Kōrero: Olympic and Commonwealth games

Mahé Drysdale is clearly exhausted after coming third in the single-sculls final in Shunyi at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Drysdale had won the world single-sculls championship three years running from 2005 to 2007. At Beijing he had to overcome a debilitating gastro-intestinal virus in order to compete, and his bronze medal was a tribute to his courage and determination. He went on to win gold in the event at the London Olympics in 2012, then successfully defended his title at the 2016 Rio Olympics.