You can set all the medal targets you like before an Olympic Games, but there's nothing quite like seeing a Kiwi standing on the podium when you least expect it.
Like trap shooter Natalie Rooney, Tauranga paddler Luuka Jones reminded New Zealand what the Olympic stage is all about, as she stormed down the rapids in Rio to a historic silver in the women's K-1 canoe slalom.
There aren't too many occasions in your career where you get that tingle down the back of your spine, when the hair stands up on the back of your neck, when you get a lump in your throat. When you write, talk and watch sport for a living day in day out, it's easy to become numb to success or take it for granted.
Yesterday was not one of those days. I'm glad I was there in the stands, not just as a sports reporter, but a proud Kiwi too.
There's nothing quite like being at the contest to witness the true theatre of sport. What the TV cameras miss and your eyes capture, are the memories you cherish for life.
It might be the lone New Zealand flag flying proudly amidst a sea of others, or the smile on the faces of the families, whānau and friends who made the long journey to witness history.
In yesterday's case, it was the celebrations that followed the final that will stay with me forever. Celebrations in true Kiwi style.
As Luuka lay outstretched and exhausted in her boat, a beaming smile ear to ear, she was soon joined by her team mates who dove in to soak up her silver.
There, in the water, surrounded by a small team of supporters, feeling the success just as much as Luuka, they celebrated an achievement 20 years in the making.
This moment was not about fulfilling the expectations of a nation, but of a woman who dreamed of wearing the silver fern at the Olympics as a young girl.
In her own words, she wanted to put canoe slalom in New Zealand "on the map".
She achieved that the moment she stepped into the Olympic limelight yesterday, collecting the country's first medal in the sport at any major event.
A day Luuka Jones showed that sometimes it's the success of the quiet achievers that can leave the most memorable mark on us all.
Jeff McTainsh / Newshub
