Kayaking Gold medallist is too happy to take his medal off

By Bonnie Jansen

Seek wisdom as gold.

During his time at Dunstan High School in Otago, Finn Butcher saw this phrase every day. Twelve years after leaving school, its motto rings truer than ever.

”[That school] shaped me as a person as well as an athlete,” he told the Herald with an Olympic gold medal glistening around his neck.

A fortnight on from his victory in the Kayak Cross event at the 2024 Paris Games, Butcher has been struggling to take the medal off.

“The strap’s actually getting a little bit worn from being around my neck.

“So many people have helped me get this so I actually really like when people want to see it and experience it and hold it and even put it on. Because part of [the reason I have it] is from everyone supporting me. To be able to share that with people is pretty special. I love wearing it and I’m super proud to bring it home to New Zealand.

“It’s got a few little marks in it and stuff like that... but I don’t mind, it’s all part of it.”

Sitting down with the Herald, Butcher was first to acknowledge that he credits much of his success to his family.

“Growing up in Central Otago there’s a huge community there of people who do [sport] and are willing to support someone else’s kids doing it too. I had five or six second families who took me around everywhere. I just absolutely loved growing up down there.”

Butcher told the Herald shortly after his medal ceremony in Paris, he sent a photo of himself with his coveted prize to a group chat with his kayaking schoolmates.

“I was in the doping control and they were [replying], ‘seek wisdom in gold’. Obviously [it’s] big gold rush times down in Central Otago and it’s pretty crazy to be able to bring a gold medal back there, show my friends, bring it back into school and show some of the old teachers. Hopefully, some kids at school get inspired to start the sport,” Butcher said.

It’s been a gold rush for Butcher since his win. In the days after he attended press conferences, partied at the Ireland Olympic house and enjoyed watching fellow Kiwi athletes like Hamish Kerr and Ellesse Andrews compete. He also had the honour of being New Zealand’s flag bearer, alongside flat water canoeist Lisa Carrington, for the closing ceremony.

Less than 48 hours after touching down in Auckland, the 29-year-old was then on media rounds, showing off his medal and sharing his experience with a refreshing charisma and confidence.

Butcher produced the paddle of his life in Paris to lead the field from start to finish. He became the first-ever Olympic champion in the men’s canoe slalom cross event and was the first Kiwi man to win gold in an individual sport since Mahé Drysdale in the men’s single sculls at the Rio Games in 2016. It was a massive turnaround from his 2023 World Championships effort where he finished 13th in K1 and 11th in Kayak Cross.

Aside from his talent on the water, his personality alone has Butcher on track to become a household New Zealand name – which is an idea he’s still coming to terms with.

“Life has been pretty hectic, to be honest. Just a lot more media commitments and needing to be a bit more organised on my emails and messages. It’s been wicked... And so cool to see all the support that people have been showing me.”

Butcher acknowledges that if it weren’t for his gold medal he wouldn’t have garnered as much attention upon his return to Aotearoa. In addition to his numerous interviews he attended the All Blacks test against Argentina at Eden Park on Saturday, where he got to show off his medal and meet the players.

The canoeist seems to value these moments even more, likely due to his humble upbringing.

“I grew up in a family that like my parents are so supportive – they worked super hard to be able to send me away and do basically whatever I dreamed of. Man I’m super grateful for that because they gave me such a good upbringing.

“My parents worked hundreds of hours in their cafe and wedding centre to help me achieve my dreams. We had a leaky glass ceiling that we’d put buckets under to catch the rain. My parents never fixed it, they wanted to save that money for my competitions in Europe,” he said.

Butcher hopes that those trips to overseas competitions will be more accessible because of his win at Paris. He told the Herald he won’t receive a lumpsum pay cheque for his efforts but hopes to get continued decent support from High Performance Sport New Zealand.

“They’ve helped me a lot in the last four years already and I think this medal is probably a reflection of that.”

Butcher feels he’s also in a better position to acquire sponsorship and brand opportunities – something that will come in handy as he turns focus to becoming the best in the world.

“To bring this [medal] home from Kayak Cross is pretty special and I also want to try to get one in the slalom as well.

“I love it so much that I don’t plan on stopping. I’m definitely keen to get to Los Angeles 2028. I want to keep learning and keep getting better. [The sport] it’s a puzzle that you’re trying to figure out, but at the same time, the puzzle keeps changing and that’s what holds you in.

Whether or not Butcher’s goals come to fruition in four years - his memories gained in the past month are unlikely to fade.

The same goes for his mum and dad, who will have the honour of hosting his gold medal.

“It’s going to be quite hard to get it out of my sight,” Butcher said. But once he eventually takes it off from around his neck he’ll be sending it south to his parent’s home in Alexandra.

He revealed it will sit in its cardboard box, on the wee pillow that came with it, overlooking the Mata-Au Clutha River – his playground, where he learnt to nail his kayaking skills.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission