Another week in the books means we’ve got another edition of our best sporting moments from that period. Once again, there were some huge highlights, with the Athletics World Championships, NRL, and NPC all delivering major moments across the slate. With that in mind, we’re diving headfirst into analysing what I believe were some of the best moments in sport.
Liam Lawson Settles In
What has been a rather tough first year as a starting driver for Kiwi F1 talent Liam Lawson has finally hit a high point for him and his team. As we all know, Lawson was dismissed from the coveted Red Bull No. 2 seat after just a couple of races in historic fashion, and was “relegated” to the Racing Bulls team, which is considered the second tier of the Red Bull family.
This season, he’s taken part in 17 Grands Prix, managing five top 10 finishes. On the other hand, he’s also picked up four DNFs along the way.
This weekend in Azerbaijan, he was in scintillating form, starting with the free practice sessions early in the lead-up. That form carried over into the all-important qualifying, which certainly hasn’t been his strong suit this season. However, this time he flourished, battling with the big boys on track and securing a starting spot on the second row after finishing third in Q3.
Now, the race itself wasn’t perfect for Lawson, as he did slip down the order. But not many would have expected him to hold off the superior cars behind him. So, only dropping two spots from his starting position marked a great result that capped off an even better weekend for the Kiwi.
Geordie Beamish Steals It At The Buzzer
The World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this past week delivered some huge moments, especially for us Kiwis, who were able to get in behind and support some of our best athletes on the world stage. In some cases, that support has reaped massive rewards, with a few of our athletes securing historic wins in their respective events.
There is one, though, that stands out above the rest is the 3000m steeplechase final. Where Geordie Beamish put the world on notice by taking out gold over one of the best to ever do it, Soufiane El Bakkali. Winning gold is obviously the pinnacle of the sport, but the fashion in which Beamish achieved it made the result that much sweeter.
After sitting somewhere in the middle of the pack for most of the race, Beamish made sure to put on a show down the stretch. As he hit the final bend, he started to make his move, blitzing the rest of the field, who were all trailing in the dust of El Bakkali, who had set a phenomenal pace. However, Beamish was up to the task. After the last jump, he managed to make up what looked like 8 to 12 metres on the leader and beat him to the finish line, winning the race by 0.7 seconds and claiming the title in jaw-dropping fashion.
Otago Take The Shield On It’s Next Trip
That log o’ wood continues to get on the Kiwi Experience bus and make its way around the country, as Otago pulled off a phenomenal comeback against their bitter rivals, Canterbury. As we all know, the men in black and red have been utterly dominant so far, running the floor through the early and middle parts of the season.
Looking at the game, with 60 minutes gone, it was a two-score lead in Canterbury’s favour and Otago had only 14 men on the field.
That yellow card almost lit a fire under Otago, who went on to score 12 points during that period. Star openside Lucas Casey broke the game open with an outstanding second try on the day.
However, what was more impressive to me was the fact that, after taking the lead with 14 minutes to go, Otago were able to hold off a Canterbury side who always seem to come up with a last play when the game is on the line. This time, that wouldn’t be the case. Otago held them out and managed to take the Shield, which they now hold for the first time since 2020.
