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Joelle King wins second gold to cap gruelling Comm Games campaign

TVNZ | Commonwealth Games

The women’s squash singles gold medal winner added more silverware to her haul after winning the women’s doubles with Amanda Landers-Murphy. Source: TVNZ | Commonwealth Games

MOST

'It enhanced my racing' – Sophie Pascoe says she thrived on Comm Games leadership role

00:40

NZ's chef de mission was over the moon with his team's Commonwealth Games campaign.

Watch: Rob Waddell chuffed with Gold Coast success but won't reveal top moment

00:50

Scott Curry and the New Zealand team returned from the Gold Coast last night.

'You could hear it from baggage claim' - NZ Sevens captain blown away by Commonwealth Games homecoming

00:28

The Kiwi pole vaulter spoke after her arrival back into NZ last night.

Eliza McCartney opens up on Commonwealth Games silver - 'It's never not special'

Athletes who vanished during Commonwealth Games turn up in Sydney

1 NEWS

A group of athletes who disappeared while they were supposed to be competing at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games last month have finally resurfaced with their visas due to expire later tonight.

Daily Telegraph reports that the group of African athletes who went missing are now consulting with the Refugee Advice and Casework Service in Randwick, in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Approximately 19 athletes disappeared during the Games, including five boxers and three wrestlers from Cameroon - one of whom was meant to face Kiwi fighter David Nyika in the heavyweight section quarter-finals.

The Australian Government emphasised during last month's event that the athletes had not breached their visas by leaving the athletes' village but they were warnings they would be tracked down as well as an urge to depart before the visas expired today.

"If they don't want to be held in detention or locked up at the local watch house, they'd better jump on a plane before the 15th and comply with their visa's conditions," Australia's Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton said.

It isn't the first case of athletes disappearing during the Commonwealth Games.

In 2012, seven athletes from Cameroon were reported missing while back in 2006 in Melbourne, 14 athletes from Sierra Leone were eventually granted asylum after more than 40 competitors went missing.

Cameroon weightlifter Olivier Matam went missing during the Commonwealth Games. Source: Getty

TODAY'S

Police appeal for public's help to recover David Nyika's stolen Comm Games gold medal

1 NEWS

Police want to speak to people seen on CCTV at an Auckland store over the Commonwealth Games gold medal that was stolen from boxer David Nyika.

Police want to talk to this person or anyone who recognises this person in relation to the theft of a Commonwealth Games gold medal. Source: NZ Police

Nyika, who defended his Glasgow heavyweight gold with a win over Australia's Jason Whately, was in Auckland last month when he noticed his medal, as well as some vouchers, had been stolen from his car.

He reported the theft to police on April 29.

Police want to talk to this person or anyone who recognises this person in relation to the theft of a Commonwealth Games gold medal. Source: NZ Police

Detective Sergeant Paul Slater of Hamilton Tactical Crime Unit says police are interested in speaking to the people seen in these CCTV video still in this story taken at a store in Onehunga.

"Obviously a Commonwealth Games medal is very distinctive and of high sentimental value to the victim and his family, our priority is to return this medal to its rightful owner," he said.

Police want to talk to this person or anyone who recognises this person in relation to the theft of a Commonwealth Games gold medal. Source: NZ Police

"We want to speak to anyone who has information or was in the area at the time, we believe someone will know where it is or who these people are in these photos so we can speak to them."

"We also want to speak to the people pictured as we believe they can help us with our inquiries.

Nykia won the medal on the Gold Coast, and says it holds plenty of sentimental value for him. Source: 1 NEWS

Nyika said he was confident the police would find the culprits and his medal.

"At first I was quite embarrassed about it, but now I'm just angry.

"I just want the medal back. It's almost worthless to anyone but me, you know, so I really hope I can get it back."

If anyone has information they can contact Detective Sergeant Paul Slater on (07) 858 6200.

Nyika defeated Jason Whateley by unanimous decision at the Comm Games in the 91kg division. Source: TVNZ | Commonwealth Games

The 22-year-old dominated his Aussie rival Jason Whateley in the final to win by unanimous decision in the men’s 91kg division. Source: TVNZ | Commonwealth Games

Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Police want to talk to this person (in the inset) or anyone who recognises this person (inset) in relation to the theft of a Commonwealth Games gold medal. Source: Photosport

TODAY'S

Commonwealth champion Julia Ratcliffe learned hammer throw in the backyard

1 NEWS

Many of New Zealand’s greatest rugby players and cricketers developed their skills in the backyard, but Commonwealth champion Julia Ratcliffe is probably the first to learn the hammer throw at home.

The Ratcliffes’ home facility is the perfect training ground for track and field's latest star with a total of 27 hammers, the lightest being 2kg and the heaviest being 8kg.

"Dad was out in the back yard with the 100 metre tape measuring out the logistics of where the hammer circle would go," Ratcliffe said.

It was high stakes for Ratcliffe’s dad and coach, Dave.

"If we would have hit the house my wife would have said 'off you go'," he said.

Surprisingly, it didn't start with the hammer for the 24-year-old, she showed promise in the hurdles, winning the North Island champs but found out the hard way running wasn't her thing.

"She would run 100 metres, she would get left for dead, everybody would always beat her, she was quite explosive but she wasn't really built to run anything over 20 metres," her dad said.

From plodder to an explosive thrower, Ratcliffe's victory on the Gold Coast her best result to date.

The Princeton economics graduate is taking some time away from the hammer after shouldering an injury for almost a year.

"So the joints that attach your collar bone to your sternum, so they were subluxing, so partially dislocating," Ratcliffe said.

She'll focus on rehab before eyeing up her next big event, the world champs in October next year.

Then it'll be Tokyo and the chance to compete at her first Olympics.

Trained by her dad in the backyard, Ratcliffe is the country's latest athletics star, even if running wasn't her thing. Source: 1 NEWS

'It's been a bit of a whirlwind!' - Black Sticks women's star still coming to terms with historic gold medal

1 NEWS

Black Sticks defender Sam Charlton says her side's Commonwealth Games success will be a pivotal moment for the side, having claimed their first ever gold medal on the Gold Coast.

New Zealand's 4-1 victory over arch-rivals Australia sealed the historic gold medal for New Zealand, with Charlton telling TVNZ1's Breakfast that the Black Sticks are still living with the euphoria of their triumph.

"It's been a bit of a whirlwind!" she said.

"It was huge for us, obviously it's something that we've never achieved before.

"It's something we set out to do and we knew that it was going to be a really hard task. But to actually achieve that and come back and do that on behalf of our team and everyone back here, it was really special for us."

Charlton also added that the gold medal can be a stepping stone for future success, with a packed schedule on the cards for the Black Sticks.

"We have our World Cup in July, which is a huge pinnacle event for us."

"At the Commonwealth Games we achieved some really important milestones - we won our first shootout, which is a really big thing for us, and to win a final as well.

"Just proving to ourselves that we can do it against some of the best teams in the world is something that'll give us a huge amount of confidence going forward."

Defender Sam Charlton opened up on her side's victorious Commonwealth Games campaign. Source: TVNZ | Commonwealth Games