Sport
“In a growth mindset, challenges are exciting rather than threatening. So rather than thinking, oh, I’m going to reveal my weaknesses, you say, wow, here’s a chance to grow.”
New Zealand's top axeman readying himself for New Zealand Rural Games
One of the talented contenders with the most on the line at the New Zealand Rural Games is the country's top axeman. King Country woodchopper Jack Jordan achieved the sport's first ever three-peat at last year's Timbersports World Trophy in Italy. Jordan, who manages a 4000 acre sheep and beef farm near Taumarunui, beat Czech opponent Matyas Klima in the final to cut his way to the title in Milan.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 07.03.2025
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Manu World Championship finals underway in Auckland
The Manu World Championship finals are being held in Auckland today with organisers expecting thousands of spectators. Whangārei and the Waikato are really good, we've certainly got some in Hastings, around Hastings, actually I need to give a nod to Nelson, they had some really good talent." There was a lot of technique involved in the perfect manu, Rice said.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 01.03.2025
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Two legs v four: New Central Otago race pits runners against riders
A Central Otago race is pitting two legs against four as runners and horse-riders tackle a 40 kilometre course across the Maniototo. What started as an idea tossed around in a pub has become the inaugural Only Fools and Horses race, which takes place on Saturday. Ultra-marathon runner Margie Campbell is hoping Central Otago turns up the heat for the race, when more than 50 runners are set to take on 26 horses and riders.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 28.02.2025
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‘Bloody fingers with pink nails’: how Sasha DiGiulian broke climbing’s glass ceiling
Big wall climber Sasha DiGiulian hopes to be remembered for establishing a new baseline for female climbers, including how they are recognized, treated and paid. August 2013, Sasha DiGiulian traveled to the Dolomites to attempt Bellavista, a dream years in the making. Two weeks of working on the crux pitches, she climbed the entire route in a single push, becoming the first woman to climb a 5.14b big wall, breaking a major barrier in the sport.
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Source. theguardian.com, 14.02.2025
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France hails a young heroine: Violette, conqueror of the waves
The 23-year-old has become the youngest solo sailor to race around the world. Now it’s hoped her example will inspire a more intrepid generation. When she set sail around the world from the west coast of France three months ago, Violette Dorange was barely known outside her sport. By the time she returned last week, she was a household name in her country.
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Source. theguardian.com, 16.02.2025
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Maniototo race to pit horses against humans
They say only fools and horses work, but it would surely take a particular kind of fool to take on a horse over a 40km race? Runners and horses will go head-to-head in a race through rugged terrain of Maniototo in central Otago. While horses can average speeds of up to 40kmh, humans typically run at around 10kmh, but who will have the endurance to go all the way?
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 22.11.2024
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Pushing Buttons: At the League of Legends finals, I saw unmatched talent – and pure joy
The industry may be struggling, but being surrounded by 20,000 fans in the O2 arena reminded me that gaming isn’t just a business – it represents culture and community. The event, at the O2 arena in London, was the culmination of a globetrotting five-week competition to discover the best team in the world.
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Source. theguardian.com, 06.11.2024
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Bouldering races up the wall of popular fitness
Bouldering is starting to take off in New Zealand and West Auckland is home to the largest bouldering gym in the Southern Hemisphere. "The joy of bouldering is it's a social sport. It's very, very social. It's as much about hanging out with your mates and trying to problem solve and climb as it is getting a really good workout." Bouldering is described as climbing made simple - with no ropes or harnesses.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 31.10.2024
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Rodeo event heading back to Hawke's Bay after 16 years
Rodeos are rising in popularity, and a group of cowboys and cowgirls in Hawke's Bay are hosting a competition next month. The event is called the 'Hawke's Bay Country Round Up' and it has been 16 years since a rodeo on the national circuit has been held in Hastings.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 28.10.2024
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New Zealand's state of play
It's Play Week in New Zealand, and play experts want to turn our cities into more fun and joyful places, not just for children. A play expert says that it is time to make play riskier. "Our playgrounds are incredibly safe and well designed in New Zealand, which is both a blessing and a curse," Auckland Council's play portfolio lead Jacquelyn Collins says.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 29.10.2024
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‘Sherpas are rarely seen as elite athletes’: record-breaking teenager’s fight for equality
Nima Rinji Sherpa is youngest person to summit world’s 14 highest peaks at 18 years old. Now he is pushing for recognition of his community. Growing up as a sherpa in Nepal, Nima Rinji Sherpa was used to his relatives performing superhuman feats on the mountains. There was his father, Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, who at 19 summited Mount Everest without any additional oxygen, becoming the youngest to do so.
