List of New Zealand Olympic medallists
New Zealand Olympic medallists's success for New Zealand at the Olympics is often considered to be notable due to the relatively small population of the country (5.22 million as of June 2023). Being located in the remote South Pacific, New Zealanders needed to endure long sea voyages to attend the early Olympics. It was not until the VII Olympiad in 1920 that New Zealand sent its first team. Prior to that, three New Zealanders won medals competing for Australasian teams in 1908 and 1912. On only two occasions since 1920 has New Zealand failed to win a medal at the Summer Olympics, in 1948 at London and in 1980 at Moscow, when only four competitors were sent as a result of the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott.[1]
| New Zealand at the Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | NZL |
| NOC | New Zealand Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| Medals |
|
| Summer appearances | |
| Winter appearances | |
| Other related appearances | |
 Australasia (1908–1912) | |
New Zealand has had a much smaller participation in the Winter Olympics, due to the country's temperate climate, not generally experiencing the severe winters to lowland levels, common in many countries in the Northern Hemisphere. The first New Zealand team to attend a Winter Olympics was in 1952. The nation has only won medals at three Winter games, in 1992, 2018 and 2022.
The sporting rivalry between New Zealand and bigger neighbour Australia has been evident at many Olympic Games. In 1984, some Australian media outlets poked fun at the New Zealand gold medallists, saying they had been sitting down on the job at the Los Angeles Games, where they were successful in canoeing, equestrian, rowing and sailing. The New Zealand media pointed out that New Zealand had finished 8th on the final medals table, and Australia only 14th. New Zealand has finished higher than Australia on the medals table at the Summer Olympics only in 1976, when Australia failed to win a gold medal, and Los Angeles in 1984.
Medallists
At the 1972 Summer Olympics, Bruce Biddle originally finished fourth in the cycling road race. When the original Bronze medallist was subsequently disqualified for drug usage, Biddle should have been placed third. However he was not awarded the Bronze medal as he had not been asked to take a drugs test. Despite the continued efforts of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, the International Olympic Committee refused to overturn its decision.
Pre-NZOC medals
| # | Medal | Games | Name | Competing for | Sport | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Gold | 1900 Paris | Victor Lindberg | Great Britain | Water polo | Men's tournament | 12 August 1900 |
| 2 |  Bronze | 1908 London | Harry Kerr | Australasia | Athletics | Men's 3500 m walk | 14 July 1908 |
| 3 | Bronze | 1912 Stockholm | Tony Wilding | Australasia | Tennis | Men's indoor singles | 12 May 1912 |
| 4 | Gold | 1912 Stockholm | Malcolm Champion | Australasia | Swimming | Men's 4 × 200 m freestyle relay | 15 July 1912 |
Milestones
- First medal (by a New Zealander): Victor Lindberg (1900, for Great Britain)[2]
- First gold medal (by a New Zealander): Victor Lindberg (1900, for Great Britain)
- First medal (for New Zealand): Darcy Hadfield (1920)
- First gold medal (for New Zealand): Ted Morgan (1928)
- First female medallist: Yvette Williams (1952)
- First female gold medallist: Yvette Williams (1952)
- First double medallist: Peter Snell (1960, 1964)
- First double gold medallist: Peter Snell (1960, 1964)
- First triple medallist: Peter Snell (1960, 1964)
- First triple gold medallist: Peter Snell (1960, 1964)
- First quadruple medallists: Ian Ferguson & Paul McDonald (1984, 1988)
- First quadruple gold medallist: Ian Ferguson (1984, 1988)
- First quintuple medallist: Ian Ferguson & Paul McDonald (1984, 1988)
- First Winter medallist: Annelise Coberger (1992)
- First female double medallist: Vicky Latta (1992, 1996)
- First female triple medallist: Barbara Kendall (1992, 1996, 2000)
- First female double gold medallists: Caroline & Georgina Evers-Swindell (2004, 2008)
- First male Winter medallist: Nico Porteous (2018)
- First female quadruple medallist: Valerie Adams (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020)
- First female quintuple medallist: Lisa Carrington (2012, 2016, 2020)
- First female triple gold medallist: Lisa Carrington (2012, 2016, 2020)
- First female quadruple gold medallist: Lisa Carrington (2012, 2016, 2020)
- First sextuple medallist: Lisa Carrington (2012, 2016, 2020)
- First quintuple gold medallist: Lisa Carrington (2012, 2016, 2020)
- First Winter gold medallist: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (2022)
