm still the only one and I can't believe it. It's so sad. We've had so many good swimmers,” she told the Herald at her Auckland retirement village two years ago. Stewart needed a judge’s ruling to make history, after a Dutch swimmer was given the same time.

Sybil Lupp Motorsport

A remarkable motor racing identity from the 1940s and ’50s, the “Jaguar Lady” from Wellington, Lupp’s many achievements include being regarded as our first woman motor racing mechanic. Lupp, of Hawke’s Bay origins, was the only woman in the inaugural 1949 New Zealand Road Racing Championships at Wigram, placing fifth out of 22.

Yvette Corlett Athletics

Corlett, or Williams as she was in Helsinki in 1952, is New Zealand’s first female Olympic champion, and in many eyes, still the greatest. She made the long jump final with her last qualifying leap, then charged to the gold with 6.24m, an Olympic record and 1cm short of the world record, set nine years earlier. In February 1954, Williams broke the world record in Gisborne with 6.28m.

Philippa Gould Swimming

The Auckland teenager set four world backstroke records during the 1950s in the Newmarket Pool, and is still the only Kiwi to set world long-course (50m pool) marks. She competed at the 1956 Olympics and was an early favourite for gold at the 1958 Empire Games but a broken leg set back her training. A huge star, she quit aged 17.

Ruia Morrison Tennis

Rotorua-born Morrison was the first New Zealand female — and first Maori — to play at Wimbledon, in 1957. The diminutive Morrison stood only 1.54m but was blessed with superb anticipation and reflexes and a devastating volley. The high point of her four Wimbledon visits was a quarter-final appearance in 1957. Morrison received an MBE in 1960.

Lois Muir Netball

Muir has become synonymous with netball across a life devoted to the sport. After representing the Silver Ferns as a defender in the early 1960s, she became the Ferns coach in 1974, beginning a remarkable 14-year reign. Across that time, Muir led the Ferns to two world titles and became netball’s first dame in 1984.

Val Young Athletics

Young, nee Sloper, remains New Zealand’s most successful female Commonwealth Games athlete with seven medals — five gold, a silver and a bronze — from the shot put and discus at Cardiff, Perth, Kingston and Christchurch. Now 81, Young finished fourth in the shot at the 1960 and 1964 Olympics. Speaking to the Herald in March, Young said selection for a Games was a special feeling in an amateur era: “Getting your uniform felt like Father Christmas had come.”

Elsie Wilkie Bowls

A trailblazer for lawn bowls in this country, Wilkie was the first New Zealander to claim a singles world championship when she won the 1973 title in Wellington. She captured the double by defending her crown four years later. Self-taught, Wilkie won her first national title in 1966. She was named in the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995, three weeks before her death.

Eve Rimmer Para athlete

A car crash at the age of 15 left the promising athlete from Whakatane paralysed from the waist down. She went on to become a Paralympics icon, pushing the sport into the limelight. She became one of the world’s best, with javelin, shot put and discus her specialities, while her swimming and archery were also outstanding. From 1968, she won eight Paralympic golds.

Judy Chaloner Tennis

Onehunga-raised Judy Chaloner, nee Connor, partnered by Aussie Diane Evers, is the only Kiwi woman to own a grand slam tennis title. In 2011, as Marina Erakovic made a vain attempt to join her, Chaloner mused she was getting more attention then than when she won the 1979 Australian Open title. “My name was on that trophy before those of Serena and Venus,’’ Chaloner said.

Naomi James Yachting

On September 9, 1977, James left Dartmouth, England, intent on becoming the first woman to sail solo around the world via Cape Horn. A record 272 days later, on June 8, 1978, she had completed a navigation of the clipper route aboard her 53-foot home. She stopped sailing after winning the Round Britain race with husband Rob in 1982 and remains the youngest New Zealander, at 29, to receive a damehood.

Caroline Powell Equestrian

In 2010, Powell became the first New Zealand woman to win one of equestrian’s six four-star events, guiding grey gelding Lenamore to victory at Burghley. At 17, he was the oldest horse to achieve the feat in that competition. In the same year, Powell was part of the bronze medalwinning Kiwi team at the world games and she won a team bronze at the 2012 Olympics.The 45-year-old has been UK-based since the 1990s.

