Sportshounds senior correspondent Mike Osborne wraps up the Australian highlights on Day 11 of 16 at the Paris Olympics.
Wheels and water delivered for Australia on Day 11 of the Paris Olympics as skateboarder Arisa Trew became the nation’s youngest gold medallist, Jack Robinson won surfing silver and the sprint cyclists delivered bronze.
Trew won the women’s skateboard park beating the Tokyo silver and bronze medallists Cocona Hiraki of Japan and Sky Brown of Great Britain, who both finished in the same positions..
Trew had a terrible first run falling off her board, but then jumped up the rankings with a second run score of 90.11 and nailed her acrobatic third run with a gold medal-winning score of 93.18.
“I knew I landed the (third) run and when I came out I was just waiting for the score,” Trew said. “Then it popped up and I was like, ‘Yes, I’m secure on the podium’. I really wanted to win.”
It’s been a big year for Trew after she was also named the Laureus world action sportsperson of the year after being the first woman to land a 720 trick completing two full rotations in mid-air. You can read the full story of her gold medal victory here.
Big wave specialist Robinson finished with the silver medal in the men’s surfing after a frustrating wait for waves during calmer conditions at the normally massive Teahupo’o break in Tahiti, French Polynesia
Robinson was the only one of the fancied four Australian surfers to make the medal rounds and was taking on local Tahitian Kauli Vaast, representing France, who won the gold.
Vaast, who lives in Teahupo’o, got the better of the waves scoring a 9.50 ride early followed by an 8.17 wave for a total score of 17.67.
Robinson was awarded a 7.83 ride but could not register another score as he waited for the waves to form.
“I felt like it was whoever was going to be on the best waves, (but) you can’t always predict the ocean,” Robinson said, after going one better than the bronze won by compatriot Owen Wright in Tokyo.
“The medals are getting shinier, for sure, so hopefully the gold one next time.
I get to go for a world title at the end of the year, so this is another special moment along that journey.”
Robinson said he hoped his performance would help inspire other young Australian surfers just as he’d been inspired by three-time American world champion Andy Irons.
“I remember when I was little how much I looked up to Andy,” he said.
“In the final and in the semi, I did get feelings of when I was young. I imagined myself. I was like, ‘Man, do it for that little kid who was inspired or motivated to be here one day, on this platform’. You do get those flashbacks.”
Meanwhile at the Paris velodrome Australia’s men’s sprint team of Leigh Hoffman, Matt Richardson and Matt Glaetzer won the bronze medal beating France by less than half a second.
“It was a crazy final,” said Glaetzer who swapped to be the lead-off rider for the final. “We had to change it up to maximise that horse power. We had to change the order. The first two laps were so fast and I was not quite on the wheel so we needed to mix it up for the final.”
Glaetzer was competing at his fourth Olympics and had finished fourth at his previous three Games.
“This bronze is like a gold for me after 12 years with no medal,” he said. “It’s so special to share with the boys. I’m so grateful. I’m super proud, they are such talents and they deserve this so much. I am the old dog of the squad and it is so nice to finally get the reward. To bring home a medal for Australia finally is the monkey off our backs.”
The Dutch set a world record 40.949 to beat the British in the gold medal ride-off, after Australia’s men’s pursuit team also set a world record 3min40.730s to qualify first for tomorrow’s final when they will ride for gold or silver.
The three medals left Australia third on the overall medal tally in Paris behind China and the USA.
Paris Olympic Medal Table
| Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA | 40 | 44 | 42 | 126 |
| 2 | China | 40 | 27 | 24 | 91 |
| 3 | Japan | 20 | 12 | 13 | 45 |
| 4 | Australia | 18 | 19 | 16 | 53 |
| 5 | France | 16 | 26 | 22 | 63 |
| 6 | Netherlands | 15 | 7 | 12 | 34 |
| 7 | Great Britain | 14 | 22 | 29 | 65 |
| 8 | Korea | 13 | 9 | 10 | 32 |
| 9 | Italy | 12 | 13 | 15 | 40 |
| 10 | Germany | 12 | 13 | 8 | 33 |
| 11 | New Zealand | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
The Australian action from other sports in Paris today:
ATHLETICS
New world record holder in the 2000m Jessica Hull easily qualified for the Olympic 1500m semi finals finishing second in her heat.
