For the first time in any Olympics, New Zealand won three gold medals in one day.
In several Olympic Games we have struggled to get as many as three altogether.
Leading the terrific trio late Saturday, our time, was Lisa Carrington.
There is nothing like a Dame Lisa Carrington (apologies for mangling the lyrics of the Rodgers and Hammerstein song from the musical South Pacific).
Sports writers who have been following her stellar career will be struggling to find fresh superlatives to describe her latest triumph.
She made her decisive and record-breaking win in the K1 500m look effortless on a 30-degree day, and hard on the heels of her two gold medal performances in the K2 and K4 competitions.
Carrington’s wins at this Olympics reinforce her position at the top of New Zealanders’ all-time individual medal tally. She now has eight gold medals and one bronze (from 2016). Globally, only seven athletes have won more than her eight golds.
Next on the winner’s dais was golfer Lydia Ko. She held her nerve through the last 18 holes of the competition to reach her goal of completing her Olympic set of medals (she had previously won silver and bronze in the past two games respectively.)
It was hard not to share Ko’s tears during the medal ceremony, as she has confirmed Paris is her last Olympics.
She said she wanted to write her own ending to her Olympic career, and winning the gold was a dream come true. It has also given her enough points to be eligible for World Golf’s Hall of Fame.
The third gold medal came from Dunedin-born (we just know that helped) high jumper Hamish Kerr, who equalled his previous personal best to win a tense and thrilling jump-off with American Shelby McEwen.
It was a remarkable performance from Kerr who, despite his status as the current indoor world champion, was one jump away from elimination in the qualifying round when he twice failed at 2.20m.
There can be a fine and fickle line between a dais finish and despair.
At the time of writing, there was still more to come from New Zealand athletes on the last day of the Olympics in cycling and the women’s marathon.
Regardless of whether that competition results in more medals, these Olympics have produced our largest gold medal haul — nine after Kerr’s win.
There is, of course, much more to the occasion than the mere medal numbers.
For those who have become caught up in the triumphs and the tragedies, the scandals real or imagined, and the sheer thrill of watching athletes excel at events familiar and unfamiliar, it has been a welcome respite from the dreariness of everyday life.
It has given us something to talk about which is more uplifting than inane chat about the weather and if our washing will dry on the line today.
It has allowed us to talk authoritatively as instant armchair experts on sports we previously knew nothing about (and probably still do, but who is paying attention?).
We have felt part of this event in the magnifique Paris, yahooing with the winners and shedding tears with the dejected.
For a few cold wintry weeks that has allowed us to rise above the negative discourse on the home front including the parlous state of the economy, our health and welfare systems, housing, and race relations.
If we want to keep that feeling a bit longer, don’t mention the footy.
