The Olympic Games in Rio are winding up, with a few events still to be completed but all New Zealand competitors are now done.
This morning an early puncture put Sam Gaze out of contention in the mountain biking.
Yesterday Nick Willis ran into a bronze in the 1500m. This was an excellent effort, adding to the silver he got in Beijing.
This brings New Zealand’s medal count to 18, which I think has exceeded expectations overall.
The closing ceremony will be at 11:00 am this morning (NZ time). Lisa Carrington will carry the flag for New Zealand.
It seems to have been a relatively successful and trouble free Olympics.
Your NZ 
Gezza
/ 22nd August 2016There were five marriage proposals by athletes in front of the cameras according to Al Jazeera – always the first to bring us the real news.
Nelly Smickers
/ 22nd August 2016OK GANG – let’s *crank it up* one last time ❗ XD XD
Gezza
/ 22nd August 2016Excellent. One dad’s always listening to but never heard before Nellers.
Zedd
/ 22nd August 2016just watching the Closing ceremony.. they said Lisa Carrington is carrying the flag, BUT haven’t seen her
Kitty Catkin
/ 22nd August 2016I did on 3 News.
Joe Bloggs
/ 22nd August 2016Not what the Olympics is all about? Maybe not, in the eyes of some… but in the eyes of others, there’s still space for sportsmanship.
In “the spirit of the Olympics” Nikki Hamblin has been awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal in recognition of her good sportsmanship in the heats of the 5000m – previously awarded only 17 times in the history of the medal (one of the recipients was Tana Umaga, for when he helped Colin Charvis in 2003 after Charvis was knocked out cold by Jerry Collins).
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/83419260/rio-olympics-kiwi-runner-nikki-hamblin-awarded-rare-pierre-de-coubertin-honour?cid=facebook.post.83419260
Nelly Smickers
/ 22nd August 2016Another very good twitter friend in Rio has just sent me this –
Bianca was telling me this girl just won Gold for South Africa in the *800m Women’s Finals*
So I tweeted her back…..’she goes, she goes, she goes….DUH ❓ ‘
Hope she gets it XD
Zedd
/ 22nd August 2016Semenya.. female; believe it or not ? SCARY
Kitty Catkin
/ 22nd August 2016She has a genetic condition, but has been officially declared female. If people can’t accept this, that’s tough luck for them. There is no rule, as far as I know, that female athletes have to look like blonde fashion models. This young woman has been subjected to enough harassment and insensitivity, surely. It’s very old news indeed; the controversy was at the 2009 Olympics. She was stood down and made to go through invasive and degrading tests. She passed them and proved that she was a woman, as her birth cetificate and upbringing said..
She is as she is. No, she’s no Barbie doll, she’s a human being who didn’t and doesn’t deserve to be sneered at because she doesn’t fit some people’s stereotypes of the ideal in feminine looks. She doesn’t have big boobs, a tiny waist and long blonde hair. She doesn’t have the face and figure of a beauty queen. She’s African and has African features.
Get over it.
Blazer
/ 22nd August 2016did you forget the words…
‘Well if lady luck gets on my side
We’re gonna rock this town alive
I’ll let her rough me up
‘Till she knocks me out
She walks like she talks,
And she talks like she walks
And she bangs, she bangs……