The Otago Daily Times counts down the 150 greatest moments in Otago sport.
No 1: Danyon Loader wins two Olympic swimming gold medals (1996)
Super Fish is No 1.
The Otago Daily Times considers Danyon Loader's effort in winning two gold medals in the pool at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics the greatest moment in the history of Otago sport.
It was two moments, of course - two glorious, golden moments - but for the purposes of our series, two had to become one.
Two gold medals, on a stage as grand as the Olympic Games, in a sport as popular and competitive as swimming ... that was always going to take some beating.
To put Loader's achievements in perspective, no New Zealand swimmer had won gold before him (we discount Malcolm Champion, who won relay gold in 1912 as part of the Australasian team), and none has even medalled since.
He is also part of an exclusive club of New Zealand athletes to have won multiple gold medals at one Olympics, joining runner Peter Snell (1964) and canoeists Ian Ferguson and Paul McDonald (1984).
As well as being a New Zealand sporting great, Loader is also a quintessential Otago man.
He was a product of a working-class South Dunedin household, who was taught to swim by father Peter and then moulded into a champion by the late, great Duncan Laing.
By 13, he was a national champion. By 14, he was a Commonwealth Games representative. By 17, he was an Olympic silver medallist. In 1995, Loader won eight gold medals on the world cup circuit and broke the world 400m freestyle short-course record. That set the stage for his Atlanta heroics.
Loader won gold in both the 200m and 400m freestyle events, an Olympic double accomplished only once before.
The 200m came first, with Loader taking the lead before the final turn and charging home to win in 1min 47.63sec, nearly half a second ahead of Brazilian competitor Gustavo Borges.
Three days later, it was a golden double when the tall, ponytailed New Zealander blitzed the 400m field in 3min 47.97sec, more than 1sec ahead of Britain's Paul Palmer.
An emotional Loader and a beaming Laing were later treated to a massive display of public affection back home in the Octagon.
Fifteen years have passed since his Atlanta heroics, and Loader does not hesitate when asked if he thinks about the golden double often.
"No, is the simple answer. The analogy I use is that you don't think about your birthday until somebody asks about it," he told the Otago Daily Times.
"That explains 1996 for me. I don't think about it because I'd be living in the past."
Loader does remember how he felt during the Olympics, how much he enjoyed the experience and how he "held myself with dignity".
But he also takes great satisfaction in recalling the looks of delight on the faces of his coach, family and supporters beside the pool and then back home.
The medals are tucked away in his Auckland flat, though he was carrying one the day we spoke, as he was on his way to a school to give a presentation.
After Atlanta, Loader continued to swim. But while he won a Commonwealth Games relay bronze in 1998, he did not seem to have the same hunger to succeed.
He retired, aged 25, shortly before the Sydney Olympics in 2000, his legacy as New Zealand's greatest swimmer secure.
Loader, not exactly cut from the classic mould of an elite sportsman, has done a bit of this and a bit of that over the past 15 years.
He studied at an American college, got into tai chi, trained as a territorial soldier, worked as a bartender, had a spell as a commercial diver, and even appeared on Dancing With The Stars.
While he is officially "between jobs", he does some speaking at schools and corporate functions, works with various swimmers and fulfills duties as New Zealand's first Olympic ambassador.
Loader finished with 58 national swimming records. He was twice named New Zealand sportsman of the year (1992 and 1997), and in 2000, he was named New Zealand sportsperson of the decade for the 1990s.
He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2003, and the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame a year later.
Perhaps, in 50 years, the Otago Daily Times will do a "200 Greatest Moments in Otago Sport" when the newspaper turns 200.
There is every chance Danyon Loader will still be at the top of that list.
Why he is No 1
"Danyon was unique in many ways and because he didn't toe the line when it came to the perception New Zealanders had about their sporting champions, he often suffered as a result. What I most enjoyed about his success in Atlanta was that he had thought about the consequences of winning before he raced. He knew standing atop the dais would change his life forever and he accepted that challenge, despite knowing it would throw him out of his comfort zone. For a 21-year-old to have the courage and commitment to do that, knowingly, was inspiring."
- Commentator Stave Davie.
"Part of Danyon Loader's greatness was that he took the emotion out of swimming. Once he was on the starting blocks, he was oblivious to the competition. He was totally focused on putting into practice the technique he had honed in hundreds of hours training at Moana Pool. Loader was regarded as cool, even aloof by many at the peak of his career. The reality was he had a job to do and he blocked out all distractions. He has mellowed considerably in recent years and his achievement in Atlanta, and his partnership with super coach Duncan Laing, will forever be remembered among New Zealand sport's greatest moments."
- ODT columnist Brent Edwards.
"Danyon is one of the most committed sportspeople I have met. I fondly remember being at Moana Pool one morning when he was finishing a 10km training session. I mentioned to Duncan Laing that this was an very impressive effort and he replied, "That's nothing. He's back in here again tonight for another 10km session". The sheer thought of swimming 400 lengths in a day just blew me away. To me, Danyon stands alongside the likes of Sir Peter Snell, Sir Murray Halberg, Yvette Williams and Sir Colin Meads as one of this country's greatest sportspeople. He is also a very intelligent, focused person with many hidden talents."
- Former Sport Otago chief executive Paul Allison.
"Danyon was single-minded and not easily diverted from his goal of becoming one of the best swimmers in the world. He swam like a dolphin and an important asset was his ability to adjust his technique to the feel of the water. He also had an uncanny big-match temperament and produced his best form under pressure. Loader had complete confidence in his coach, Duncan Laing, who was the motivator who inspired him to aim for the dizzy heights that came to fruition at the Atlanta Olympics."
- ODT swimming writer Alistair McMurran.
