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Emma’s encore makes it four
The New Zealand crews finish with a gold, two silvers and a bronze in Paris.
“I looked across with 500 to go and was level with Karolien. I thought for a moment that I was just going to keep walking, but the legs got me to about the 1800 metre mark.”
Emma Twigg described herself as hanging on by a thread a couple of days ago.
But on the final day of the Olympics regatta, she proved that there’s a core of steel holding that 37-year-old body together as she won silver in the Women’s Single Sculls.
That made it four rowing medals for the New Zealand team, after the Women’s Double, the Men’s Four and Women’s Four turned on that spectacular hour two days ago.
Emma absolutely took it to world champion Karolien Florijn. She was just a second down on the Dutch athlete, who hasn’t been beaten since the start of the 2022 season, going through the 1500m.
“Karolien is an amazing sculler. She's really set the benchmark over the last three years, and I feel proud as a 37-year-old that I'm keeping up with a 25-year-old.
“Just super proud that I could go out there and execute when it counted and to have the race of my life and be there with Karolien was special.”
Karolien and Emma congratulating each other after the Women's single sculls Final at Paris Olympics 2024.
There have been lots of special moments in an international career that spans back to her debut in the New Zealand Under 19 Eight in 2003.
She’s shaped the sport as much as the sport’s shaped her. There have been breaks and comebacks that didn’t always fit rowing’s masterplan for her.
Gold medal winners Lucy Spoors and Brooke Francis have spoken this week of the role Emma played in their ability to juggle young children and a career in rowing.
The rowing world is in awe of the three of them. As are so many more women, and men, in the wider sports community.
It’s been a ride.
“Ultimately, I just love what I do and actually I love the training more than I do the racing and that's what's kept me in the game, inspiring people, the friendships, everything that I think when I went away from the sport I realised was worth more than this [medal].
“Medals are amazing, but when the sole focus is the medal, then you can be pretty disappointed if things don't work out.”
It was time now to catch up with family, wife Charlotte and son Tommy, who she hadn’t seen for six weeks.
He’s about to get his own appreciation of an Olympic silver medal after not seeing mum for so long.
“That's the nature of the beast, and I guess he can look back now and have a little bit of metal to play with in his toy box.”
Emma Twigg with wife Charlotte and son Tommy after her race.
The Men’s Single Sculls final was delayed after the neutral athlete from Belarusia arrived late to the course. Racing was delayed for over an hour.
Tom Mackintosh was pulled up just before going on the water so had to walk the boat back on to the racks and go through his land prep again.
The New Zealand crews are used to fog delays at Lake Karapiro and Tom says it had no bearing on his performance.
He thought a medal was a real possibility with 500m to go, but having fought off an earlier challenge from Greece’s Stafanos Ntouskos, there was nothing left when the Neutral Athlete from Belarus made his move.
But the gold-medal moment belonged to Germany’s Olli Zeidler. He led all the way to win in 6.37.57.
Tom finished fifth in 6.49.62. The medals are important but by no means everything.
“I never got into this to win medals,” he says. “I got into this to find my physical limit and find what I can do as an oarsman, and I felt like I could do that today so I'm very proud of that.”
Tom Mackintosh after his final in the men's single sculls at the Paris Olympics 2024.
For now, it’s a rest and then back into the big boats, after he was voted on as the next President of the Oxford University Boat Club.
“I suppose [it’s] slightly unique in the sense that it's an incredibly old club and novel to have someone that hasn't been a member of the boat club to be president in the first season,” says Tom.
It's a seven-and-a half-minute pitch followed by three-and-a-half minutes of Q& A.
The seven-minute grind of a singles race has prepared Tom Mackintosh well for the next part of his rowing adventure.
The Olympic adventure is now waiting for some fresh New Zealand rowers to seize.
There’s four years to Los Angeles.
Below is the course. 1500m long. Who wants a piece?
Andy Hay
Andy Hay is a freelance producer, writer and rowing coach. He was cox of the world champion New Zealand eight of 1982 and '83. He is NZ Olympian #446.
