The afterglow

After having been back in New Zealand for a while, with the Olympics over and the Paralympics getting underway, (and Valerie Adams still waiting to receive her gold medal), it’s a good time for me to reflect on those amazing games.

New Zealanders won’t forget the gold rush on the water, and it was particularly interesting to hear Hamish Bond and Eric Murray agree with suggestions that their coach, Dick Tonks, is the Arthur Lydiard of modern times while simultaneously distancing themselves from claims that they were our generation’s Peter Snell and Murray Halberg.

If Tonks is Lydiard, Bond and Murray must be Snell and Halberg. It’s probably an easy thing for an athlete to dismiss in the immediate afterglow, but history will surely tell a different tale. As Bond said on the day of the closing ceremony, the Kiwi Pair’s golden achievement still hadn’t sunk in, but would once he was back among friends and family.

Of course, it’s not all over. It won’t be, can’t be, until Valerie Adams has received her gold medal and celebrated it with her thousands of Kiwi supporters.

Until then, there are the Paralympics. More good times.

Thank you for reading, for tweeting, for interacting, while I was away in London. It was a privilege, and one amazing experience that I’m very glad to have been able to share.

Thank you very much.

Troy Rawhiti-Forbes
nzherald.co.nz