Our Olympic Legends:
50 of New Zealand’s Finest
Joseph Romanos
Upstart Press 230 pages (2026)
ISBN 978-1-77694-096-7 $39.99 Pb
My interest in sport is minimal, but I have always made a
point of reading Joseph Romanos’s sports coverage because he loves sport and
this love shows through in his writing. His thoughtful introduction to Our
Olympic Legends: 50 of New Zealand’s Finest explains how he selected his 50
Kiwi Olympians. He laid emphasis on the quality of each athlete’s performance,
the quality of the opposition they faced, the longevity of their record and
their ‘impact on the New Zealand public.’ An added factor was his special admiration
for those who won individual gold medals; ‘those who’ve handled the pressure
of an Olympic games alone, facing their greatest test and triumphing: a tribute
to their ability and mental strength.’
Fifty is a nice round figure although, because of pairs
and teams, there are actually 98 individuals honoured. The book gives
each of the chosen 50 a four-page summary of their lives and achievements, with
appropriate Olympic statistics and well-arranged photographs, many of them in
colour. Each entry is readable and inspiring.
The first three ‘Olympic Legends’ on to the rostrum are
Lisa Carrington, Peter Snell and Danyon Loader, whose stories are well known.
Less familiar are such athletes as swimmer Malcolm Champion, who was so
shabbily treated by organisers that his selection for the 1912 Stockholm
Olympics wasn’t confirmed before his ship sailed. And, even then, he had to
borrow money to get from London to Stockholm!
I still remember the excitement at Sawyers Bay School
when Dunedin-born Yvette Williams triumphed in the Long Jump at Helsinki in
1952, the first New Zealand woman to win an Olympic gold medal. Romanos points
out the tension behind her medal-winning jump, as well as the fact that this
was the first Olympics where God Defend New Zealand was played.
A notable feature is the ‘Honourable Mentions’ section
where Romanos pens a paragraph on another 62 individuals or teams. This list of
valiant athletes begins with the first New Zealander to win an Olympic gold
medal, Victor Lindberg the Fijian-born water polo player and ends with Luca
Harrington, the freestyle skier from Dunedin. I was delighted to find that
listed at No. 9 is Jean Stewart, the swimmer who won silver at Helsinki. As a
visiting art teacher, she impressed our school by arriving during a bus strike
by riding ten miles on her bike. At No. 22 is Neroli Fairhall, champion archer,
who taught me how to use a bow. If a non-sportie can enjoy this book, imagine
how much pleasure the sporties will have reading it in their quest for local
heroes and role models. Those who can’t read will still be able to enjoy the
well-chosen pictures, many of them taken by Andrew Cornaga of Photosport.
The only drawback in this handsomely designed book is the
lack of an index. On the positive side, this will encourage readers to leaf
through and find all those interesting anecdotes Romanos has managed to squeeze
in.
Dame Lisa Carrington has contributed a thoughtful and
readable Foreword.
Trevor Agnew
2 Aug 2026 [Review
3857]
