The sporting highlights of 2024

The RNZ Sport team looks back at some of the sporting highlights of 2024, with the Paris Olympics the centrepiece.

Olympics

Paris did a great job of hosting the games and New Zealand had its most successful Olympics with 10 gold in a total of 20 medals.

While all medals and most performances are special, we're going to highlight just a couple.

Rowing mums Lucy Spoors and Brooke Francis won the double scull final having returned to the sport after starting families following the Tokyo Games, where they both won silver medals.

It was emotional for them and their families while it also prompted praise from many other rowers at the regatta who described them as inspirational.

Hamish Kerr went to Paris as the world indoor high jump champion, but not many predicted he'd also walk away as Olympic champion. Kerr only just managed to qualify for the final and then in a dramatic jump-off edged out American Shelby McEwan for the gold medal to become the first New Zealand male to win a field event in the Olympic athletics programme.

Dame Lisa Carrington was already a legend before she headed to Paris and she came away with that legacy enhanced even further. Another three gold medals took her Olympic haul to a staggering nine medals, eight gold and one bronze. Having lost a couple of times to Aimee Fisher in the lead-up, her team-mate was expected to challenge for the K1 title, but Carrington once again showed that she has few peers.

Golf

Lydia Ko could have been included in the Olympics review, but we decided she warranted a mention on her own.

The Olympics started what was a purple patch for the 27 year old.

She down played the prospect of completing her Olympic set in Paris but it was obviously something that meant a lot to her.

Always on the leaderboard, Ko headed into the final round in a share of the lead. She was ahead by five shots at one stage, before the field closed to within one. However she remained ice cool over the closing holes to grab a two shot victory.

Ko then took that form to The Open Championship at St Andrews. She grabbed the lead late in the final round on her way to a two shot victory and a third major title.

Those victories made her eligible for golf's Hall of Fame.

Netball

The Silver Ferns had just come off a disappointing series loss to England and were given next to no chance of beating Australia to win the Constellation Cup for just the third time. However, they did just that, sprinting out of the blocks to win the opening two games in New Zealand to take a 2-0 lead in the four-match series and stun the World Champion Diamonds. The pressure was then on to prove they could win away from home and the Ferns stepped up, taking game four in Perth to claim their first victory in Australia since 2019 to take an unassailable 3-0 series lead. It was the first time since 2006 the Silver Ferns had had three consecutive wins against the Diamonds. While New Zealand would lose the fourth test in Melbourne it didn't matter, with the Silver Ferns sealing just their third Constellation Cup title since its inception in 2010.

Cricket

What a great year for international cricket. Who would have thought that the White Ferns would be T20 World Cup champions and the Black Caps would win a series in India?

The White Ferns had struggled against Australia and England in recent years, but fortunately for them didn't come up against either of those sides in the knockout stage of the tournament in the UAE.

Their opening group win against India gave the Ferns the confidence to believe in what they were doing and that showed as they beat West Indies in the semi-finals and South Africa in the final. Congratulations to Sophie Devine, Lea Tahuhu and Suzie Bates, a couple of veterans in the side that have been waiting for a while to enjoy global success.

Meanwhile the Black Caps went to India off the back of a 2-nil test defeat in Sri Lanka and without Kane Williamson. However their bowlers made the most of the conditions while the batters did enough to keep the tourists in each match. Rolling the Indians for just 46 in the first test got the series off to a great start and by the end of it New Zealand became the first team in the history of the game to beat India 3-0 in a three match test series in India.

Formula 1

New Zealand got a driver back in Formula 1 with Liam Lawson confirmed to race for RB for the last six races of the season.

Lawson, who filled in for an injured Daniel Ricciardo for three races last year, replaced him after a string of poor performances by the Australian.

The 22-year-old was given no guarantees for 2025 but put his name in the frame for a future drive by finishing in the points in two races.

He also caught the attention of a number of drivers, refusing to be intimidated by the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez after tangling on the track.

Lawson was confirmed in the Red Bull seat for 2025 to drive alongside world champion Max Verstappen and hopefully it is the start of a long career.

Sailing

Team New Zealand overcame a couple of hurdles to win the 37th America's Cup and make our list of highlights.

Hosted by Barcelona it meant that races were in the middle of the night for Kiwi viewers, while there were some questions about the quality of the challengers.

In fact the Challenger final provided some of the best racing with Britannia beating Luna Rossa 7-4.

The Cup itself wasn't as close, but Team New Zealand showed their skill and professionalism to come from behind a couple of times in races and become the first team in modern history to lift the trophy three times in a row.

Once again it showed that New Zealand's designers, builders, sailors and support staff are among the best in the world.

What helped the regatta again were the boats with the foiling monohulls spectacular when racing at speed The races were completed in less than half an hour and the regatta was over in six weeks.

A shame the regatta may not return to New Zealand, but overseas is where the money is.

Rugby

The All Blacks retained the Bledisloe Cup for an incredible 23rd straight year. A win against Ireland on their northern tour was a big highlight. But after an indifferent couple of years under Ian Foster, hopes were high that innovative Crusaders coach "Razor" Robertson would bring a fresh edge to the team. Instead he seemed surprisingly conservative in his selections and the side found South Africa too tough to crack and turned in a shocker against Argentina.

