It’s time to pay more attention

Didn’t two weeks just fly by? It feels like only yesterday that we were watching the sombre opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics and making dystopian predictions about Covid outbreaks, social unrest and even the very end of civilisation.

There is no doubt that the absence of audiences and the threat of a pandemic created a strange mood. But New Zealanders will not remember these as the Covid Olympics. Instead, they are the Carrington Olympics.

Lisa Carrington has been astonishing. Even those who cannot tell one end of a kayak from the other have been amazed by her almost superhuman performances.

She speeds across the water with a machine-like intensity, as if she were the Terminator of Tokyo. Or the Terminator from Tauranga.

Her focus and determination during these events, and her obvious joy afterwards, are always a thrill to watch.

By Friday, Carrington was our most successful Olympian. She has six Olympic medals, five of which are gold. And the K4 500m event gives her the chance to pick up one more.

But let’s not jinx it.

It should be said that the recognition of Carrington’s achievements in no way diminishes Sophie Pascoe’s hugely impressive medal haul in the Paralympic Games, which have netted her nine golds and six silvers since 2008.

Carrington also seems like the ideal athlete for this country in 2021, as her brother Brett told RNZ: ‘‘You are representing Aotearoa, you’re representing strong Ma¯ ori women, strong women in general.’’

For New Zealand, these Olympics have been dominated by strong women. Rowers Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast won gold as a pair, before Emma Twigg won the single sculls.

The Black Ferns sevens team won gold, and if they gave out awards for the most spirited media interview, Ruby Tui might have won that too, when she taught BBC viewers what ‘‘mahi’’ means.

There was raw emotion from 21-year-old cyclist Ellesse Andrews, who startled everyone, including herself, by winning silver in the women’s keirin event on Thursday.

Only 40 minutes later, Kiwi cyclist Campbell Stewart also won a silver, in the men’s omnium.

Stewart’s success was especially moving, given he was a replacement for Aaron Gate, who crashed and was eliminated only the day before.

To them, we can add other inspiring stories. Dame Valerie Adams won a bronze, her fourth shot put medal at her fifth Olympics; humble South Canterbury shot putter Tom Walsh also won a bronze; and Dylan Schmidt won New Zealand’s first ever Olympic medal in gymnastics on the trampoline. Who even knew that we excel in trampolining?

But while we congratulate ourselves and celebrate, there are some harder questions to ask. Yes, we are justifiably proud that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have seen such a strong showing from New Zealand women, but women in sport are much less visible for the other 50 weeks of the year.

A study released by Sport New Zealand in May found women’s sports account for just 15 per cent of sports coverage by media in New Zealand.

As depressing as that seems, coverage rose from 11 per cent a decade earlier and was also well ahead of figures in the UK, the US and Australia.

Sports New Zealand chief executive Raelene Castle expects our upcoming hosting of the women’s football, cricket, and rugby world cups may improve the numbers even further.

But if the past two weeks don’t inspire New Zealand men to watch New Zealand women play sport, nothing will.

... women in sport are much less visible for the other 50 weeks of the year.