- First Winter double medallist: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (2018, 2022)
- First Winter triple medallist: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (2018, 2022)
- First male Winter gold medallist: Nico Porteous (2018)
- First male Winter double medallist: Nico Porteous (2018, 2022)
Youngest medallists
The following table lists all Olympic medals won by New Zealanders 20 years or younger.[3][4]
| Name | Age | Date of birth | Medal date | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nico Porteous | 16 years, 91 days | 23 November 2001 | 22 February 2018 | | |
| Zoi Sadowski-Synnott | 16 years, 353 days | 6 March 2001 | 22 February 2018 | | Youngest female medallist |
| Danyon Loader[3] | 17 years, 100 days | 21 April 1975 | 30 July 1992 |  | Youngest Summer medallist |
| Simon Dickie[4] | 17 years, 202 days | 31 March 1951 | 19 October 1968 | | Youngest gold medallist |
| Brett Hollister | 18 years, 78 days | 19 May 1966 | 5 August 1984 | | |
| Terina Te Tamaki | 19 years, 79 days | 1 May 1997 | 8 August 2016 | | Youngest female Summer medallist |
| Lydia Ko | 19 years, 118 days | 24 April 1997 | 20 August 2016 | | |
| Eliza McCartney | 19 years, 252 days | 11 December 1996 | 19 August 2016 | | |
| David Tua | 19 years, 261 days | 21 November 1972 | 8 August 1992 | | |
| Jesse Sergent | 20 years, 41 days | 8 July 1988 | 18 August 2008 | | |
| Bruce Kendall | 20 years, 42 days | 27 June 1964 | 8 August 1984 | | |
| Gayle Broughton | 20 years, 64 days | 5 June 1996 | 8 August 2016 | | |
| Nico Porteous | 20 years, 88 days | 23 November 2001 | 19 February 2022 | | Youngest Winter gold medallist |
| Annelise Coberger | 20 years, 157 days | 16 September 1971 | 20 February 1992 | | |
| Zoi Sadowski-Synnott | 20 years, 337 days | 6 March 2001 | 6 February 2022 | | Youngest female gold medallist |
| Zoi Sadowski-Synnott | 20 years, 346 days | 6 March 2001 | 15 February 2022 | | Youngest triple medallist |
Oldest medallists
The following table lists all Olympic medals won by New Zealanders 36 years and older.
| Name | Age | Date of birth | Medal date | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Todd | 56 years, 134 days | 1 March 1956 | 31 July 2012 | |
|
| Andrew Nicholson | 50 years, 365 days | 1 August 1961 | 31 July 2012 | |
|
| Ian Ballinger | 46 years, 364 days | 21 October 1925 | 19 October 1968 | |
|
| Vicky Latta | 45 years, 44 days | 10 June 1951 | 24 July 1996 | |
Oldest female medallist |
| Mark Todd | 44 years, 205 days | 1 March 1956 | 22 September 2000 | |
|
| Chris Timms | 41 years, 187 days | 24 March 1947 | 27 September 1988 | |
|
| Vicky Latta | 41 years, 50 days | 10 June 1951 | 30 July 1992 | |
|
| Caroline Powell | 39 years, 139 days | 14 March 1973 | 31 July 2012 | |
|
| Sally Clark | 38 years, 106 days | 11 April 1958 | 26 July 1996 | |
|
| Rex Sellers | 37 years, 321 days | 11 November 1950 | 27 September 1988 | |
|
| Mahé Drysdale | 37 years, 268 days | 19 November 1978 | 13 August 2016 | | Oldest gold medallist |
| Chris Timms | 37 years, 137 days | 24 March 1947 | 8 August 1984 | |
|
| Lorraine Moller | 37 years, 61 days | 1 June 1955 | 1 August 1992 | |
|
| Rod Davis | 36 years, 342 days | 27 August 1955 | 3 August 1992 | |
|
| Valerie Adams | 36 years, 299 days | 6 October 1984 | 1 August 2021 | |
Most successful Olympians
New Zealanders who have won two or more gold medals, or three or more medals total:
| Name | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Last medal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa Carrington[5][6] | 5 | – | 1 | 6 | Tokyo 2020 |
| Ian Ferguson[7][8] | 4 | 1 | – | 5 | Seoul 1988 |
| Paul MacDonald[9][10] | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| Peter Snell[11][12] | 3 | – | – | 3 | Tokyo 1964 |
| Hamish Bond[13][14] | 3 | – | – | 3 | Tokyo 2020 |
| Valerie Adams[15][16] | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Danyon Loader[17][18] | 2 | 1 | – | 3 | Atlanta 1996 |
| Mark Todd[19][20] | 2 | – | 3 | 5 | London 2012 |
| Simon Dickie[21][22] | 2 | – | 1 | 3 | Montreal 1976 |
| Mahé Drysdale[23][24] | 2 | – | 1 | 3 | Rio de Janeiro 2016 |
| Dick Joyce[25][26] | 2 | – | – | 2 | Munich 1972 |
| Alan Thompson[27][28] | 2 | – | – | 2 | Los Angeles 1984 |
| Caroline Evers-Swindell[29][30] | 2 | – | – | 2 | Beijing 2008 |
| Georgina Evers-Swindell[31][30] | 2 | – | – | 2 | |
| Eric Murray[32][33] | 2 | – | – | 2 | Rio de Janeiro 2016 |
| Peter Burling[34][35] | 1 | 2 | – | 3 | Tokyo 2020 |
| Blair Tuke[36][35] | 1 | 2 | – | 3 | |
| Blyth Tait[37][38] | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | Atlanta 1996 |
| Barbara Kendall[39][40] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | Sydney 2000 |
| Zoi Sadowski-Synnott | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | Beijing 2022 |
