Cyclist Sarah Ulmer, who won 3000m individual pursuit, can keep her olive wreath

Wellington: At Least three of New Zealand’s Olympic medallists, who returned home on Wednesday from Athens, will be allowed to rest on their laurels.

A change of heart by government agriculture officials means that cyclist Sarah Ulmer and triathletes Hamish Carter and Bevan Docherty can retain the olive wreaths they won with their medals.

New Zealand’s ministry of agriculture and fisheries said last week athletes would not be allowed to bring their wreaths home because they could carry diseases or pests that could devastate the country’s plants and animals.

But a spokeswoman for the ministry’s plant imports team said on Wednesday an irradiation treatment had subsequently been found that would kill any dangerous organisms.

The wreaths were taken from the athletes on their arrival at Auckland airport and will be treated and returned within days, the spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity.

Ulmer won gold in the women’s 3000-meter individual pursuit; Carter gold and Docherty silver in the men’s triathlon. Rowing gold medallists Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell decided not to bring their wreaths home while silver medal-winning canoeist Ben Fouhy has yet to return.

Meanwhile, Australian rower Sally Robbins, vilified by her crew mates for quitting in the Olympics final, said on Wednesday she was looking forward to throwing herself into her new project of studying sports journalism.

The 23-year-old, labelled ‘Lay-down Sally’ by local newspapers after her disappointing performance in the women’s eights final in Athens on August 22, arrived home with fresh determination to train for the Beijing Games in 2008.