Neroli Fairhall Archery/Disabled sport

Paralysed in a motorbike crash aged 22, Fairhall was a true groundbreaker — winning gold in the 1982 Commonwealth Games and becoming our first disabled Olympian, at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. She also competed in four Paralympics. Tributes flowed when Fairhall passed away in 2006, with Disability Issues Minister Ruth Dyson saying: “She did what many thought was impossible.” One story goes that a smart alec Australian cynic was put in his place when he asked her if she thought it was easier shooting sitting down than standing up. She replied she had no idea; she’d never shot standing up.

Linda Jones Horse racing

People who didn’t follow horse racing knew who Linda Jones was, such was her fame in the late 1970s. The Cambridge horsewoman broke the mould of men-only race riders in this country and for a time became the country’s bestknown jockey. In 1976, her first application was rejected because she was too old (she was 24), married and not strong enough. She was the first woman to ride four winners in one day, at Te Rapa, the first woman to win an open handicap, won the Wellington Derby on Holy Toledo in 1979, and was the first woman in Australasia, Europe and North America to bag a derby victory.Jones became the first woman inducted into New Zealand’s Racing Hall of Fame.

Marilyn Smith Golf

The Wellingtonian was New Zealand’s LPGA pioneer in America, turning pro in 1974 on a $500 lure to play the Australian circuit. Smith — whose dad was a club professional in Petone — was known in the US as MJ, to avoid confusion with American Marilynn Smith, an LPGA founding member. Smith’s ambitions were encouraged after meeting her namesake when she visited New Zealand.

Debbie Hockley Cricket

Hockley remains the only New Zealand woman inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, alongside fellow Kiwis Martin Crowe and Sir Richard Hadlee. She was the first woman to reach 4000 ODI runs and play 100 ODIs. In 19 tests, Hockley averaged 52.04. In 2000, she won the World Cup in the last of her 118 ODIs, and in 2016 became the first woman elected New Zealand Cricket president.

Meda McKenzie Swimming

Getting across the Cook Strait on a ferry can be tough enough. Meda McKenzie was just 15 when she swam the strait, north to south, in 1978, and then swam the other way soon after. One of her support crew carried a shotgun, in case of sharks. The English Channel was among her other conquests.

Anne Audain/ Lorraine Moller Athletics

They deserve their individual places but we’ve bracketed the running legends for their pioneering influence in the 1970 and 1980s. Aucklander Audain, who overcame bone deformities in her feet, has been called the world’s first professional female distance runner. Moller, from Putaruru, ran a remarkable four Olympic marathons.

Louisa Wall Netball, rugby

It’s an impressive feat to feature in World Cups across two sports. Wall made her first international debut at age 17 when she played for the Silver Ferns at the 1989 World Games. She was part of the team for four years, including at the 1991 World Cup, earning a silver medal and 28 test caps. Wall then switched her focus to rugby, scoring seven tries as New Zealand won the World Cup for the first time in 1998.

Allison Roe Athletics

Roe captivated sports fans with victories in the 1981 Boston and New York marathons. She also broke the 20km world record in Japan during the lead-up. Her New York victory was deemed a world-best time until someone got out the measuring tape and discovered the course was 150m short. Roe’s mark was annulled, but she won the supreme Halberg award as compensation.

Susan Devoy Squash

Rotorua-born Devoy is one of the two great figures in women’s squash, alongside Australia’s 16-time British Open champion Heather McKay. Devoy won that crown, then considered the most significant in the sport, eight times from 1984. In her prime, she was near unbeatable, a determined, no-frills player, extremely fit and with a killer instinct on court. A forthright personality, she was made a dame in 1998..

Gina Weber Softball

A power pitcher like no other, a giant physically and in achievement. Her only world title came in 1982, and Weber couldn’t quite nail the top prize in subsequent tournaments. From a Wellington family, Weber was raised in Huntly by her grandparents and became an icon of the Auckland game. An SOS from the national side led to a comeback at the 2000 Sydney Olympics aged 37.

Madonna Harris Multisport athlete

You name it, she probably did it. The only Kiwi woman to compete in the Winter and Summer Olympics (road cycling and cross-country skiing), won a 3000m pursuit gold at the 1990 Commonwealth Games and came fourth in the road race for good measure. Also represented New Zealand in athletics and basketball.

Erin Baker Ironman/triathlete

Convicted of throwing an explosive device during the 1981 South African rugby tour protests, Bakerwas prevented from competing in the US for five years. She was a proponent of equal prizemoney for sportswomen, once boycotting an event because organisers offered a car to the men’s winner rather than both genders. Baker won 104 of her 121 races.

