Stories by Dana Johannsen

The women of New Zealand's track cycling team trumped all other Kiwi competitors for medals at the Paris Olympics. They came from a dark place to get there.

Dame Lisa Carrington stands on the embankment talking media through the race of her life as if it were just another training run.

Analysis - Not long after Dame Lisa Carrington cemented her status as NZ's most decorated Olympian, a little-known Kiwi paddler took to the water in Denmark.

The keirin, in which cyclists sprint for victory following a speed-controlled start, is known to throw up drama and chaos.

Eight years on from her Olympic debut, Eliza McCartney re-entered the Games arena much the same way she left it - joyous, exuberant, awestruck.

The confusion was almost immediate. Foreign media were puzzled. Why were the Kiwis so bad?

The Alexandra kayaker won in a thrilling race and says he can't comprehend beating the world champion.

The young mountain bike star turned on her best elite performance yet to charge to a top-eight finish in Paris. But first she had to get to the start line.

It was a procession of despair, disappointment and shattered dreams at Stade de France on Sunday.

If Tokyo was for the demons, Paris was for the love of it, Dana Johannsen writes. Audio

The sprint star's appearance was one of the most anticipated at these games, but she showed no sign of being daunted.

New Zealand has the current women's world champion in Kayak Cross, an event debuting tomorrow morning at the Paris Games. Audio

Kiwi Hayden Wilde got the showdown he wanted, but not the ending, as Alex Yee ran past him in a tense final stretch to snatch the gold. Audio

Right before her break in the Olympic Sevens final, Sarah Hirini took a nasty knock to her face. It was yet another brutal injury sustained for her team. Audio

It's the farewell party that retiring sevens legends Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Tyla King had been hoping for.

During his darkest moments, the Paris Olympic Games had been Sam Gaze's light.

History's most-decorated gymnast is back at the Olympics, rebuilt and renewed - and RNZ's Dana Johanssen was among the enraptured crowd.

Analysis - It was clear by the 150m mark that the punishing pace of the race was taking its toll on the 20-year-old Dunedin swimmer, Dana Johannsen writes.

The Dunedin athlete says she'll "give it my best go" in what's considered the greatest women's swimming showdown of all time.

Tom Mackintosh won gold as part of the men's eight in Tokyo. Could he surge onto the podium again as a single sculler at Paris?

New Zealand has found itself at the centre of one of the major international storylines of the Paris Olympic Games days out from the opening, as a controversy deepens.

Nearly 200 Kiwi athletes are in Paris competing at the pinnacle of their sport. What about the hundreds more who are staying home?

From virtual unknowns, two young athletes have quickly surged into contention in the first-ever Olympic speed climbing event.

Sammie Maxwell has been conditionally selected in the team for the Paris Games after officials make final call on "incredibly complex" case.

A fortnight out from the opening ceremony, Sammie Maxwell is waiting on top officials at the NZOC to decide if she can compete.