From the Fern: Latest from the NZ Team

June was a great month for New Zealand sport, headlined by a big win for the Men's Hockey Team at the Nations Cup in Malaysia. They put on a dominant display in the final, beating Pakistan 6–2 despite having two early goals disallowed.

It was a particularly sweet result for experienced player Nic Woods, who was named Player of the Match and also picked up Most Valuable Player of the Tournament for the second year running, an incredible achievement.

Shoutout to Dom Dixon too, who was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament.

Paris 2024 Olympian Rico Bearman claimed his first UCI BMX Racing Elite World Cup title in Papendal, Netherlands this month. It was the first elite men’s BMX Racing World Cup victory for a New Zealand rider since Marc Willers in 2011 in London.

Finn Butcher claimed gold in the Kayak Cross at the World Cup in the Czech Republic. The Olympic champ finally got his hands on a World Cup title, charging home in the final to take the win ahead of Czech local Martin Rudorfer and Spain’s Manuel Ochoa.

Zoe Hobbs lit up the track at the Ostrava Golden Spike WACT Gold meet, setting a new Oceania and New Zealand record with a time of 10.94 seconds. She had an incredible start and led for most of the race before being edged out in the final stretch to finish third.

Ally Wollaston has taken out the Tour of Britain, going into the final stage just three seconds behind local rider Cat Ferguson. Ally made her move - grabbing time bonuses at all three intermediate sprints in Glasgow, then picking up another four seconds by finishing third on the stage.

Ryan Fox has claimed his second PGA Tour title, taking out the Canadian Open in a sudden death playoff against Sam Burns - replaying the 18th hole to seal the win.

He’s the first Kiwi to win the Men's Canadian Open since Sir Bob Charles back in 1968. What a moment!

It’s been all go in the rowing world this month, kicking off with the Rowing World Cup regatta in Italy—where our crews delivered some impressive results:

– Gold for Ben Taylor and Oliver Welch in the Men’s Pair
– Bronze for Stella Clayton-Greene and Kathryn Glen in the Women’s Double
– Bronze for Ben Mason and Finn Hamill in the Men’s Double

Logan Ullrich absolutely smashed it in the Men’s Single Sculls at the 2025 World Rowing Cup in Lucerne – claiming his first World Cup gold after only a few weeks racing in the single scull internationally.

Fresh off last year’s Olympic silver in the four, this feels like a dream come true for him: “I’ve dreamed about this for years, I didn’t think it would come this quickly in my sculling career, I’m just blown away.”

The team capped off their campaign with two more silvers and a bronze at the World Cup in Lucerne. Ben Mason and Finn Hamill picked up silver in the Men’s Double, an impressive result for a relatively new pairing racing together for just the third time.

In the Men’s Pair, Ben Taylor and Oli Welch also claimed silver, narrowly edged out by Romania’s reigning European champions in a tight battle to the line. Meanwhile, the Women’s Four of Alana Sherman, Isla Blake, Juliette Lequeux, and Beckie Leighdelivered a strong, composed row to take bronze.

With five medals across the event, including Logan Ullrich’s standout gold in the Men’s Single, it’s been a great month for Rowing NZ on the world stage.