“It’s physical out there, you just have to respond and stay on your feet,” Hull said. “We do a lot of work in the gym to make sure that those moments don’t rattle me. That’s kind of a strength I have, and I know that when I go out there, that when it’s physical, I can hold my own ground.”
Georgia Griffith also qualified for the 1500m semi final by finishing fourth in her heat, however Linden Hall will need to qualify through the repechage races after finishing eighth in her 1500m heat.
Reece Holder was run out in the semi finals of the 400m after finishing fifth, as was Alanah Yukich in women’s 400m hurdles semi final.
CANOEING
After an incredibly fast start Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen won their heat of the kayak double 500m by more than a second to reach the semifinals.
“We’ve done a lot of work on our front end,” Green said. “We are stoked with that, and we still had plenty to give. We came out today to do what we have been training to do. Now, we just have a few things to work on leading into the semis.”
Van der Westhuyzen said the duo had a motto: “We just want to be like a dog on a bone out there, we just want to go for it.”
The men’s kayak four of Riley Fitzsimmons, Pierre van der Westhuyzen, Jackson Collins and Noah Harvard also won their quarter final by more than a second in an Olympic best time of 1min19.39 to reach the semi finals.
The women’s kayak pair of Aly Bull and Ella Beere were second in their quarter final of the double 500m and also qualified for the semifinals.
Bull and Beere doubled up into the women’s kayak four 500m with Alexandra Clarke and Yale Steinepreis to reach the semifinals on Thursday.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Tokyo silver medallists Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy defeated Switzerland’s Zoe Verge-Depre and Esmee Boebner in a cut throat quarter final in the temporary sand stadium under the Eiffel Tower.
The Australians took 53 minutes to win in three tight sets 21-19 16-21 15-12 and will now play in the semi finals.
Both players praised each other for their team work.
“I’m just so proud of how we really stayed true, and trusted our game, even though things didn’t always feel perfect, definitely for myself,” Clancy said. “And I am just so happy Mariafe stuck by me while I was trying to get myself into the game.”
“We know what we are capable of and we know if we play our best it doesn’t need to be perfect for us to get the win. We’ve just got to trust in what we do.”
Artacho del Solar said: “When one of us is down, the other one has the other’s back and vice versa. When I am down, ‘T’ had my back in those moments. That’s what teamwork is.”
WATER POLO
The Australian women’s water polo team won a cut-throat quarter final 9-6 against Greece to maintain their undefeated run in Paris.
The Stingers led throughout apart from a short period in the second quarter when it was 3-3, but Abby Andrews scored just before the halftime break to give the Australians a 4-3 lead.
Alice Williams had a game-high five goals but goalkeeper Gabriella Palm was again a standout with 13 saves from 19 shots.
“I’m a bit speechless. It’s just so incredible to come away with a win today with the girls in this incredible arena, so I am very happy,” Palm said.
Williams paid tribute to her teammate for providing the opportunities that led to her five goals.
“None of my shots come on without the girls working really hard. It’s a team effort through and through,” she said. “It’s quite easy in big games to want to get ahead of yourself and start going individual, but we stay as a team, we stay calm, we stay together.”
They now play the USA in the semifinals on Thursday where a victory will ensure them either the gold or silver medal.
CLIMBING
Australia’s Oceania Mackenzie was in fourth place after the first section of the women’s boulder and lead sport climb semifinal at Paris’s Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue.
Mackenzie finished behind climbers from Slovakia, France and the USA in the boulder section and will be battling to improve her position in the lead section on Thursday.
“I went out to the first boulder actually feeling quite nervous,” she said.
