June Sporting Spotlight

This month, we've seen some incredible tennis achievements from our newly selected athletes representing the team in Paris: Lulu Sun and Erin Routliffe.

Lulu Sun has made history by reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon after a thrilling fourth-round victory over Emma Raducanu on Centre Court. This is an incredible accomplishment for Te Anau-born Sun, as she is the first Kiwi woman to reach the last eight at Wimbledon. Ranked 123rd in the world and competing in only her second Grand Slam event, this feat is even more impressive.

Erin Routliffe, the US Open women's doubles champion, is currently ranked third in the world for doubles. Earlier this month, she finished as runner-up in the pre-Wimbledon event in Eastbourne and has advanced to the second round of Women's Doubles at Wimbledon with her Canadian partner, Gaby Dabrowski.

Our rowing team put on a stellar performance at the World Rowing Cup III in Poznan, Poland, snagging four gold and two bronze medals. The gold winners were Jackie Kiddle and Shannon Cox in the Women’s Lightweight Double, Tom Mackintosh in the Men’s Single Sculls, Matt Macdonald, Tom Murray, Logan Ullrich, and Ollie Maclean in the Men’s Four, and Kerri Williams, Davina Waddy, Phoebe Spoors, and Jackie Gowler in the Women’s Four.

Phillip Wilson and Dan Williamson took home bronze in the Men’s Pair, and Jordan Parry and Robbie Manson also grabbed bronze in the Men’s Double.

As we near closer to Paris there have had plenty of selections to the team in the last month. 

Canoe sprint athletes Max Brown (Whanganui) and Kurtis Imrie (Wellington, Whakatōhea) have  been named for their second Olympic Games, joined by first-time Olympians Hamish Legarth (Hawke’s Bay) and Grant Clancy (Auckland).

These athletes have a packed Olympic schedule ahead. While they’re selected for the K4, they’ll also be competing in the K2 and C2 disciplines. The K4 team is heading to Paris in top form, having broken the 1:20s time barrier for the first time in 2023. In Paris, Imrie will pair up with Legarth in the Men’s K2 500m, and Brown will team up with Clancy in the C2 500m.

Sixteen athletes have been picked for the New Zealand Men’s Hockey Team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. They’ll kick off their Olympic campaign against India on July 28, then face defending champions Belgium, Australia, Argentina, and Ireland in the pool stage.

The team includes two players making their fourth Olympic appearance (Hugo Inglis and Simon Child) and six newbies, offering a great mix of experience and fresh talent. This blend has been developed over the last three years, highlighted by their impressive win at the FIH Nations Cup in Poland earlier this month.

The New Zealand Rugby Sevens teams were announced for the Paris Olympics featuring a mix of seasoned pros and fresh faces. Nine players will be making their Olympic debut, while 15 athletes are returning, aiming for another medal-winning run.

Leading the women’s team is the inspiring return of Sarah Hirini, coming back from an ACL injury  in December last year. Joining her are Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, Theresa Setefano, and Tyla King, all gearing up for their third Olympic Games. In the men's team, Scott Curry and Regan Ware are poised for their third Olympic appearances, bringing valuable experience along with Dylan Collier to the squad.

You can check out the full squad list here

Eva Morris and Nina Brown are about to become the third artistic swimming duo ever to represent New Zealand at the Olympics.

Morris (26, from Tauranga) and Brown (21, from Auckland) will be the first artistic swimmers to represent New Zealand since sisters Lisa and Nina Daniels did at Beijing 2008. Before them, the only Kiwis to compete in artistic swimming at the Olympics were sisters Katie and Lynette Sadleir at Los Angeles 1984.

In golf, Ryan Fox and Lydia Ko will team up with Olympic rookie Daniel Hillier at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Ko is aiming to snag her full set of Olympic medals, having already grabbed silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020. Meanwhile, Fox is gearing up for his third Olympic appearance, coming in strong after making the cut in the last seven Majors.

Dylan McCullough is gearing up for his first Olympic Games, having been named in a four-strong New Zealand triathlon team for the mixed relay and individual races at the Paris Olympics.

The 23-year-old from Auckland will compete alongside Hayden Wilde in the men's individual race on July 30. Nicole van der Kaay and Ainsley Thorpe will hit the Seine the next morning for the women’s individual race, each taking on the standard triathlon distance of a 1500m swim, 40km bike, and 10km run. Tokyo bronze medalist Wilde spearheads the Tri NZ team. The Whakatane 26-year-old has been training at altitude in Andorra, his European base, ahead of a widely anticipated gold medal showdown with Brit Alex Yee.

The 18 players who will represent Aotearoa New Zealand in the women’s football tournament at Paris 2024 were selected to the New Zealand Team last week. The squad features Ali Riley who will be attending her 5th games alongside 10 players who will be part of an Olympic campaign for the first time. Their first game kicks off at 3am NZT Friday 25th July.

The full squad can be found here

Leading the experienced equestrian team are former World No.1 and 2, Tim and Jonelle Price, along with Clarke Johnstone. Whilst Melissa Galloway will be making her Olympic debut in dressage.

This will be Jonelle Price’s fourth Olympics. She was part of the bronze medal-winning team at London 2012, competed in Rio 2016 where the team placed fourth, and at Tokyo 2020 where the team finished fifth and she was the best-placed Kiwi in 11th.

Diver Lizzie Roussel has made the New Zealand Team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. She will be diving in the Women’s 3m Springboard event in Paris. Roussel clinched bronze at the 2023 Oceania Championships and placed 14th in the same event at the 2023 World Championships.

In BMX, Rico Bearman from Auckland and Leila Walker from Cambridge have been selected to represent New Zealand in BMX Racing. Their events take place at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines BMX Stadium on August 1st and 2nd. Both riders made it to the grand finals at the recent UCI BMX Racing World Championships in the USA. 

New Zealand judoka Moira Koster is heading to her second Olympic Games, a dozen years after her first appearance on the Olympic stage. Joining her in Paris will be Olympic newcomer Sydnee Andrews, who displayed her skills by clinching bronze at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.