They missed Richie Mo'unga's all-round No 10 game and lost assistant coach Leon Macdonald after conflict with Robertson. On the gain side loose forward Wallace Sititi proved a gem and Cam Roigard's return was a boost.

The Black Ferns finished the year with a stunning win over France in the WXV 1 tournament in Canada, but only finished fourth overall, summing up a lacklustre year, winning only four of their eight games. Things were much happier with their Sevens counterparts, who won gold in Paris, before farewelling one of their greats, the retiring Portia Woodman-Wickliffe.

Football

Formerly the biggest city in the world without a professional football team, Auckland now has one - and one it can boast about. Auckland FC have made a stunning start to the A-League, unbeaten in their first seven games and leading the competition. One of them was a sell-out victory over their NZ rivals, Wellington Phoenix, with the biggest crowd.

In last season's comp, the Nix generated their own excitement, finishing second overall, while the women's team finished eighth.

And the All Whites qualified for the Oceania semi-finals as they chase a place in the 2026 World Cup in North America.

MMA

Kiwi fighters may not have had the best year in the sport, but MMA in 2024 remained one of the most watched and talked about sports in the world.

Former middleweight champion Israel Adesnaya failed to reclaim his title at UFC 305 in a heated rivalry with South Africa's Dricus Du Plessis, culminating in Adesanya submitting to a crank in round four of their bout in Perth in September. However, City Kick Boxing still picked up two wins in Perth, lightweight Dan Hooker edging a decision over Mateusz Gamrot while Kai Kara France roared back in title contention with a first round TKO of Steve Erceg. Carlos Ulberg put himself in the conversation for a shot at gold at light heavyweight, after two cancelled bouts and a string of injuries, the 'Black Jag' finally got things back on tack with a win over Volkan Oezdemir in November. Junior Tafa was the busiest Kiwi fighter with three bouts at heavyweight, picking up a win and two losses, including a controversial submission at 305. Older brother Justin appeared in the octagon just once, losing a decision to Karl Williams in March. Elsewhere, Aaron Tau failed to impress Dana White on the boss' titular Contender Series, however Navajo Stirling did manage to secure a contract on the show, with a round two knockout of Phillip Latu. Personal highlights include Alex 'Poatan' Pereira's three vicious knockouts, the spectacle that was the Sphere at UFC 306, and of course Max Holloway's legendary finish of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 to declare himself the true BMF of the sport.

Tennis

Not a New Zealand sporting highlight but another of the 'Big Four" ended their careers in 2024 with Rafael Nadal hanging up his racquet following the Davis Cup Finals in November.

Nadal had hardly played in recent years as he battled injuries, but the 38-year-old managed to go out playing in front of his home fans.

He won the Spanish Junior championship in 1997, turned professional in 2001 and during his career won 92 singles titles including 22 grand slam events.

The 'King of Clay' won the last of his 14 French Open titles at Roland Garros in 2022.

Great rival Roger Federer led the tributes to Nadal, saying that he hoped the day his friend announced his retirement would never come.

Novak Djokovic won just one title in 2024 as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz came to the fore with two grand slam titles each.

Sinner and Alcaraz can be expected to lead the way for a few years to come.

A special mention of New Zealand's Erin Routliffe who became the number one ranked women's doubles player this year and she and partner Gaby Dabrowski won the season ending ATP Finals.

Quick mentions

• Sarah Hirini makes the break to set up the Black Ferns Sevens' winning try in the Olympics final just seconds after taking a knock to the face. End result: Multiple facial fractures but a gold medal.
• Two gold medals (Hamish Kerr and Geordie Beamish) and two silver medals (Eliza McCartney and Tom Walsh) at the World Indoor Athletics Champs in Glasgow.
• The Blues win their fourth Super Rugby title and their first in 21 years.
• New Zealand's other Olympic gold medal winners in Paris; Women's Rugby Sevens, Kayak Cross paddler Finn Butcher, the K2 and K4 women's Kayak crews and track cyclist Ellesse Andrews.
• Hayden Wilde for his continued success in triathlons, including a silver medal in Paris.
• Caroline Powell wins the Badminton Horse Trial.
• Lulu Sun, after upsetting eighth seed Zheng Qinwen in the first round at Wimbledon, made it through to the quarter-finals, the first New Zealand woman to do so at a Grand Slam since Belinda Cordwell in 1989. Went on to make the final at the Monterrey WTA tournament in August. She was named the WTA Tours' Newcomer of the Year.
• Kiwi expat James McDonald named world's best jockey, after a sizzling 11 wins at the Melbourne Cup carnival, including the Cox Plate on Via Sistina.
• Hannah Wilkinson, combative veteran for four FIFA Women's World Cup campaigns, hangs up her boots, not long after missing selection for the Football Ferns' Olympics campaign.
• Shaun Johnson's 10-year rugby league career with the NZ Warriors closes in style as he sets up the try that snatches them victory over the Sharks.

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