“But I saw that it was my style, and I was feeling confident and determined and knew that if I just went at it I could flash it – do it on my first try. From then on, I was feeling pretty good.
“All the women are quite close together, so you never really know who’s going to top boulders and who’s not. For that reason, it can be really exciting, just never really knowing what’s going to happen, and you get the adrenaline going.”
The final of the event will be held on Saturday August 10, the second last day of the Games.
DIVING
Seventeen-year-old Ellie Cole was seventh and Tokyo bronze medallist Melissa Wu was 11th in the women’s 10m platform diving.
Cole put in an impressive performance at her first Olympics while her hero Wu, 32, had her worst Olympic result at her fifth Games, having previously never finished worse than sixth and having won silver at Beijing 2008.
“It’s been very exciting, my fifth Olympics Games, competing for Australia,” Wu said “It’s an honour. This team was the hardest to make and I’m pleased with the whole journey. This one was extra special.”
Wu said she was looking forward to Cole going to the next level in the sport: “I am excited to see what the next generation can do. Eli is amazing.”
Meanwhile Kurtis Matthews qualified for the men’s 3m springboard semi final finishing eighth behind a dominant Chinese pair
BASKETBALL
The Boomers will not play for medals in Paris after losing 90-95 to Serbia in extra time of their heartstopping quarter final.
With two seconds left to play in regular time Australian captain Patty Mills sunk a two-point basket while falling backwards to draw the scores level at 82-82.
“You live for those moments,” Mills said “Down two, as a little kid in the backyard, underneath the clothes line in Australia, you imagine yourself in those moments being able to hit a big shot at an Olympic Games.”
That sent the game into overtime where the powerful Serb outfit used their physical presence to get ahead and control the ball.
Earlier Australia had powered to a 53-42 half-time lead before the Serbs stormed back in the third quarter with 25 points to 11 to take a two-point lead into the break.
“We threw everything at them, butv Serbia is one hell of a team,” said Mills who had a game high 26 points.
“It was a great competition. We fought like hell but they grinded it out.”
While disappointed not to be able to defend the bronze medal the Boomers won in Tokyo, Mills said the Paris Games had been a great experience.
“It’s been a blast, the journey has been a lot of fun, and we stuck together,” Mills said.
“The Olympic Games is the moment you want to be in. The support has been there through thick and thin, the ups and downs. What a ride. I’ve learned a lot about myself and competing for our country. I love it.”
He also described young teammate Josh Giddey who had 25 points as an “unbelievable talent” and seemingly passed on the batten to the 21-year-old point guard.
“The Boomers are in great hands,” he said.
Australian Medallists at the Paris Olympics
| Athlete | Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mollie O’Callaghan | Swimming | W 200 freestyle W 4×100 freestyle relay W 4×200 freestyle relay | W 4×100 medley relay | Mxd 4×100 medley relay |
| Kaylee McKeown | Swimming | W 100 backstroke W 200 backstroke | W 4×100 medley relay | W 200 ind medley Mxd 4×100 medley relay |
| Ariarne Titmus | Swimming | 400 freestyle w 4×200 freestyle relay | W 200 freestyle W 800 freestyle | |
| Jess Fox | Canoe/kayak | Kayak Slalom Canoe Slalom | ||
| Emma McKeon | Swimming | W 4×100 freestyle relay | W 4×100 medley relay | |
