print


The New Zealand women’s hockey team will tomorrow try to atone for so narrowly missing a medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

In London, the New Zealanders got through a tough draw to make the semi-finals. There they lost to title favourites the Netherlands in heartbreaking fashion in a penalty shootout.

In the subsequent bronze medal match against Great Britain they did not hit their straps and went down 3-1. So they went home without any medal at all, after being so close to playing for gold.

Kayla Whitelock’s team will be desperate to ensure that doesn’t happen tomorrow when they take on Germany in the bronze medal match.

New Zealand, who looked so good in many of their pool matches in Rio, had an off day in their semi-final against Britain and lost 3-0.

So tomorrow they meet the Germans with the bronze medal at stake. On the deficit side is the fact that the Germans have already beaten them at these Olympics. On the plus side, the New Zealanders have tended to bounce back very well from sub-par performances.

There’s a lot of activity for New Zealand’s track and field athletes tomorrow.

Walkers Quentin Rew (50km) and Alana Barber (20km) will be preparing to pound Rio’s streets. Perhaps Rew will be all the better for having had an outing in the men’s 20km early in the games programme.

Inside the stadium, pole vaulter Eliza McCartney competes in the final. The teenager shows immense promise and it would be exciting if she was able to rise to the occasion.

And Nikki Hamblin, who grabbed international headlines after her fall and subsequent act of sportsmanship in the heat, contests the 5000m final.

There’s been a lot of excitement already at the kayaking because of Lisa Carrington. The women’s K4 500 attempt to add to that tomorrow with their heats (and hopefully semi-finals).

BMX rider Trent Jones, who was so impressive in the quarter-finals today, mixes it with the big boys in the semi-finals. If he can maintain his good form, anything is possible.

Finally, Lydia Ko plays the third round of the women’s golf tournament. Ko is 3 under par, but seven shots off the pace and really needs to make a move tomorrow if she is to have any hope of getting among the medals.

Rio 2016 Olympic Summer Games
Tweet Share