South Canterbury athletes have been mixing with the best of the best on the world stage at this year’s Paris Olympics.
World Rugby’s rookie of the year and South Canterbury sportsperson of the year Jorja Miller has done the region proud, picking up a gold medal as part of the Black Ferns Sevens team.
The 20-year-old’s gold medal is the first for a South Canterbury athlete in 40 years, the last being Les O’Connell in the coxless four rowing at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.
The Black Ferns picked up New Zealand’s first medal of the games last Wednesday with a 19-12 win over Canada in the final.
Speaking to Breakfast after the game, Miller said it felt ‘‘surreal’’ to have the medal around her neck.
‘‘To be alongside those girls, they’re absolute legends who have paved the way for players like me, for younger players.
‘‘For us, it was just playing rugby. We just wanted to have fun and play a simple game, work to our strengths, and know that would get the job done.’’
Timaru Girls’ High School old girl Amanda Murphy also picked up gold as the Black Ferns strength and conditioning specialist.
It was a Games to forget for stalwart Timaru shot putter Tom Walsh who could not build on his previous two bronze medals from Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
After sustaining an injury, he threw three fouls, taking him out of medal contention.
Walsh told RNZ he had been managing an adductor injury for a couple of months but thought it had come right. However, it went during the wind-up for his second throw.
‘‘[The injury] has allowed me to train and has been getting gradually better.
‘‘We did a great job to get me here in a healthy shape that would allow me to throw a long way . . . and then in the second round it just blew to bits.
‘‘I’ve done it before . . . so I knew straight away that I was done for.’’
He had to give himself a chance so decided to make a third (unsuccessful) throw.
‘‘I didn’t want to die wondering.
‘‘That’s sport, right? The body doesn’t always play ball.’’
Walsh’s season is now over but he had not given up on another Olympics.
‘‘I’ll be back.’’
Craighead Diocesan School old girl Lauren Bruce bowed out of the women’s hammer throw on Sunday when she was unable to qualify for the final.
The 27-year-old had a best throw of 68.93m, which placed her 11th in her qualifying group and only 20th overall.
The top 12 throwers overall from the two groups progressed.
Her other two qualifying round throws were foul — 67.08m and 68.93m.
Temuka’s Sam Lane was part of the men’s hockey squad competing in the ‘‘pool of death’’.
Group B lived up to its name, with the Black Sticks losing all five of their group matches.
A devastating 5-0 loss to Australia put the nail in the coffin of the team’s quarterfinal hopes, consigning the New Zealanders to an early trip home.
Lane did, however, get an Olympic moment, as he scored the team’s first goal, against India in their opening match.