| Meg Harris | Swimming | W 4×100 freestyle relay | W 50 freestyle | |
| Grace Brown | Cycling | W Time Trial | ||
| Shayna Jack | Swimming | W 4×100 freestyle relay | ||
| Lani Pallister | Swimming | W 4×200 freestyle relay | ||
| Brianna Throssell | Swimming | W 4×200 freestyle relay | ||
| Cam McEvoy | Swimming | M 50 freestyle | ||
| Saya Sakakibara | Cycling | W BMX racing | ||
| Matt Ebden | Tennis | M Doubles | ||
| John Peers | Tennis | M Doubles | ||
| Noemie Fox | Canoe/Kayak | W Kayak Cross | ||
| Arisa Trew | Skateboard | W Skateboard Park | ||
| Matt Wearn | Sailing | M Laser Dinghy | ||
| Keegan Palmer | Skateboard | M Park | ||
| Oliver Bleddyn | Cycling | M Team Pursuit | ||
| Kelland O’Brien | Cycling | M Team Pursuit | ||
| Sam Welsford | Cycling | M Team Pursuit | ||
| Conor Leahy | Cycling | M Team Pursuit | ||
| Nina Kennedy | Athletics | W Pole Vault | ||
| Matt Richardson | Cycling | M Individual Sprint M Keirin | M Team Sprint | |
| Kyle Chalmers | Swimming | M 100 freestyle M 4×100 freestyle relay | ||
| Elijah Winnington | Swimming | 400 freestyle | M 4×200 freestyle relay | |
| Flynn Southam | Swimming | M 4×100 freestyle relay | M 4×200 freestyle relay | |
| Zac Stubblety-Cook | Swimming | M 200 breaststroke | ||
| Jack Cart Wright | Swimming | M 4×100 freestyle relay | ||
| Kai Taylor | Swimming | M 4×100 freestyle relay | ||
| Jenna Strauch | Swimming | W 4×100 medley relay | ||
| Chris Burton | Equestrian | Individual Eventing | ||
| Grae Morris | Sailing | M Windsurfing | ||
| Nicola Olyslagers | Athletics | W High Jump | ||
| Jack Robinson | Surfing | M Surfing | ||
| Moesha Johnson | Swimming | W 10km Swim | ||
| Riley Fitzsimmons | Canoe/Kayak | M K4 500m | ||
| Jackson Collins | Canoe/Kayak | M K4 500m | ||
| Noah Harvard | Canoe/Kayak | M K4 500m | ||
| Pierre van der Westhuyzen | Canoe/Kayak | M K4 500m | ||
| Maddison Keeney | Diving | W 3m Springboard | ||
| Stingers | Water Polo | W Water Polo | ||
| Jessica Hull | Athletics | W 1500m | ||
| Matt Glaetzer | Cycling | M Team Sprint M Keirin |
||
| Max Giuliani | Swimming | M 4×200 freestyle relay | ||
| Tommy Neill | Swimming | M 4×200 freestyle relay | ||
| Josh Young | Swimming | Mxd 4×100 medley relay | ||
| Matt Temple | Swimming | Mxd 4×100 medley relay | ||
| Natalya Diehm | BMX Cycling | BMX Freestyle | ||
| Penny Smith | Shooting | W Trap | ||
| Jemima Montag | Athletics | W 20km walk Marathon Relay Walk |
||
| Jessica Morrison | Rowing | W Pair | ||
| Annabelle McIntyre | Rowing | W Pair | ||
| Eleanor Patterson | Athletics | W High Jump | ||
| Leigh Hoffman | Cycling | M Team Sprint | ||
| Rhydian Cowley | Athletics | Marathon relay walk | ||
| Matt Denny | Athletics | M Discus | ||
| Caitlin Parker | Boxing | W 75kg | ||
| Charlie Senior | Boxing | M 57 Kg | ||
| Tom Green | Canoe/Kayak | M K2 500m | ||
| Jean van der Westhuyzen | Canoe/Kayak | M K2 500m | ||
| Opals | Basketball | W Basketball |
Michael Osborne has been a journalist for more than four decades including 35 years with the national news agency Australian Associated Press, rising from junior reporter to Editor.
He was AAP Editor for 11 years and served four years as Head of Sport and Racing. He was also posted to London and Beijing as AAP’s Bureau Chief and Foreign Correspondent.
He has worked at six Olympics and five Commonwealth Games, covered tennis grand slams, golf majors, international cricket, rugby world cups and numerous sporting world championships. He also co-ordinated and managed AAP’s teams and coverage at three Olympic Games in Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
Discussion about this post