The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are being held amidst scorching heat. After the 10th day of the competition, New Zealand is doing well, having won a total of 11 medals: 4 gold, 4 silver, and 3 bronze.
The first medal event in this New Zealand tournament was the triathlon!
The first medal for New Zealand at this tournament was won by triathlete Heden Wilde, who won the bronze medal!
A triathlon is an endurance event in which one athlete competes in three events in succession: swimming, biking, and running. In the Olympics, athletes compete over a total of 51.5km, including a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike, and a 10km run.
Wilde, who finished in third place, not only won the bronze medal, but was also praised for his "great Olympic spirit" after helping the first place runner who collapsed at the finish line. In addition, according to Wilde's brother, who I spoke to on the phone, he actually went running with the other runners after the race to celebrate his medal. What incredible stamina!
In rowing, he won three gold medals and two silver medals!
The sport in which New Zealand has won the most medals at the Olympics to date is rowing, New Zealand's flagship sport.
This time, we won a total of five medals: three gold medals in the women's pairs (coxless pair), women's single sculls and men's eight, and two silver medals in the women's eight and women's double sculls!
Rowing is not a very popular sport in Japan, but it is impressive to see the teams work together in unison to move the boat in a straight and smooth motion.
Gold and silver in rugby sevens
The rugby played in the Olympics is a seven-player game, also known as "rugby sevens," unlike the 15-player games played in Japan's Top League, New Zealand's Super Rugby, and the All Blacks that we usually watch.
As the name suggests, seven players play on each team, but the field used is the same as the 15-player game. Therefore, speed, agility, and more precise ball handling are required. It was adopted as an official event at the last Rio Olympics.
The men's national team for seven-a-side rugby is commonly known as the "All Blacks Sevens" (it goes without saying that the 15-a-side team is the All Blacks). Unfortunately, they lost to Fiji in the final and took the silver medal. Although they always win 15-a-side rugby against Fiji, they also lost in the final at the last Rio Olympics. It's easy to see how different skills are required for 15-a-side and seven-a-side rugby.
The New Zealand women's rugby team is commonly known as the Black Ferns. Therefore, the national team for the seven-a-side game is called the Black Ferns Sevens . They defeated France in the final and won the gold medal! In the last Rio Olympics, they lost to Australia in the final, so this was a long-awaited gold medal.
In addition, the men's doubles team won a bronze medal, which was their first Olympic medal.
Dame Valerie Adams of the New Zealand Order of Merit won a bronze medal in the shot put, and also won a bronze medal in the men's trampoline.
After the competition, Adams was in tears as she held up photos of her children. This was her fourth time competing in the Olympics.
Adams has won two gold medals and one silver medal in previous Olympic Games, winning a medal in every competition she has competed in.
Soccer is doing great
In New Zealand, rugby is overwhelmingly popular, so soccer is not a very popular sport. However, the men's soccer team performed very well in this tournament! They beat South Korea in the preliminaries and achieved their first victory in the Olympics. They also faced Japan in the quarterfinals! They put up a great fight, losing after a penalty shootout.
By the way, New Zealand's rugby team is called the All Blacks, while their soccer team is called the All Whites . Also, the Under 23 team, which will represent New Zealand at the Olympics, is nicknamed the Oly Whites.
For more exciting events coming up, see the schedule and results for the New Zealand team here
→ Tokyo Olympics 2020: Kiwis in action – All the New Zealand team's schedules and results
New Zealand Team's official Instagram account