Annelise Coberger Skiing

For 26 years, Canterbury alpine skier Coberger was New Zealand’s sole Winter Olympics medallist. She won the silver medal in the slalom at Albertville in 1992, indeed coming within a whisker of bagging the gold, just 0.42s behind Austrian star Petra Kronberger. Coberger was second in the World Cup slalom the following year and went to the 1994 Olympics, but within a year, she had walked away from the sport.

Michelle Cox Football

Cox put the New Zealand women’s game on the map with her overseas achievements. She won the German Cup with TSV Siegen in 1988, then did the German league and cup double the following season. Cox and fellow Football Fern Maureen Jacobson (who won a women's FA Cup final with Millwall in 1991) blazed the trail for Kiwi females to play in Europe.

Rita Fatialofa Netball and softball

A world champion in both netball and softball in the 1980s. As an 18-year-old, she was a powerful designated hitter on the New Zealand team that won the 1982 world championships. In the same year, she made her Ferns debut, the beginning of a nine-year international netball career highlighted by victory at the 1987 world championships in Glasgow. She was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.

Heather Spurle Speed racer

Aucklander Spurle, born in Britain, competed in a number of motor racing classes and finished sixth in the 1992 New Zealand Grand Prix. But she is best known for setting world water and national land speed records in the 1980s and 1990s. “Some people don't think women should be racing. The trouble was, I stood out, especially when things went wrong.,” Spurle said.

Farah Palmer Rugby

The 69kg hooker led the Black Ferns to their first three World Cup wins, before retiring in 2006. Such is her standing that the women’s domestic rugby cup is named after her. She has been inspirational to women players in particular, in areas such as academics and politics. A massive factor in the rise of women’s rugby, and the respect it has gained.

Lesley Egnot Yachting

Born in South Carolina, Egnot competed with Jan Shearer in two Olympic Games, and in 1992 in Barcelona, the duo became the first New Zealand females to claim an Olympic sailing medal in a keelboat class. Egnot also became the first woman to helm an America’s Cup yacht. She skippered the all-female crew on board Mighty Mary in the defender selection series in 1995.

Sarah Ulmer Cycling

Ulmer smashed the world 3000m individual pursuit record twice at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She had set a world record 3m 30.604s at the world championships in Melbourne. Ulmer then eclipsed her own mark twice to win gold in Athens, with 3m 26.400s in qualifying and a phenomenal 3m 24.537s to win gold in the final against Australian Katie Mactier. She remains the only New Zealand woman to win an Olympic cycling gold medal.

Caroline Meyer/ Georgina Earl Rowing

In 2008, Meyer and Earl achieved New Zealand Olympic immortality at Beijing with the triple double: twin sisters double sculling to victory at consecutive Games. The only time the tandem — then known as EversSwindell — led was at the finish. The 2004 victory at Athens was a doddle by comparison, winning by 0.99s after leading from the start.

Irene van Dyk Netball

The South African-born superstar took the art of goal shooting to a new level, honed by a relentless dedication to practising her craft, with often more than 300 shots per day. Van Dyk was pivotal to the Silver Ferns’ most recent world championship success in 2003, as well as Commonwealth golds in 2006 and 2010. She retired as the most capped player in history (217 tests), and her 4796 goals for the Ferns were scored at an accuracy rate of 91 per cent.

Lauren Boyle Swimming

The first Kiwi woman to stand on the podium at a world championships when she claimed three bronzes in 2013. She added to her tally two years later with two silvers to become the most decorated Kiwi swimmer at the event. The three-time Olympian is also a world short-course and Commonwealth Games champion. Had the added pressure of knowing her performance on the big stage often decided whether or not her sport would get government funding.

Lisa Carrington Kayaking

New Zealand’s greatest woman kayaker, Carrington has owned the sprint K1 200m discipline since leaping to prominence winning the world title in 2011. She won back-to-back Olympic golds and bagged silver in the blue riband K1 500m. Add in a pile of world championship medals and she stands among the great paddlers. New Zealand now has a talented group of paddlers off the back of Carrington’s success.

Portia Woodman Rugby

There are some sportspeople who transcend the term ‘athlete' – the innovators, trailblazers who lead the way while taking your breath away. Add Woodman – the Black Ferns’ sensational winger whose pace, strength and athleticism has set the standard in women’s rugby — to that list. Since making her Black Ferns debut five years ago, she has been named the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year in 2015 and Women’s Player of the Year in 2017. She is the top try-scorer in World Series history. Judged rugby’s ninth most influential figure by respected magazine Rugby World, ahead of Beauden Barrett and Kieran Read.

