New Zealand is still looking to secure their first medal in this year’s Olympic Games.

They had a busy morning on Day Three, with multiple equestrian events, cycling, swimming, and the Black Ferns Sevens moving through to the semifinals.

Kiwi Tom Saunders, one of the top laser sailors in the world, is in Paris for his first Olympics.

He told Ryan Bridge that since they’re all racing with identical supplied equipment, it’s a lot more pure sailing, and comes down to the individual sailor’s skill as opposed to what sort of gear they have.

They’re not short on competition, Saunders said, with Australia and Britain setting the benchmark the last two years, but there’s also strong competition from Germany, Norway, and Cyprus. 

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New Zealand is still looking to secure their first medal in this year’s Olympic Games. 
They had a busy morning on Day Three, with multiple equestrian events, cycling, swimming, and the Black Ferns Sevens moving through to the semifinals. 
Kiwi Tom Saunders, one of the top laser sailors in the world, is in Paris for his first Olympics. 
He told Ryan Bridge that since they’re all racing with identical supplied equipment, it’s a lot more pure sailing, and comes down to the individual sailor’s skill as opposed to what sort of gear they have. 
They’re not short on competition, Saunders said, with Australia and Britain setting the benchmark the last two years, but there’s also strong competition from Germany, Norway, and Cyprus.  
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A fresh and intelligent start to your day - catch the very latest international and domestic news developments, sport, entertainment and business on Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, on Newstalk ZB.

A fresh and intelligent start to your day - catch the very latest international and domestic news developments, sport, entertainment and business on Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, on Newstalk ZB.

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Tom Saunders: Kiwi Olympic Sailor on the competition for the 1-person Dinghy men’s races

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Tuesday10th of September, slight changes were made to the controversial Treaty Principles Bill in Cabinet yesterday. Labour's Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson joins the show to discuss.

Superfund has reached a value of $76.6 billion - a record for the fund. But what does it mean for the government and New Zealand's markets? Superfund expert Jonathan Eriksen speaks to Ryan.

There were 80 suspected suicides in the construction industry in the past year, so what is the sector doing to improve mental health and wellbeing? MATES in Construction researcher Dr Lauren Donnan joins the show to talk about her latest research and what the industry could do to reduce the number of suicides.

Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

LISTEN ABOVE

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Tuesday10th of September, slight changes were made to the controversial Treaty Principles Bill in Cabinet yesterday. Labour's Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson joins the show to discuss. 
Superfund has reached a value of $76.6 billion - a record for the fund. But what does it mean for the government and New Zealand's markets? Superfund expert Jonathan Eriksen speaks to Ryan. 
There were 80 suspected suicides in the construction industry in the past year, so what is the sector doing to improve mental health and wellbeing? MATES in Construction researcher Dr Lauren Donnan joins the show to talk about her latest research and what the industry could do to reduce the number of suicides. 
Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. 
LISTEN ABOVE

Full Show Podcast: 10 September 2024 

Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzales has arrived in Spain after fleeing the country after its presidential election.

Gonzales had an arrest warrant issued after he disputed July’s election, which was won by incumbent Nicolas Maduro.

The US, EU and Latin American countries have also questioned the election results after Venezuela refused to publish official election data to prove the result.

Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Ryan Bridge he arrived on a Spanish Royal Air Force plane near Madrid, where he’ll be granted political asylum after having stayed at its embassy in Caracas.

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Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzales has arrived in Spain after fleeing the country after its presidential election. 
Gonzales had an arrest warrant issued after he disputed July’s election, which was won by incumbent Nicolas Maduro. 
The US, EU and Latin American countries have also questioned the election results after Venezuela refused to publish official election data to prove the result. 
Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Ryan Bridge he arrived on a Spanish Royal Air Force plane near Madrid, where he’ll be granted political asylum after having stayed at its embassy in Caracas. 
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Gavin Grey: Europe correspondent on Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzales' arrival in Spain after disputing its elections

There was a high level of suspense when Peter Cowan crossed the finish line in the final of the men’s single va’a VL3 200m canoe sprint race in Paris.

