NZ tipped for record Olympic haul

Black uniforms are tipped to glitter with much gold in August. New Zealand athletes are expected to return from Rio de Janeiro with a record 11 Olympic gold medals, according to a virtual medal prediction by sports database Infostrada.

In the company’s monthly virtual table released on Wednesday, New Zealand would win 23 medals in total including eight by the rowing team. That would beat their previous best haul by a whopping 10 medals, after the country’s record-equalling 13 in London four years ago including six gold.

Infostrada predicts New Zealand will finish ninth with 11 gold, seven silver and five bronze medals, just behind Japan and Korea and ahead of France. New Zealand were 15th on the medal table in London.

According to Infostrada, its virtual table predicts the most likely gold, silver and bronze medal winners as if the Olympic Games were being held today.

The prediction of 23 for New Zealand is well above High Performance Sport New Zealand’s conservative target of ‘‘14 or more’’ medals in Rio. Last August, a year out from the opening ceremony, HPSNZ boss Alex Baumann said it wouldn’t be budging from that goal which was set just after London in 2012.

‘‘We won’t tweak the 14-plus. We feel that’s where we are. It’d be great to get more but it’s not an easy environment at the Olympic Games,’’ Baumann said then.

‘‘More countries are winning medals, which is a good thing, and percentage of medals from the top-five countries is coming down. In 1992 it was 48 per cent for the top-five and in 2012 it was 40 per cent.

‘‘It is getting tougher.’’