Hayden Meikle
Sports editor
Otago athlete to watch: Finn Butcher. Pure Central Otago, this lad — humble and hard-working. But he is a demon on the whitewater and has had some spectacular results on the world stage already. Canoe slalom is fun but canoe cross is borderline insane, and Butcher has the skills and courage to win a medal.
Kiwi to watch: Lisa Carrington. I know, so obvious. But when the great dame gets on the water, everyone leans in to watch. Her legacy is secure, but doubtless she will be keen to add even more medals to that bulging bag. Her battle with fellow Kiwi paddler Aimee Fisher should be box office.
International athlete to watch: LeBron James. Critics will say basketball is one of those "should it even be at the Olympics?" sports given the NBA is the sport’s pinnacle. But it’s LeBron James! The greatest athlete on the planet, who just pulled the ultimate dad move by getting the Lakers to draft his son. He and a star-studded US team will be extremely popular in Paris.
NZ medal haul: Do not call me a cynic, please. The record haul of 20 medals (seven golds) at Tokyo was staggering, and I am not sure we can see a repeat. So my tip is 14 medals, including three golds (Carrington or Fisher, Ellesse Andrews and one of the sevens teams).
Event I can’t wait to see: The 100m. Because it’s the 100m.
What I don’t want to see: Apart from the breakdancing — save me — I do not want to see the Olympics, as soaked in commercialism and as inextricably linked to politics as they are, being used as a vehicle for the relentless promotion of causes. Can we not just have a couple of weeks of heart-warming sports stories, please?
Adrian Seconi
Sports reporter
Otago athletes to watch: Hugo Inglis, Blair Tarrant and Kane Russell grew up playing hockey together and the Dunedin trio have clocked more than 700 internationals between them. Inglis will be competing at his fourth Olympics, and the other two are on their third. This could be their last chance for a medal.
Kiwi to watch: Ellesse Andrews took silver in the keirin at the Tokyo games and has been in blistering form on the bike ever since. Sarah Ulmer is the only cyclist to nab gold for New Zealand and Andrews, who won gold in Keirin at the world championships last year, shapes as our best chance to add to the tally.
International athlete to watch: Stay with me. This is out there. But Australia’s Rachael "Raygun" Gunn will be breaking for gold. That is breakdancing for those wondering. And, yes, it is an Olympic sport. It did not die out at the end of the 1980s. It is making its Olympic debut in Paris and both my daughters will be glued to the set. There is a rumour All Blacks coach Scott Robertson will be a surprise entrant.
NZ medal haul: This is an obscene question. The focus should be on participation — yeah, right. No-one is immune from the pull of rampant nationalism and we ask, dear Lord, for just one more gold medal than those Australians. That might be a challenge, given they claimed 17 golds in Tokyo.
Event I can’t wait to see: The speed climbing. Those athletes are like superheroes.
What I don’t want to see: Golf. Football. Basketball. Tennis. They have their own pinnacle events.
Kayla Hodge
Sports reporter
Otago athlete to watch: Erika Fairweather. The then 17-year-old Trinity College pupil stunned everyone when she made the 400m freestyle final in Tokyo. That is not the case this time as she heads into the event as a world champion. No-one can deny Fairweather’s rise — particularly in the past 18 months — and you feel she is on the cusp of putting everyone on watch again. The Dunedin wonder deserves everything that is coming her way.
International athlete to watch: Simone Biles. The USA gymnast’s comeback from her troubles at the Tokyo Olympics, where she suffered from the "twisties", is something to be marvelled at. Sure to be up there once again.
NZ medal haul: Such a hard question to answer. We are sure to pick up medals in canoe slalom, rowing and (hopefully) the sevens, but there are so many unknowns at a pinnacle event like this. I’ll take a punt and say 15.
Event I can’t wait to see: Anything athletics or swimming is a crowd favourite. Really looking forward to seeing what Zoe Hobbs can produce in the sprints. Had a weird fascination with speed climbers last time too, so that’s bound to return.
What I don’t want to see: Sorry, but breaking just isn’t for me.
