QINGDAO - New Zealand boardsailor Tom Ashley today won gold by the smallest of margins at the Olympic Games regatta off Qingdao.

Ashley had to beat Julian Bontemps of France and Nick Dempsey from Great Britain to take the gold, and did just that in finishing third in the medal race.

It was the third New Zealand gold medal of the Beijing Games and the first sailing gold since 1992, when boardsailor Barbara Kendall won off Barcelona.

Ashley's path to victory was made easier when Bontemps dropped his sail at the first mark.

He finished the regatta on 52 points, with Bontemps on 53.

An upset Bontemps was in tears after the finish, hurling his sunglasses into the sea.

Ashley was one point off the lead heading into the medal race, won by King Yin Chan of Hong Kong.

Shahar Zubari of Israel was second in the medal race, a result which gave him the bronze on 58 points.

Ashley was second to Chan around the first mark, 35 seconds clear of Bontemps. However, Bontemps came back hard, cutting the margin to just 12 seconds at the finish.

Sonny Bill Released after a deal was reached with Bulldogs, the deal broker with the help of former Australian senator and lobbyist Graham Richardson and Co Manager Anthony Mundine

Details of the settlement were not disclosed but it is believed the Bulldogs were given in the vicinity of $750,000 to allow Williams to take up a two-year deal with French rugby club Toulon.

The settlement is believed to stipulates that Williams cannot play for any other NRL club until the end of the 2012 season, though the Kiwi international has already stated his intention never to return to rugby league.

Representatives of Williams made contact with the Bulldogs after a Supreme Court ruling deemed he would be in contempt of court if he continued to play for Toulon.

After lengthy discussions between Williams' representatives and the Bulldogs, the settlement was achieved today with the club legally releasing Williams from his five-year NRL contract.

"With the backing of the Courts the point has clearly been made that a contract is binding," said Bulldogs boss Todd Greenberg.

 

Kiwi adrenaline junkie Mike Heard has cracked the world bungy-jumping record for the most jumps in 24 hours, making 103 jumps in 10 hours.

His record attempt will be used to raise funds for the Cure Kids medical research charity, and so far he has raised about $NZ5000 ($A4,000), with an "ambitious" target of $NZ30,000 ($A24,000).

Heard's love of bungy jumping began five years ago and hasn't dimmed.

"Once you get over the fear it's really, really enjoyable - it's quite a free feeling."

The previous record for the most bungy jumps in 24 hours was held by South African Bill Boshoff who performed 101 bungy jumps in 14 hours and 23 minutes at Bloukrans River Bridge, South Africa, on May 10, 2002.

What a weekend for Kiwis, the Olympics normally overtakes everything, TV, Radio, and websites. I grew up with John Walker beating the Africans in the 1500 and our rowers beating the world, so the world seems to be a better place after our Kiwi Golden Weekend.

In New Zealand's best day ever at an Olympics. Valerie Vili, Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell Olympic Games gold a silver to track cyclist Hayden Roulston and bronzes to singles sculler Mahe Drysdale and fellow rowers George Bridgewater and Nathan Twaddle in the men's pair. Then for desert the All Blacks thrashed the Springboks in a game the resembled the original Olympic marathon.

Last time we played the Springboks seven seconds was our undoing, so we had to win and win in some significant way, the way the AB's did it was to keep the Boks scoreless, thats right a down trou for the first time ever, the only disappointment in the weekend was the Boks failing to honor the ritual of walking back to the sheds with their pants up fairs fair boys.....

Kiwi Gold Bring it on

Cheers

That Kiwi Joker