| Andrew Nicholson[41][42] | – | 1 | 2 | 3 | London 2012 |
References
- "1980 Moscow". Archive.is. 2 May 2007. Archived from the original on 2 May 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- "Original NZ Olympian celebrated". The Northland Age. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- "Danyon Loader". Olympedia. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- "Simon Dickie". Olympedia. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- "Lisa Carrington". New Zealand Olympic Team. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- Cleaver, Dylan. "Tokyo Olympics 2020: New Zealand's greatest Olympian? Lisa Carrington rewrites record books with third gold medal". NZ Herald. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Ian Ferguson". New Zealand Olympic Team. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Ian Ferguson". New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Paul MacDonald". New Zealand Olympic Team. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Paul MacDonald". New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Peter Snell". New Zealand Olympic Team. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "New Zealand athletic great Peter Snell dies: 'He went the way he would have liked'". NZ Herald. 15 December 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Hamish Bond". New Zealand Olympic Team. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Tokyo Olympics: Hamish Bond closes in on Sir Peter Snell as New Zealand's greatest Olympian". Stuff. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Valerie Adams". New Zealand Olympic Team. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- Hinton, Marc (1 August 2021). "Tokyo Olympics: Valerie Adams says bronze medal means more than winning gold". Stuff. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Danyon Loader". New Zealand Olympic Team. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- Meikle, Hayden (4 August 2021). "Grand Danyon v Unbreakable Bond". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Mark Todd". New Zealand Olympic Team. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Mark Todd". New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Simon Dickie". New Zealand Olympic Team. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Double gold medallist rowing cox Simon Dickie dies suddenly". Stuff. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Mahe Drysdale". New Zealand Olympic Team. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- Anderson, Ian (10 June 2021). "Mahe Drysdale refused to quit – that's why he became an Olympic great". Stuff. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Dick Joyce". New Zealand Olympic Team. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- Boyack, Nicholas (12 March 2012). "Rower Dick Joyce has kept a low profile". Dominion Post. Stuff. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Alan Thompson". New Zealand Olympic Team. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Alan Thompson". New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Caroline Meyer". New Zealand Olympic Team. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- France, Marvin (15 July 2016). "New Zealand's Golden Olympic moments: Evers-Swindell twins in Beijing 2008". Stuff. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Georgina Earl". New Zealand Olympic Team. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Eric Murray". New Zealand Olympic Team. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "New Zealand's greatest Summer Olympians: Stuff's countdown of our top 25 continues". Stuff. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Peter Burling". New Zealand Olympic Team. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Tokyo Olympics: Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have to settle for silver medal". Stuff. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Blair Tuke". New Zealand Olympic Team. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Blyth Tait". New Zealand Olympic Team. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Former Olympic Games champion Blyth Tait retires from international eventing". Stuff. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Barbara Kendall". New Zealand Olympic Team. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Barbara Kendall". New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Andrew Nicholson". New Zealand Olympic Team. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- "Queen's Birthday Honours 2018". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
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| Artists and writers | ||
| Scientists, explorers, and inventors | ||
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