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A New Zealand Sports Fan’s Guide

VaselineJuly 10, 2024

0 3 minutes read

In a few weeks, about 200 top athletes from New Zealand will prepare for the Olympic Games in Paris.

With stars like Lydia Ko and podium-winning triathlete Hayden Wilde at the helm, Aotearoa is ready to shine.

And it doesn’t stop there: New Zealanders also strive for worldwide fame in surfing, BMX and other disciplines.

Rolling Stone AU/NZ picks four must-see competitions for New Zealand fans to watch during the Olympics. And for Australian fans, here’s our guide too.

golf

New Zealand has its own golf star in Lydia Ko. The 27-year-old will compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, aiming to complete her medal haul after taking silver in Rio 2016 and bronze in Tokyo 2021. A win would put Ko among just six New Zealanders to have won Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals.

Daniel Hillier and Ryan Fox will join Ko on the New Zealand golf team in Paris. Hillier, 25, will make his Olympic debut, while Fox and Ko will be competing for the third time.

Hillier’s career has been on the rise, culminating in his victory at the British Masters last year. Meanwhile, Fox has been active on the PGA Tour this season and has a strong presence on the European Tour, where he has won four titles, including the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in the UK last year.

Surf

A strong team of nine swimmers have been selected to represent New Zealand at the Paris Olympics. But the quest for gold extends beyond the pool.

Raglan surfer Billy Stairmand is back for his second Olympic Games, braving the waves on the fearsome Tahiti surf break, thousands of miles from Paris.

Stairmand, an eight-time national surfing champion, first competed in Tokyo when surfing debuted at the Games and finished ninth. Now he and Saffi Vette are ready for the surf showdown in legendary Teahupo’o, Tahiti.

Triathlon

New Zealand has held a solid Olympic triathlon record since 2000.

At 26, Hayden Wilde is looking to build on this success with his bronze in Tokyo. With four World Series victories and a top position in the world rankings, he is now aiming for gold in Paris.

He will face stiff competition from British athlete Alex Yee, setting the stage for an epic showdown.

Dylan McCullough also makes his Olympic debut. The 23-year-old Aucklander joins New Zealand’s strong team for the triathlon, mixed relay and individual events, racing alongside Hayden Wilde on 30 July. Nicole van der Kaay and Ainsley Thorpe will compete in the women’s individual the following morning.

BMX

Two rising BMX stars from New Zealand are ready for the Olympic Games in Paris.

Rico Bearman, 20, races for the Speedco team in the US and won his first world championship at age six. He dominated the UCI Under-23 World Series last year, with six wins and a bronze medal at the 2023 U23 World Championships.

Leila Walker, 19, has won six world titles in Challenge Racing. She made her debut in junior elite competition with a win at the UCI BMX Racing World Cup in Bogota. This year she won her first national title in the elite women’s category and reached the semi-finals at the Brisbane World Cup.

Both are training in France for their events at the end of the first week of the Olympic Games in the BMX stadium of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines on August 1 and 2.

The Olympic Games in Paris will take place from July 26 to August 11, followed by the Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8.

In New Zealand, the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics are now available to stream on Sky Sport Now.

In Australia, the competition will be broadcast on Nine Network and on-demand via streaming platform 9Now. Stan Sport will also broadcast all 329 Olympic events across 32 sports, ad-free.

VaselineJuly 10, 2024

0 3 minutes read

golf

Surf

Triathlon

BMX

Vaseline

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