City swimmers selected
Kiwi swimmers Neo Salomonsson and Alfie Weatherston Harvey have been selected as part of the New Zealand youth team to compete at the Tri Series next month.
The Dunedin swimmers were among the 40 swimmers selected in two teams to compete at in Ballarat from July 10-12. — APL
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Doffing his cap to history
My oldest boy wanted to please his dad when he was young and one way to his dad's heart was through rugby. My husband never enjoyed actually playing rugby, but he had a love for the game. He would get the kids up in the early hours of the morning to watch a game or go to a game at the stadium, there was regular screaming at the screen about a losing Highlanders side, poor refereeing, or legendary All Black tries. It was a culture in our house, but it was also a wider family culture too. I was raised as if rugby were a religion, watching it but being schooled on the fact that the art of rugby surged through our veins and that we have an extensive history and ownership with the game. My great uncle was a bit of a rugby legend and, in fact, we have others who come from Ōtākou, clearly we were made for the game. Thomas Rangiwahia Ellison was born in 1866 and was to become one of New Zealand's most famous rugby sons. About 1881 he was introduced to rugby football by his cousins at Ōtākou — Jack Taiaroa, who was to become a prominent member of the first New Zealand rugby team in 1884, and Riki Taiaroa, who later joined Ellison in the touring Native team of 1888-89. In 1882, Tom was sent to Te Aute College, Hawke's Bay, where he played for the senior team in 1883 and 1884. His first international honours came with the New Zealand Native Football Team, a professional side, which toured Great Britain and Australia in 1888-89. Initially a forward and later a wing, Ellison played half-back for Pōneke in 1891, and from that experience developed the wing-forward, or flanker, position to block interference with passing from the base of the scrum. The system was quickly adopted throughout New Zealand; it was superseded by the eight-man scrum in 1932. In 1893, Ellison captained the first official New Zealand team and he proposed that the uniform be a black jersey with silver fern monogram — this was similar to the old Native team uniform — and in 1901 it became the familiar All Black uniform. In 1902 he published The Art of Rugby Football , an early rugby coaching manual. Eventually, Ellison took a keen interest in Kāi Tahu land claims: he was appointed an interpreter in the Native Land Court in 1886 and stood three times for the Southern Maori seat in Parliament. From 1891 he worked as a solicitor and, from 1902, as a barrister in the Wellington law firm Brandon, Hislop and Johnston, he was admitted to the Bar, one of the first Māori to attain that distinction. He became a familiar figure commuting to work from Eastbourne in one of the first motor cars seen in Wellington. Ellison died a young man in 1904 and was buried at Ōtākou. I grew up with these legendary stories about our great rugby players and our family have produced many more talented players. It's probably a fair call to say, it's an Ellison thing — he momo. So, circling back to my son, a descendant of all that rugby whakapapa, who, like most Kiwi lads, started playing rugby when he was 5. I will confess that I was fairly unenthusiastic about the whole thing. Cold Saturdays, injuries, intense sideline parenting and the perceived culture of it all just didn't flick my switch. However, I made all efforts to support him. The thing is, my son wasn't a natural rugby player. He struggled to keep up, he wasn't overly interested in the game and, like the rest of my children, he really doesn't have that competitive killer attitude that is required on the field ... I mean, I was just happy he was getting a run. However, apart from one year that we put him into football, he played rugby, year in, year out. Ultimately, he just loved the brotherhood, the team camaraderie, the banter, the laughs and he really got a kick out of his team winning and his team-mates doing well. I think perhaps the coaches got a laugh, too, out of coaching my son, as he was pretty entertaining. He went away to his Māori boys boarding school in the North Island a few years ago now, as he is in his last year. He continued to play the game at school, and I just assumed it was expected that he did. He naturally got taller and leaned out, he trained a bit at school and kept in it. He took on basketball too and loves the game but still played rugby. He said his life would flash before him on a Saturday as massive boys with killer attitudes would come running at him. In some regards, I am glad I have never had to watch this rugby warfare with my beautiful boy in the middle of it. Through all his rugby trials and tribulations, he said the one thing he wanted was to make his dad proud and get that 1st XV cap, and he has done it. In two weeks' time he gets his wish, presented with his cap by his pōua (grandfather) at his school. So, with that, my son gets to acknowledge the journey in the game, the injuries, the wins, the losses, the growth, his brotherhood, his tūpuna, his dad and, finally, his cousin Taiaroa, also a descendant of these Ōtākou rugby legends, whose amazing rugby talent has been halted by cancer. This is my son's salute.
