1990’s OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES MEDAL WON, DANYON LOADER BECOMES A HOUSEHOLD NAME, TODD JOINS ELITE GROUP WITH FIVE OLYMPIC MEDALS

Annelise Coberger in action at the XVI Olympic Winter Games, Albertville 1992. Photo: New Zealand Olympic Museum Collection.

  • Skier Annelise Coberger (OLY#585) became the first New Zealander (and the first competitor from the southern hemisphere) to win a winter Olympic Games medal when she finished second in the slalom event Albertville, France, in 1992.

Barbara Kendall celebrating her gold at the Games of the XXV Olympiad, Barcelona 1992. Photo: Private Collection.

  • Barbara Kendall (OLY#631) became only the second New Zealand Olympic women’s gold medallist when she won the boardsailing event at Barcelona in 1992. Barbara broke a 40 year drought for New Zealand female gold medallists. She also completed a special family double – her brother Bruce (OLY#454) had won the men’s boardsailing gold at Seoul in 1988.
  • Chris Nicholson (OLY#588) became New Zealand’s second double Olympian when he competed in the cycling 100km team time trial at the 1992 Barcelona summer Olympic Games. In the 1992 and 1994 winter Olympic Games he was a member of the highly rated New Zealand speed skating team. Chris joins Madonna Harris who are the only two summer/winter New Zealand Olympians.
  • Four-time Olympian Gary Anderson (OLY#529) finished third in the men’s individual pursuit cycling in Barcelona 1992 and became the first New Zealand cyclist to be awarded an Olympic medal.

Mark Todd on Charisma exits the first water jump during the endurance equestrian event at the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, Los Angeles 1984. Photo: New Zealand Olympic Museum Collection.

  • Only three New Zealanders, kayakers Ian Ferguson (OLY#346) and Paul MacDonald (OLY#464), who finished their Olympic careers in Barcelona in 1992, together with New Zealand’s most capped Olympian eight-time Sir Mark Todd have won five Olympic medals.
  • Simon Wi Rutene (OLY#398) was one of the strongmen of New Zealand winter Olympic Games teams. The skier competed in four consecutive Games, from 1984-94, and was team captain at Calgary in 1988.

Danyon Loader celebrating his Gold medal win at the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, Atlanta 1996. Photo: New Zealand Olympic Museum Collection.

  • Danyon Loader (OLY#640), already a butterfly silver medallist in 1992, took New Zealand swimming to unprecedented heights at Atlanta in 1996 when he won the 200m and 400m freestyle gold medals.
  • New Zealand equestrian had one of its greatest days at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games when Blyth Tait (OLY#677) and Sally Clark (OLY#699) finished first and second in the individual section of the three-day event. The eventing team went on to claim the bronze medal, being the most successful medal haul for equestrian at the Olympics to date. During his long Olympic career, Tait won four medals.
  • Vicky Latta (OLY#634) was New Zealand’s first female Olympic double medallist. She won silver in 1992 and bronze in 1996 as a member of the New Zealand three-day eventing team.