OLYMPICS – The future is female for New Zealand sport with more women medallists than men at the Rio Olympics, writes Tony Smith for Fairfax Media.

Eleven New Zealand women have claimed medals at this Olympiad, compared with seven men.

This is the first time the women have claimed bragging rights but it shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Some of the Rio medallists – Lisa Carrington, Valerie Adams and yachties Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie, had proven pedigrees and were expected to pop up on the podium.

But among the 11 were two 19-year-olds, pole vaulting phenomenon Eliza McCartney and world champion golfer Lydia Ko, who have glittering careers ahead of them.

Kayaker Carrington is only 27 and should still be firing for Tokyo in 2020 where she will have a shot at doing what so narrowly eluded shot put supremo Adams at Rio – a third consecutive gold medal.

South Canterbury shooter Natalie Rooney, who set the scene as the first Kiwi medallist at Rio, and Luuka Jones, the canoe slalom ace, should also get another shot at golden glory.

New Zealand sport couldn’t wish for a better cluster of female role models.

Carrington, the perfect paddler from Ohope, is a splendid ambassador for kayaking and totally unaffected by her fame.

Adams showed genuine grace despite the disappointment of missing another gold medal to America’s Michelle Carter on her final throw.

Aleh and Powrie, the 2012 women’s 470 yachting champions, exuded resilience in securing a silver.

McCartney and Ko were typical teenagers with their unbridled delight at earning medals at their first Olympics.

Their achievements must inspire a generation of New Zealand girls, who must realise now there is more to women’s sport than netball.

Will we see a wholesale discarding of digital devices as schoolgirls flock to take up pole vaulting, golf, kayaking and shot put in homage to their heroines?

New Zealand women’s sport has certainly improved in leaps and bounds since long jumper Yvette Williams became the first female Kiwi Olympic champion (and medallist) at Helsinki in 1952.

There was then a 12 yearswait to see another Kiwi woman on the podium, 800m runner Marise Chamberlain at Tokyo in 1964.

And then it was a long time between energy drinks till the next female medallists – rowing pair Lynley Hannen and Nicola Payne and equestrian team members Margaret Knighton and Tinks Pottinger – at Seoul in 1988.

Wind surfer (and current International Olympic Committee member) Barbara Kendall became the first Kiwi to complete a full set of medals with gold at Barcelona in 1992, silver in Atlanta in 1996 and bronze at Sydney in 2000. She was still racing in Beijing in 2008, her fifth Olympic campaign.

Ulmer smashed world track cycling records for fun on her march to her gold medal at Athens in 2004 while Adams and the Evers-Swindell twins were back to back Olympic champions.

- Fairfax Media