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Source. theguardian.com, 25.10.2024
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Was this the greatest weekend in New Zealand sport?
A new mass sports event designed to test functional fitness and endurance is coming to New Zealand next year, and all the fitness folks are amping up for it. There's space for young and old athletes and non-able bodied competitors - and fans say it's life-changing. So what the heck is Hyrox?
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 23.10.2024
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Was this the greatest weekend in New Zealand sport?
How good was that? The current news climate has left us screaming out for something positive to talk about, but Aotearoa's athletes heard loud and clear to deliver a weekend's worth of incredible success. From an America's Cup win to perhaps the greatest turnaround in cricket history and everything in between.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 21.10.2024
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British woman becomes youngest female to climb world’s 14 highest peaks
A British mountaineer has made headlines by becoming the youngest woman to summit all 14 of the world’s highest peaks, at just 23-years-old.
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Source. stuff.co.nz, 16.10.2024
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Kiwi mapping digital art by running across Melbourne
A Kiwi runner has been creating art with digital GPS maps and creative running routes - his designs have caught on, with others joining in to trace his designs across Melbourne.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 14.10.2024
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Christchurch father and son spend lives involved in the niche sport of pigeon racing
Driving through Christchurch you might see a flock of birds glide by and think nothing of it, but somewhere in a residential area just off a main road, a father and son have just cracked a cold brew and are admiring their flock of racing pigeons circling overhead.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 15.10.2024
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Center pass - a century of netball in NZ
This year marks 100 years of 'Netball New Zealand', the oldest netball association in the world. Marking the occasion, an exhibition 'Our Game: A Century of Netball in Aotearoa New Zealand' opened on 7th September at the Auckland Museum, showcasing the lesser-known histories and stories of the people who shaped netball on our shores.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 05.10.2024
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All Black history : The Invincibles
We rewind 100 years of sporting history to look at the All Black team that blitzed its rivals. Historian, Dr Jock Phillips has spent a career uncovering and documenting Aotearoa New Zealand's past, and is the author of 15 books. Today he's taking us back to 1924 - to the team which attracted the name, The Invincibles.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 02.10.2024
Hamilton nurse's tour of Aotearoa in just 10 days
Jane Carswell this year achieved the fastest crossing of New Zealand by bike. She was at a low point in her life with mental health struggles in 2023 when she turned to the bike.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 01.10.2024
Summer with Boston Celtics opens doors for college rower
A collegiate rower’s passion for basketball has opened up big doors on the court. Kobe Miller from Marlborough, who has previously represented New Zealand on the water, has been completing a masters degree while rowing for Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
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Source. stuff.co.nz, 20.09.2024
Blind surfer Matt Formston on riding the world's biggest wave
Matt Formston is a world champion surfer, Australian Paralympian, cyclist, author, executive coach and motivational speaker. Now he can add to his list having surfed the world's biggest wave - at Nazare, in Portugal.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 23.09.2024
Helen Clark opens new base at ‘world class’ Snow Farm
Former prime minister Helen Clark said New Zealand’s only cross country ski facility was “world class”, as she opened a new base building on Sunday.
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Source. stuff.co.nz, 26.08.2024
Pack Lunch, Drop Kids Off, Skate,Work
These moms have found a community while picking up the sport, falls and all.
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Source. nytimes.com, 24.08.2024
The unsung hero of the Olympic-champion US women’s gymnastics team is a very good boy
Beacon, a golden retriever therapy dog, was a crucial part of the Americans’ preparations for the Olympics as he helped soothe athletes’ nerves.
