Fellow paddler Luuka Jones, competing in her fifth Olympics, wasn’t as fortunate in her playoff run as she was eliminated in her semifinal after crossing the line second before being ruled to have missed a gate and was relegated out of the final.

Jones eventually went on to win the small final of the women’s event, handing her fifth place overall.

Jones acknowledged this will almost certainly be her last Olympics just moments before Butcher announced his status as New Zealand’s top slalom paddler.

Silver for women’s sprint team

A superb start at the velodrome for the New Zealand team with Ellesse Andrews, Rebecca Petch and Shaane Fulton setting a world record in the heats to book a spot in the gold medal ride before taking the silver, with Great Britain breaking the world record three times in the day.

The men’s team pursuit set the sixth fastest time in qualifying to advance to the heats but will need to improve to have a shot at the medal races.

Pole vault trio reach final

Eliza McCartney, Imogen Ayris and Olivia McTaggart all qualified for the final as part of 20 athletes who qualified. Rio medallist McCartney was one of 11 that went over 4.55m. Also in the field events, discus thrower Connor Bell finished 13th in qualifying and missed the final. George Beamish finished seventh in his 3000m steeplechase heat, failing to make the final.

Sport climbing

Sarah Tetzlaff made her Olympic debut and set a PB to finish 12th in the seedings but lost to Poland’s Aleksandra Kalucka in the first round.

Sailing

The Nacra pair of Erica Dawson and Micha Wilkinson sit in third with nine of 12 races down. They will likely book a spot in the medal race. They are 14 points back from the Italy duo in first but tied with second-placed Argentina on 28 points, only sitting third in countback.

Should Wilkinson and Dawson manage to get on the podium Wednesday, they will be the first New Zealand catamaran crew to medal at the Games since Rex Sellers and Chris Timms won silver in Seoul in 1988.

In the women’s dingy Greta Pilkington sits in 34th after a 21st and 40th today. Both Kiwi kitesurfers look to be off the pace.

Wrestling

Two-time Commonwealth Games medallist Tayla Tuahine-Ford lost her first round bout to a French opponent 6-0 to be eliminated from the competition.

Triathlon – Team relay finish well off pace

New Zealand’s hopes in the team relay faded as soon as silver medallist in the men’s event Hayden Wilde crashed in the opening bike leg. New Zealand eventually finished 14th with Germany pipping USA and Great Britain in a stunning finish.