In his Paralympic Games debut, the 29-year-old from Hawke’s Bay flew out of the blocks in the final to battle for the early lead.

As the contest went on, it looked to be a case of two races for medals; Ukrainian Vladyslav Yepifanov and Jack Eyers of Great Britain contesting the top two spots on the podium, while Cowan, Australian Curtis McGrath and China’s Pu Yi were locked in a race for bronze.

The eight-strong race was over in about 50sec. It was a further 45sec before Cowan got word that he would be the third man on the podium.

“It feels unreal,” Cowan told TVNZ of winning a medal in his Paralympics debut.

In tough, windy conditions, the Kiwi stayed the course and might have been a bit fortunate that McGrath drifted in his lane toward the final stretch of the race, with Cowan crossing the line just 0.06sec ahead of the Australian who beat him in their heat.

Because Cowan finished second in his heat, he had to qualify for the medal race through the semifinal rather than get direct entry into the medal race.

Cowan finished second to Eyers in the semifinal to secure his place, and left everything out there in the final; a look of elation – with perhaps a hint of disbelief – on his face when he finally heard that he had claimed the bronze.

“Coming into the race all I really focused on was the performance itself and not jumping the gun,” Cowan said.

“There were times this week when I would think about the podium, but me and my coach are pretty grounded in our goals and that’s just to focus on every performance as they come; every breath, every stroke in every race.

“In the start gate, I was just thinking about what I needed to do to build into that finish line because I never know where I’m coming in the races. I do believe the performance will give the right result at the end of the day, so to find out I made the podium, I was mind-blown.”

Yepifanov won the race with a Paralympic Games best of 47.49sec, with Eyers second in 47.87sec. Cowan finished in 48.28sec. The three medalists were all first-time Paralympians.

Cowan’s medal took New Zealand’s haul to nine in Paris, with one gold, four silver and four bronze.

There was a high level of suspense when Peter Cowan crossed the finish line in the final of the men’s single va’a VL3 200m canoe sprint race in Paris. 
In his Paralympic Games debut, the 29-year-old from Hawke’s Bay flew out of the blocks in the final to battle for the early lead. 
As the contest went on, it looked to be a case of two races for medals; Ukrainian Vladyslav Yepifanov and Jack Eyers of Great Britain contesting the top two spots on the podium, while Cowan, Australian Curtis McGrath and China’s Pu Yi were locked in a race for bronze. 
The eight-strong race was over in about 50sec. It was a further 45sec before Cowan got word that he would be the third man on the podium. 
“It feels unreal,” Cowan told TVNZ of winning a medal in his Paralympics debut. 
In tough, windy conditions, the Kiwi stayed the course and might have been a bit fortunate that McGrath drifted in his lane toward the final stretch of the race, with Cowan crossing the line just 0.06sec ahead of the Australian who beat him in their heat. 
Because Cowan finished second in his heat, he had to qualify for the medal race through the semifinal rather than get direct entry into the medal race. 
Cowan finished second to Eyers in the semifinal to secure his place, and left everything out there in the final; a look of elation – with perhaps a hint of disbelief – on his face when he finally heard that he had claimed the bronze. 
“Coming into the race all I really focused on was the performance itself and not jumping the gun,” Cowan said. 
“There were times this week when I would think about the podium, but me and my coach are pretty grounded in our goals and that’s just to focus on every performance as they come; every breath, every stroke in every race. 
“In the start gate, I was just thinking about what I needed to do to build into that finish line because I never know where I’m coming in the races. I do believe the performance will give the right result at the end of the day, so to find out I made the podium, I was mind-blown.” 
Yepifanov won the race with a Paralympic Games best of 47.49sec, with Eyers second in 47.87sec. Cowan finished in 48.28sec. The three medalists were all first-time Paralympians. 
Cowan’s medal took New Zealand’s haul to nine in Paris, with one gold, four silver and four bronze.

Tom Saunders: Kiwi Olympic Sailor on the competition for the 1-person Dinghy men’s races

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