Finn Butcher crossing the line first, arms aloft, may well end up being the most enduring visual from the Paris Olympics for The NZ Team.
Butcher paddled to the gold medal, becoming the first Olympic men's canoe slalom kayak cross champion on Monday (Tuesday NZ Time), powering away with a near-perfect race at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
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The Pride of Alexandra led from start to finish to beat three-time world champion Joseph Clarke of Great Britain, winning New Zealand's third gold medal in Paris.
It was also redemption for Butcher after the disappointment of the men's K1 slalom semifinal, when he was controversially judged to have missed a gate, missing the final and finishing
With Clarke getting caught up with eventual bronze medallist Noah Hegge of Germany, Butcher took off.
He was first through the roll-over zone and avoided any defensive overtakes by going quickly around the two upward gates, before gliding to the finish.
Crossing the line, he glanced back at the scoring screen to check for any fault - showed a clean run - before raising his arms in jubilation and slapping the front of his kayak multiple times in an emotional celebration.
Earlier in the day, the 29-year-old successfully negotiated two knockout races, winning his quarterfinal race and finishing second to Clarke, who got the jump on him at the start, in the semifinals.
While Butcher had a little luck at the start of his big final, it was the opposite for Luuka Jones in her women's kayak cross semifinal.
Jones got caught up with two other paddlers on the first upward gate, being bumped to the back to fourth. Having to take risks in a bid to finish in the top-two to reach the big final, Jones missed a swinging downward gate five, incurring a fault.
Although she crossed the finish line in second behind eventual gold medallist Noemie Fox of Australia, she was related to fourth and the small final.
The 35-year-old, competing at her fifth Olympics, then dominated the small final, out front from start to finish to claim fifth overall, to go with finishing eighth in the women's K1 canoe slalom last week.
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