Kiwis cheer outstanding and outsized Paris performance

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The omission of New Zealand from the world map, which was a centerpiece of the Paris Olympics closing ceremony, might have seemed a particular snub to the nation of 5 million which finished 11th on the medal table with 10 golds and 20 medals overall.

It was explained the map represented the five inhabited continents and that Australia stood in for Oceania. That in itself might have irritated New Zealanders, for whom Australia is the most bitter of sporting rivals.

The Parisian omission had a particular sting because New Zealand had just produced its best-ever Olympic performance. Measured on gold medals alone, New Zealand finished ahead of Canada and Spain, nations many times its size.

On a per-capita basis, New Zealand won one gold medal for every 533,890 people, or one medal of any color for every 258,000 people. That placed it third on the per-capita medal table behind Dominica and St Lucia, which both won one gold medal. Dominica has a population of about 67,000, and St Lucia around 184,000.

Of the 20 medals New Zealand won in Paris, 14 — including eight golds — were won by women or women's teams.

In a letter to New Zealanders from Buckingham Palace, British monarch King Charles commended the Kiwi performances.

"From the rugby field to the velodrome, the team ably and successfully demonstrated the grit and spirit of true Olympians — and true Kiwis," the king said.

"It has been enormously impressive to see just how extraordinarily successful your athletes have been in securing New Zealand's highest gold medal count at a single Olympics to date, and I hope that all of New Zealand shared in my joy at witnessing the wonderful sporting culture of this great nation on the world's stage."

New Zealanders had to wait several days for the first medal, a gold won by the women's sevens rugby team. Hayden Wilde, among the favorites to win the men's triathlon, led until the final meters when he was overtaken by Alex Yee of Britain. The New Zealander took silver.

Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors won gold in the women's double sculls rowing event, and Finn Butcher won the men's kayak cross.

"I'm just super, super proud of all our work and to be able to bring this medal back to New Zealand," Butcher said on his return to New Zealand on Wednesday. "We're just really, really proud to be part of the New Zealand team, and to be part of that success."

The second week brought a flurry of gold medals. Lisa Carrington won three golds in women's sprint kayaking, bringing her tally to eight golds over three Olympics. Alicia Hoskin won two kayaking golds and Ellesse Andrews won two golds in women's sprint track cycling.

Hamish Kerr won gold in the men's high jump, after his American opponent, Shelby McEwan, passed up an offer to share the gold and chose to have a jump-off for the top prize.

Lydia Ko won the women's golf gold medal, and now has a full set after winning silver in Rio de Janeiro and bronze in Tokyo. Her win also qualified her for the LPGA Hall of Fame — at the age of 27.

New Zealand beat its previous best tally of eight gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, at which it finished eighth on the medal table.

It won seven golds and 20 medals at Tokyo in 2021, and 18 medals at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Many New Zealanders were bleary-eyed watching the Games. New Zealand is 10 hours ahead of Paris, which meant that, back home, the Kiwi athletes were competing late at night or in the early hours of the morning.

When the Olympics ended, Britain's The Times newspaper posed the question "Who Won The Olympics?" It named New Zealand as the over-achiever of the Games.

"Athletes from New Zealand logged an impressive haul of 20 medals at Paris 2024, despite having a population of just over 5 million. Their rate of one medal per 258,000 people is the best among nations to win at least four this summer," the Times said.

The New Zealand government ruled out an official national celebration of the Olympic success, as the athletes were not all returning home at the same time, but large crowds greeted returning athletes at Auckland airport.

"I've been extremely proud of the way our athletes have conducted themselves, both on and off the field of play," New Zealand chef de mission Nigel Avery said.

"There has been a huge amount of manaaki (the Maori word for hospitality) from our team towards the other nations, and it's been great to see them showcasing our values and culture."

Agencies via Xinhua