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- Home
- /
- International Regattas
- /
- Emma’s encore makes...
Emma’s encore makes it four
The New Zealand crews finish with a gold, two silvers and a bronze in Paris.
“I looked across with 500 to go and was level with Karolien. I thought for a moment that I was just going to keep walking, but the legs got me to about the 1800 metre mark.”
Emma Twigg described herself as hanging on by a thread a couple of days ago.
But on the final day of the Olympics regatta, she proved that there’s a core of steel holding that 37-year-old body together as she won silver in the Women’s Single Sculls.
That made it four rowing medals for the New Zealand team, after the Women’s Double, the Men’s Four and Women’s Four turned on that spectacular hour two days ago.
Emma absolutely took it to world champion Karolien Florijn. She was just a second down on the Dutch athlete, who hasn’t been beaten since the start of the 2022 season, going through the 1500m.
“Karolien is an amazing sculler. She's really set the benchmark over the last three years, and I feel proud as a 37-year-old that I'm keeping up with a 25-year-old.
“Just super proud that I could go out there and execute when it counted and to have the race of my life and be there with Karolien was special.”
Karolien and Emma congratulating each other after the Women's single sculls Final at Paris Olympics 2024.
There have been lots of special moments in an international career that spans back to her debut in the New Zealand Under 19 Eight in 2003.
She’s shaped the sport as much as the sport’s shaped her. There have been breaks and comebacks that didn’t always fit rowing’s masterplan for her.
Gold medal winners Lucy Spoors and Brooke Francis have spoken this week of the role Emma played in their ability to juggle young children and a career in rowing.
The rowing world is in awe of the three of them. As are so many more women, and men, in the wider sports community.
It’s been a ride.
“Ultimately, I just love what I do and actually I love the training more than I do the racing and that's what's kept me in the game, inspiring people, the friendships, everything that I think when I went away from the sport I realised was worth more than this [medal].
“Medals are amazing, but when the sole focus is the medal, then you can be pretty disappointed if things don't work out.”
It was time now to catch up with family, wife Charlotte and son Tommy, who she hadn’t seen for six weeks.
He’s about to get his own appreciation of an Olympic silver medal after not seeing mum for so long.
“That's the nature of the beast, and I guess he can look back now and have a little bit of metal to play with in his toy box.”
Emma Twigg with wife Charlotte and son Tommy after her race.
The Men’s Single Sculls final was delayed after the neutral athlete from Belarusia arrived late to the course. Racing was delayed for over an hour.
Tom Mackintosh was pulled up just before going on the water so had to walk the boat back on to the racks and go through his land prep again.
The New Zealand crews are used to fog delays at Lake Karapiro and Tom says it had no bearing on his performance.
He thought a medal was a real possibility with 500m to go, but having fought off an earlier challenge from Greece’s Stafanos Ntouskos, there was nothing left when the Neutral Athlete from Belarus made his move.
But the gold-medal moment belonged to Germany’s Olli Zeidler. He led all the way to win in 6.37.57.
Tom finished fifth in 6.49.62. The medals are important but by no means everything.
“I never got into this to win medals,” he says. “I got into this to find my physical limit and find what I can do as an oarsman, and I felt like I could do that today so I'm very proud of that.”
Tom Mackintosh after his final in the men's single sculls at the Paris Olympics 2024.
For now, it’s a rest and then back into the big boats, after he was voted on as the next President of the Oxford University Boat Club.
“I suppose [it’s] slightly unique in the sense that it's an incredibly old club and novel to have someone that hasn't been a member of the boat club to be president in the first season,” says Tom.
It's a seven-and-a half-minute pitch followed by three-and-a-half minutes of Q& A.
The seven-minute grind of a singles race has prepared Tom Mackintosh well for the next part of his rowing adventure.
The Olympic adventure is now waiting for some fresh New Zealand rowers to seize.
There’s four years to Los Angeles.
Below is the course. 1500m long. Who wants a piece?
Andy Hay
Andy Hay is a freelance producer, writer and rowing coach. He was cox of the world champion New Zealand eight of 1982 and '83. He is NZ Olympian #446.