Sarah Walker BMX

BMX is a relatively young sport, especially on the Olympic scene, but one Walker is synonymous with. She was on the starting gate when BMX debuted at the 2008 Olympics, finishing fourth in Beijing, and a year later, she was crowned world champion in both the BMX and the cruiser events. She returned to the Olympics in London, claiming silver, New Zealand’s first medal in the sport.

Sophie Pascoe Para swimming

New Zealand’s greatest ever Paralympian, who can still add to her legacy in Tokyo 2020. Her medal record is staggering — 15 at the Paralympics, with nine gold. Pascoe was New Zealand's youngest Paralympian in Beijing, aged just 15, and won three gold medals and a silver. Since then, she has claimed multiple titles at the world championships,

Pan Pacifics and the Commonwealth Games. Became the first para-athlete to carry the New Zealand flag at the Commonwealth Games.

Abby Erceg Football

Erceg played a record 132 games for the Football Ferns, becoming the first Kiwi to reach a century of internationals. She also played at three World Cups and three Olympics. An outspoken advocate for the women’s game, she retired (for the second time) this year, in protest over coach Andreas Heraf’s methods, one of the catalysts that led to his resignation, the departure of CEO Andy Martin and considerable upheaval in NZF.

Stacey Michelsen Hockey

Arguably the best hockey player New Zealand has produced, Michelsen was a finalist for the World Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017, and won Young Player of the Year in 2011. The Northland attacker has been part of the New Zealand team during its years in the world’s top four, finishing fourth at back-to-back Olympics, and captained the Black Sticks to a maiden Commonwealth Games crown this year. There are other claimants as influential

Black Sticks leaders, but Michelsen is both a champion on the field and a big influence on up and comers.

Zoi SadowskiSynnott Snowboarding

When the 16-year-old SadowskiSynnott soared high into the South Korean air on February 22, it was good enough to earn her a bronze medal in the Big Air discipline at the Winter Olympics. It also brought an end to Annelise Coberger’s 26-year reign as New Zealand’s only Winter Olympic medallist. Rest assured, there are a pile of 12 year olds taking note of Sadowski-Synnott’s achievement and thinking “if you can do it. . .”.

Paige Hareb Surfing

Hareb has set the pace for New Zealand surfers, becoming the first woman from this country to qualify for the world professional tour, back in December 2008. From Oakura, Hareb made an early impact that year when she won the Margaret River Pro on the qualifying series, eliminating two surfers then ranked in the world’s top 10 and a former world title runnerup. That played a big part in getting a spot on the world tour. Hareb was part of the first team to win the Founders Cup this year, an international teams event, beating Brazil, the United States and Australia. The 28-year-old had three years on the qualifying circuit before regaining her world tour status this year.

Eliza McCartney Athletics

The female face of modern New Zealand athletics, pole vaulter McCartney won the Rio Olympic bronze medal, her sheer gobsmacked delight splashed across her face. Only two women have ever vaulted higher outdoors than McCartney’s

4.94m set in Germany in July. Throw in her social media presence — her followers make her among the most marketable of New Zealand sports people — and McCartney is very much of the new generation of New Zealand sports’ best achievers and a signpost to future athletes.

Laura Mariu League

Women’s league in this country took a giant step forward this month — and it was appropriate Laura Mariu was at the forefront. Mariu, arguably the most influential female player in the history of New Zealand league, was captain of the Warriors' Women team, as they made their debut in the new NRL women's competition on September 8. The 37-year-old, now a police constable, made her international debut in 2000 and has played in all five Women's World Cups, helping the Kiwi Ferns to three victories (in 2000, 2005 and 2008). She was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) this year.

Laurel Hubbard Weightlifting

Hubbard became the first transgender athlete to represent New Zealand when selected for weightlifting’s Australian International at Melbourne in March 2017. She went on to become the country’s first medallist at a world championships, earning silvers in the snatch and overall categories in the women's 90kg-plus division last December. Hubbard had to meet International Weightlifting Federation and International Olympic Committee rules by demonstrating her testosterone levels were below a certain threshold for 12 months before getting the right to compete. She went on to represent New Zealand at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.