In our first Memory Games Q&A with LockerRoom writers who've been to the Olympics, New Zealand's 1988 Seoul Games rhythmic gymnast Angela Walker recalls the moment John Walker became her hero, wearing Mark Todd's gold - and hopes for our first trampolining medal.
What was your very first Olympic memory?
I was a primary school kid when the 1976 Olympics took place in Montreal. Our black and white television at home was on around the clock.
Mum and Dad circled around it day and night. I heard their whoops and cheers and was drawn to the collective excitement. I especially loved watching Nadia Comaneci bounce around the floor, her ponytail and perfect 10s kick-starting the dreams of gymnasts the world over - myself included.
My most exciting moment was watching a longhaired chap with the same surname as me run the 1500m. I was spellbound as John Walker charged down the home straight, clad in New Zealand’s distinctive black singlet. My parents’ cheers grew louder as he held off his rivals. Then he crossed the finish line in first place, his head tipping back and his arms swinging up. We all felt his elation in that moment, as he surrendered to Olympic immortality.
It was during those 1976 Olympics I decided I wanted to go to the Olympics one day myself. I pinned a poster of John Walker to my bedroom wall and vowed to do everything in my power to make it happen. Years later, when I went to the 1988 Olympics, I bumped into Sir John Walker in the streets of Seoul. We had a chat. I hope I told him that he’d inspired my own Olympic dreams.
What were your favourite Olympic moments – from actually being there?
One of the best things about being an athlete at the Olympics is getting to watch world-class athletes compete in so many different sports. Amongst my highlights in 1988 was seeing Carl Lewis and Flo Jo (Florence Joyner) win gold medals in the atmospheric Seoul Olympic Stadium.
An even bigger thrill was seeing your teammates win medals for New Zealand. I cheered from the stands as canoeing greats Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald charged down the K2 500m course and took out gold. Another day I got to try on Mark Todd’s weighty gold medal at his after-party in the Games village. Every day brought another mind-blowing experience.
One unforgettable evening, I watched Paul Kingsman contest the 200m backstroke final. I was sitting in a TV lounge in the village with a bunch of Kiwis. Kingsman, having qualified second-slowest for the final, was in lane one, far from the expected action in the middle of the pool.
At the final turn he was well back. Against all odds, Paul accelerated down the last 50 metres, picking off his competitors one by one until he was bearing down on the leading three swimmers with a very real chance of claiming a medal. We Kiwis watching TV were screaming, and blinking rapidly, because what we were witnessing didn’t seem remotely possible. But Paul touched the wall in third place, earning himself an Olympic bronze, New Zealand’s first Olympic swimming medal since Jean Stewart’s bronze in 1952.
Another athlete in the TV room said, “You know, the swimming venue is about a five-minute sprint from here. Let’s try and get there in time for the medal ceremony.” So we all took off, tearing through the village, out through security, across to the swimming venue, gasping for breath as we entered through the athletes-only door. With only seconds to spare, we joined the large Kiwi contingent in the audience and shared in the magic of our teammate’s unexpected medal, the New Zealand flag fluttering high.
What's your dream scenario to play out in Tokyo?
Anyone who's been paying attention will know that New Zealand’s Olympic fortunes have been on an impressive upward trajectory. Back in Sydney 2000, Kiwis won four medals (including one gold), and languished in 46th position on the medal table. However those numbers have been steadily climbing ever since.
In London 2012, New Zealand won six gold and 13 medals in all, placing 14th on the medal table. It was an impressive improvement after only 12 years and a testament to the investment made in New Zealand high performance sport.
Four years on, in Rio 2016, New Zealand had its best ever Olympic haul, winning 18 medals.
Surely it's a big ask to keep improving at the extraordinary rate of the past 20 years. This is why my dream scenario to play out in Tokyo would see the New Zealand Team surpass everything they've achieved at the last two Olympics.
Amongst the plethora of Kiwi medallists, Dame Valerie Adams would win a third gold medal. So would kayaker Lisa Carrington, while sailors Alex Maloney and Molly Meech would go one better than Rio 2016 and win gold in the 49erFX event.
I’d also love to see someone completely unexpected win a medal, and match pole-vaulter Eliza McCartney’s irrepressible joy in Rio. There’s nothing like an athlete surpassing even their own expectations.
Finally, in my dream scenario, not a single Japanese citizen or person attending the Olympics would get Covid-19 as a result of the Games taking place. And television viewers everywhere would transcend the challenges of the pandemic, even if only for a moment, during an Olympic Games like no other.
What events are you most looking forward to?
When the Olympics Games are declared officially open in Tokyo in July, the time for debating whether they should or shouldn’t have taken place will have passed, and it will be a moot point.
If past Olympics are anything to go on, I’ll be glued to the screen. I won’t care what the sport is. When it’s the Olympics, everything is worth watching. While I’ll love every moment of it, I’ll be relieved when the Games end and I can catch up on sleep and stop welling up during the heady rollercoaster of victories, defeats, medal ceremonies and anthems.
I won’t miss a minute of the gymnastics or trampolining events. I’m hoping to see New Zealand’s Misha Koudinov contest the men’s artistic gymnastics, and Maddie Davidson become the first New Zealand woman to compete in Olympic trampolining.
I hope to see American Simone Biles perform her history-making vault – the Yurchenko double pike.
I’m excited to watch my own sport – rhythmic gymnastics – which this year is expected to be a battle between identical Russian twins, Dina and Arina Averina.
Most of all, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for the talented Dylan Schmidt who, if the stars align, is capable of winning New Zealand’s first ever Olympic trampolining medal.
