New Zealand has had its best Olympics ever, wrapping up Paris 2024 with a gold and a bronze on the final day.
The country finished with a total of 10 gold medals and 20 medals overall, breaking their previous record of eight golds from 1984 as well as matching their medal count from Tokyo 2020. With these results, New Zealand finished 11th on the medal table, ahead of major countries like Canada, Spain, Sweden, and Brazil.
Ellesse Andrews scored New Zealand’s 10th gold in the women’s sprint, and Ally Wollaston’s bronze in the women’s omnium brought their total to 20 medals. High jumper Hamish Kerr clinched a dramatic gold after a jump-off, and Lydia Ko added to the tally with a gold in women’s golf.
Overall, 22 New Zealanders became gold medallists in Paris, including canoeing star Dame Lisa Carrington, who stunningly won for the third time in a row.
Out of the 20 medals, 14 were won by women or female teams, with one bronze from the mixed Nacra team.
Additional golds came from Finn Butcher in canoe cross and the women’s sevens team. New Zealand’s medals spanned nine sports, from athletics and canoeing to golf, rowing, rugby sevens, sailing, track cycling, and triathlon.
New Zealand Team Chef de Mission Nigel Avery thanked the athletes for their performances and the way they represented New Zealand.
“I’ve been extremely proud of the way our athletes have conducted themselves both on and off the field of play,” said Avery. “There has been a huge amount of Manaaki from our team towards the other nations and it’s been great to see them showcasing our values and culture.
“We also want to thank New Zealanders for their support of our team. We have felt it from over here and we are looking forward to returning home to share the success and continue to inspire the next generation of athletes.”