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Source. theguardian.com, 06.08.2024
Kiwi basketball prodigy Julius Halaifonua heading to Georgetown for college hoops
New Zealand’s hottest young male basketball prospect Julius Halaifonua is heading to American college hoops powerhouse Georgetown University for the next step in a career that has the NBA very much on the radar.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 06.08.2024
Finn Butcher wins first ever kayak cross Olympic gold
As he was launched off a two-metre ramp and into Vaire-sur-Marne white water course, New Zealand's Finn Butcher, a first-time Olympian, in a first-time Olympic sport known as a demolition derby on water, was on a collision course with history.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 06.08.2024
Paris Olympics: Silver medallist Hayden Wilde got showdown he aimed for
Hayden Wilde had hoped it would come down to this. Just him and his long-time friend and rival, Alex Yee of Great Britain, duking it out on the run leg on the picturesque streets around Paris for the Olympic triathlon title.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 01.08.2024
Paris Olympics: The full timetable of New Zealand athletes' events
New Zealand has close to a 200-strong team some of whom are competing already while others don't line up till the final day.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 25.07.2024
What is life like at the Olympic Village? Athletes give us a sneak peek behind the scenes
A baguette making workshop, free arcade games and and reviews of the infamous cardboard beds - young athletes are letting us into life at the Olympic Village.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 25.07.2024
Olympics 2024: The rapid ascent of New Zealand speed climbers Sarah Tetzlaff and Julian David
The wall never changes. No matter the competition, the field of play for New Zealand speed climber Sarah Tetzlaff remains the same: a standardised 15-metre high wall, with a five-degree overhang.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 22.07.2024
Olympics 2024: What you need to know about the Paris opening ceremony
Paris will begin its Olympics extravaganza with an unprecedented opening ceremony on the river Seine on 26 July (27 July NZT).
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 19.07.2024
Kiwi pair win world’s toughest endurance race, the Yukon 1000
Kiwi duo Sophie Hart and Nathan Fa’avae have emerged victorious after the world’s most gruelling race the Yukon 1000 - paddling 1000 miles along the Yukon River.
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Source. stuff.co.nz, 19.07.2024
Lulu Sun's Wimbledon win marks an 'incredible day' for NZ tennis
Tennis star Lulu Sun's victory at Wimbledon marks an "incredible day" for the sport, Tennis NZ says.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 03.07.2024
Tennis balls are yellow because of David Attenborough
British naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough's visit to Wimbledon provided a vivid reminder of his impact on the sport: yellow balls.
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Source. stuff.co.nz, 03.07.2024
‘Don’t age yourself’: meet GB’s unlikely Olympic skateboard trio aged 15 to 50
She is a nine-year-old British prodigy, who has already caused a commotion in the chess world with her fearless play and string of spectacular victories.
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Source. theguardian.com, 01.07.2024
Nine-year-old chess prodigy to make history after being picked for England
She is a nine-year-old British prodigy, who has already caused a commotion in the chess world with her fearless play and string of spectacular victories.
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Source. theguardian.com, 02.07.2024
New Auckland wavepark a 'massive project for NZ'
Surf's up for Aucklanders, with the announcement that a new wavepark facility is coming to the city's North Shore.
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Source. rnz.co.nz, 26.06.2024
New Zealand squash legend Dame Susan Devoy inducted into Professional Squash Association Hall of Fame
New Zealand squash legend Dame Susan Devoy has become one of the first members of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Hall of Fame.
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Source. stuff.co.nz, 10.06.2024
Faustino Oro, aged 10 and known as ‘the Messi of chess’, advances again
Argentinian prodigy already has two international master norms and looks set to break more records while England’s pre-teen talents are also making eye-catching progress.
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Source. guardian.com, 07.06.2024
Oceana Mackenzie: the ‘introvert’ climber scaling Olympic heights for Australia
The Australian can be obsessive in her pursuit of excellence – a critical approach which extends beyond the climbing wall.
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Source. guardian.com, 07.06.2024
How Alex Paulsen went from 0 minutes to a $4 million Premier League deal in 12 months
Wellington Phoenix’s goalkeeper coach Ruben Parker always believed Alex Paulsen had the ability to play at the highest level, he just wasn’t sure how long it would take everyone else to see it.
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Source. stuff.co.nz, 08.06.2024
Out & about: Disc golf tournament attracts 135 players
More than 135 professional and amateur disc golf players from throughout New Zealand registered to play in the Knottingley Giants Disc Golf Tournament at Knottingley Park in Waimate at the weekend. Timaru Herald chief photographer John Bisset went along and took these images.
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Source. stuff.co.nz, 04.06.2024