I was feeling down heading into the Rio Olympics. For the first time ever, I wasn’t excited.
I was cynical. The McLaren Report, and the International Olympic Committee’s weak response to it, made me cynical. Cash over credibility, the Olympic dream was done for me.
The first week of competition didn’t help either. Sevens disappointment. No medals in the pool. The swimming was generally a bit boring, bar Michael Phelps.
Then there were the near misses: the Sevens sisters, Mark Todd, Valerie Adams, the sprint cycling team. Sigh.
Thank god the Olympic Games run for a fortnight.
Hamish Bond & Eric Murray - you bloody beauties. Mahe Drysdale provided the heart-stopping moment of the games. Eliza McCartney - as good as gold. A future star. Lisa Carrington, Peter Burling & Blair Tuke – kiwis on top of the world. We’re much better on top of the water than in it, aren’t we?
What about Usain Bolt? He owns the glamour events of the games. He’s Mr Olympics. Will we ever see another like him? It’s unlikely. We can only hope.
But the moment that gave me hope, was one of devastation.
Nikki Hamblin and Abbey D’Agostino. You can bet these two athletes hardly knew each other heading into these games. Just two names, two faces, in another heat of the 5000 metres. Now, they’re forever united by their response to a moment of heartbreaking disappointment that perfectly encapsulated the Olympic spirit.
Many of New Zealand’s famous Olympic moments involve winning. We celebrate great champions like Snell, Adams, Todd, Loader.
Nikki Hamblin didn’t win gold in Rio, but she’s an Olympic champion.
This was a moment New Zealand can be truly proud of, and perhaps one that hasn’t been witnessed at an Olympic Games since Barcelona 1992, when Derek Redmond was helped across the line by his father Jim, after tearing his hamstring in the semi-finals of the men’s 400 metres. Golden moments aren’t restricted to Gold medals.
Call me an old romantic, but this was my favourite moment of the 2016 Rio Olympics. While drug cheats and inept administrators try to extinguish the Olympic flame, moments like these – an iconic act of sportsmanship - keep it burning.
This is why we watch, and why we’ll continue to watch. So thanks, Nikki and Abbey, for restoring my faith in the Olympic dream.
What's been your favourite moment of the Rio Olympics? Have your say in our poll here.
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