1News
17 hours ago
- 1News
'Proper main event' - Parker in talks over next opponent
Joseph Parker, denied another world title shot recently due to the reliably murky dealings of professional boxing, is in negotiations over his next fight which will probably be against an Englishman in the United Kingdom in September. It won't be against Londoner Daniel Dubois, the IBF heavyweight champion who suddenly became ill and unable to fight Parker in Dubai in February, an affliction which coincided with the arrival in Riyadh of WBC, WBA and WBO world champion Oleksandr Usyk. Dubois will fight Usyk to unify the heavyweight championship at Wembley Stadium on July 20 NZT, leaving Parker, ranked No.2 by the WBO behind Usyk, kicking his heels on another world title shot until next year at the earliest should he get through his next assignment. His team are currently talking through the options in terms of opponents and there are several, including former foes Derek Chisora and Dillian Whyte, plus former cruiserweight world champion Lawrence Okolie. Parker's manager David Higgins told 1News: 'We're in negotiations. At this stage all I can say is that it's a big name. It's a proper main event.' ADVERTISEMENT Parker beat Chisora, now 41, twice in Manchester in 2021 and would be the least attractive opponent from a fans' point of view. There would be interest in a rematch against Whyte, however, after the Londoner beat Parker in controversial fashion in 2018 four months after the Kiwi lost his WBO world title to Anthony Joshua in Cardiff. Whyte got the better of an accidental head clash between the pair in the second round at London's O2 Arena, a heavy blow that was ruled a legitimate knockdown by referee Ian John-Lewis. Joseph Parker goes down after a head clash against Dillian White in London in 2018. (Source: Photosport) Parker rallied bravely and sent Whyte to the canvas in the 12th and final round, but effectively ran out of time and his rival was awarded an unanimous decision. Parker has made it clear that he would welcome the chance for revenge against Whyte, who failed a drugs test in 2023 but was last year cleared after he was found to have taken a contaminated supplement. Okolie, considered the fourth best heavyweight in the United Kingdom behind Dubois, Tyson Fury and Joshua, is a 32-year-old former cruiserweight with a 21-1 professional record. ADVERTISEMENT Fights against Whyte and Okolie would have merit for Parker, but the biggest name of the lot, in the absence of the 'retired' Fury, his good friend, would be Joshua, the man who took his world title. Joshua has been inactive since losing to Dubois in London in September last year but is back training and a fight between he and Parker would genuinely be, in Higgins' words, a 'proper main event'. It would clearly be hugely risky for Parker, who is on a hugely impressive six-fight winning streak, including a second-round knockout of Dubois' late replacement Martin Bakole, but he has never been one to shy away from a challenge. Joshua's stocks have fallen significantly since he lost his world title to Usyk in 2021 and the re-match a year later. He regained momentum with a four-fight winning streak that included a stunning first-round knockout defeat of UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou but was exposed by Dubois at Wembley six months later. Joshua was dropped four times in five rounds by Dubois, the final knockdown coming via a right cross which scrambled his senses. He was once the biggest name in boxing but after such a beating – and that's what it was – Joshua may need a less challenging opponent than Parker, now 36-3 as a pro, as a comeback fight. Whoever it is, Higgins said he would like the contract signed as soon as possible for Parker, 33, to return to Dublin for what is likely to be a 10-week training camp with coach Andy Lee. ADVERTISEMENT 'You never know in boxing,' Higgins said when asked about a time frame. 'Our goal is to get it signed and sealed soon.'
NZ Herald
19 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Ryan Fox starts strong at Canadian Open, chases US Open qualification
Ryan Fox has made another strong start to a PGA Tour event with a four-under 66 to open the Canadian Open in Toronto. The Kiwi needs at least a top-three finish to qualify for next week's US Open, the third major of the year. Fox currently sits in a share
