The NZ year in sport: Black Ferns, Ko and Comm Games athletes among standouts

From top left: Black Ferns Stacey Fluhler and Theresa Fitzpatrick, golfer Lydia Ko, cyclist Aaron Gate and Para swimmer Joshua Willmer.
Photo: Photosport

The Black Ferns are crowned the queens of women’s rugby, Lydia Ko reigns supreme in golf while New Zealand athletes shone at the Commonwealth Games – these were among sportspeople who enjoyed special success in 2022.

When looking back on another memorable sporting year for Kiwis, it is hard to go past the Black Ferns’ sixth Rugby World Cup title achieved on the back of a disastrous 2021 and a late change of coach.

From last-minute lineout hero lock Joanah Ngan-Woo, to inspirational co-captain Ruahei Demant and charismatic wing/fullback Ruby Tui the Black Ferns opened many people’s eyes to the exuberance of the women’s game, especially after their pulsating 34-31 win over England in the final.

The accolades are already flowing. At the World Rugby Awards in Monaco Demant was named Women’s 15s Player of the Year, Tui won Women’s 15s Breakthrough player of the Year and Wayne Smith took the coaching prize.

The team must be regarded as favourites for team of the year and the supreme award when the Hillary Awards are decided next year while Tui leading the Eden Park crowd sing-a-long after the momentous win must be among strong contenders for favourite sporting moment of 2022.

The Black Ferns’ victory capped off a successful event hosted in Aotearoa with record crowd attendances for women’s matches as well as TV viewing figures (1.3 million watched the final) although the event ran at a financial loss.

The Black Ferns are crowned champions after a thrilling final at a sold-out Eden Park.
Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz

It was also a momentous year for snow sports. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won gold in the slopestyle at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, becoming New Zealand’s first gold medallist at a Winter Olympics. She followed that with a silver medal in the big air event.

Nico Porteous won gold in the men’s freeski halfpipe while Corey Peters won the gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics in the men’s downhill sitting event and a silver in the men’s Super-G sitting.

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Nico Porteous in Beijing.
Photo: Photosport/Tommy Pyatt

Exciting year for Ko

New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko finished the year as the world No 1 after notching three LPGA Tour victories and nine other top-five finishes in 2022.

Among her wins was the richest first-place prize in the history of women’s golf ($3.2 million) for winning the season-ending Tour Championship in Florida in November.

Ryan Fox completed a fine season on the World Tour, finishing second on the order of merit and winning three tournaments.

Steven Alker finished the year as the best over-50 golfer in the world, capturing the Charles Schwab Cup after leading the standings for the final 21 weeks of the season. He won four titles and had an impressive 18 top 10 finishes from 23 events played.

Steven Alker is the world’s top over 50 golfer for 2022.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Gate leads NZ charge at Commonwealth Games

New Zealand’s athletes achieved the country’s greatest ever medal haul at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham from late July.

The athletes won a record 20 gold medals and 49 medals overall.

The cyclists established themselves as the most dominant team in the London velodrome spearheaded by the superb efforts of Aaron Gate who won four gold medals, becoming the first Kiwi to achieve the feat at a single Games.

Ellesse Andrews joined an exclusive club of athletes as a triple-gold medallist after wins in the keirin and individual and team sprints.

Ellesse Andrews impressed in the sprints at the Commonwealth Games.
Photo: SWPix

New Zealand’s squash pair, Paul Coll and Joelle King, were outstanding, with Coll securing gold in the singles while King took the silver. The pair won gold in the mixed doubles and King also partnered Amanda Landers-Murphy in the women’s doubles with the pair defending their title from four years ago.

Lewis Clareburt made a splash at his second Commonwealth Games, winning two golds – in the 400m individual medley in a Games record and the men’s 200m butterfly.

Veteran Dame Sophie Pascoe won gold in the women’s S-9 100m freestyle event – her only event of the Games.

Para-swimmer Joshua Willmer won gold in a jaw-dropping end to the men’s 100m breaststroke SB8 final where a last gasp effort saw the 17-year-old snatch victory off the silver medallist by a matter of milliseconds.

Tom Walsh and Jacko Gill shared the podium in the men’s shot put event, with Walsh taking out gold and Gill the silver.

Shot putters Tom Walsh, left, and Jacko Gill.
Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz

Toa Samoa win hearts

Toa Samoa couldn’t quite pinch the Rugby League World Cup from pre-tournament favourites Australia – but the bravery of their performance impressed fans in the stadium in Manchester as well as supporters around the world, including in Auckland.

After shocking Tonga and England to reach the final, Toa Samoa went down 30-10 to Australia at Old Trafford, with the crowd mostly supporting Toa Samoa.

There were street parades and motorcades in support of the team in many cities in Australia, Aotearoa and the United States.

In Ōtara Town Centre in South Auckland hundreds of people gathered waving Samoan flags.

Community leader Jerome Mika said despite the result, Samoa had still won.

“I’m feeling so proud of the boys, it’s just awesome to see our nation reach the final of the World Cup.

“There’s a lot of pride in the Samoan community here. We’ve won the hearts and minds of our people.”

Meanwhile, Australia ended the hopes of New Zealand supporters with the Kiwis losing at the semi-final stage while the Kiwi Ferns were thumped in the final.

A Toa Samoa fan.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Special year for van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen sealed his third Australian Supercars title, when he won the opening race of the Gold Coast 500 in October.

The Kiwi and co-driver Garth Tander also claimed a second Bathurst 1000 victory as a duo earlier that month.

Van Gisbergen also won the final ever race at Pukekohe in September, rating it as one of the greatest achievements of his Supercars career.

Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen celebrates another victory.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Golden equestrian couple

The country sports the golden couple of international eventing, with Tim Price finishing the season ranked No 1 in the world and Jonelle Price at No 2.

Tim won the British Open at Gatcombe while Jonelle Price won the Les 5 Etoiles de Pau in France riding Grappa Nera.

At the world eventing championships in Italy in September, Tim won an individual bronze while the New Zealand team also finished with a bronze. The result also guaranteed New Zealand a team eventing berth at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The twin bronzes were the country’s first medals at the four-yearly championships for 12 years.

Tim Price has plenty of reasons to give the thumbs up after finishing the year as the world’s top ranked eventer.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Rugby titles for Crusaders, Wellington and Canterbury women

The Crusaders smashed the Blues to win their 11th Super Rugby title in June. The Blues went into the Super Rugby Pacific final at Eden Park as favourites and were hoping to win their first title in almost 20 years but were outplayed.

Veteran halfback Kendra Cocksedge signed off her provincial rugby career in Canterbury’s dominant win over Auckland in the Farah Palmer Premiership final in September.

Wellington ended a 22-year drought by beating Canterbury in the final to become the National Provincial Rugby champions.

Other highlights:

• Auckland sprinter Portia Bing became the first Kiwi to advance to the women’s 400m hurdles semi-finals at a world champs – she was competing at Eugene, Oregon, in July. She was also the first New Zealand athlete in any hurdles event to make it beyond the heats at a global championship for 54 years.
• The Tall Blacks qualified for next year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup after beating Jordan in Auckland in August. The event will be jointly hosted by the Philippines and Japan.

Kerri Gowler, left,and Grace Prendergast after winning the pairs final at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT