WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand prides itself on its ability to outperform itself in international sports, and this past weekend it backed up that claim with successes in a variety of sports around the world.
That claim already gained some credibility this year when the country of 5.2 million placed 11th in the medal standings at the Paris Olympics with 10 gold medals and 20 overall medals.
In the past 48 hours, New Zealand has:
They defeated Great Britain 7-2 in the final of sailing’s 37th America’s Cup, winning world sport’s oldest trophy for the third consecutive year. Team New Zealand is the only team in the modern era to win three consecutive trophies.
They defeated India by eight wickets in the first cricket Test in Bangalore, their third victory in India since 1988. New Zealand Black Caps became the fourth team to beat India at home this century. New Zealand defeated India for 46 in the first innings, their lowest total at home ever.
They defeated South Africa by 32 points and won their first Women’s Twenty20 Cricket World Cup despite being underdogs. South Africa became favorites to win the tournament after defeating six-time champions Australia in the semi-finals.
In addition:
Hayden Wilde of New Zealand won the final race of the World Triathlon Championship series in Torremolinos, Spain.
Allie Woollaston won the women’s omnium event at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships, earning her second gold medal and third medal at the championships.
The New Zealand women’s team defeated Italy 6-1 in the final of the Canoe Polo World Championship in Deqing, China.
Auckland FC, owned by American businessman Bill Foley, defeated Brisbane Roar 2-0 in their first Australian A-League match.
New Zealand’s Liam Lawson started from 19th on the grid and finished 9th in his first race of the season at the US F1 Grand Prix.
“There have been many sporting events in New Zealand’s history, like the one we just saw, where Team New Zealand, the White Ferns, the Black Caps, the Silver Ferns (netball team) and the Puddle Ferns achieved spectacular victories. We didn’t have much of a weekend’ (canoe polo team),” New Zealand Sports Minister Chris Bishop said.
“I’m sure many New Zealanders will be bleary-eyed today after watching our team play against the best teams over the past few nights, but I’m sure they’re just as happy with the result as I am. And you should be proud of our team.
“Overall, I think this was a weekend that will go down in New Zealand sporting history. All five teams should know that their country is extremely proud of them. And Kiwi sports fans I think you could be forgiven if I saw you yawning.” After a weekend filled with lots of sports excitement, I’m at work today! ”
____
AP Sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports
