SportsHounds Senior Correspondent Mike Osborne previews the key medal events for the Australians on Day 14 of 16 at the Paris Olympics.
Friday August 9 – possible Australian medals = 5 | Cycling 2 | Canoe sprint | Diving | Beach Volleyball |
Half a dozen medals could be up for grabs for Australia including two at the cycling where Matt Richardson is chasing his second medal of the Paris Games in the individual sprint, after earlier taking the bronze medal in the team sprint with Matt Glaetzer and Leigh Hoffman.
Another chasing multiple medals in Paris is kayaker Tom Green, who with partner Jean van der Westhuyzen has high hopes of defending the K2 500 crown they won in the canoe sprint in Tokyo. Green will back up to chase more medals in the K1 1000 on Saturday.
Likewise diver Madison Keeney is chasing a second medal in the 3m springboard after finishing fifth in the 3m synchro event with Anabelle Smith.
In beach volleyball Peruvian-born Mariafe Artacho del Solar, 23 and her towering indigenous team mate Taliqua Clancy, 32, are hoping to get bronze after winning a silver medal at the Tokyo Games.
Finally, Breakdancing makes its Olympic debut today and Australia’s hope is the experienced PhD student Rachel Gunn, who competes as Raygun in the street dance competition.
13:30 (21:30 AEST) – Canoe Sprint final M Kayak2 500m Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen
Tom Green and his sprint canoe partner Jean van der Westhuyzen, both 25, dominated the K2 at the Tokyo Olympics,winning the gold medal in their first ever international race as a team. While the K2 is his favourite event, the Green Machine will also contest the K1 1000m in Paris, opening the possibility of a two-medal haul, a feat only achieved by fellow Gold Coast lifesaver turned world and Olympic champion kayaker Ken Wallace, who won gold and bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games. “We’re focusing on the K2 but I’m really in good shape and the numbers show I’m progressing in the K1 too – so let’s see,” Green said. He flashes a killer grin and says “see you in Paris, hopefully I’ll have another gold medal around my neck.”
15:00-17:00 (23:00-01:00 AEST) – Diving W 3m Springboard Maddison Keeney
Keeney, 27, along with partner Anabelle Smith, 31, has already finished fifth in the 3m synchronised event in Paris. Keeney is also diving for a medal in the individual 3m springboard after a 10-day break from the synchro. She spent the down time at the Australian divers training base in Southend, the English coastal city in Essex an hour’s drive east of London, preparing for her individual event.
17:30 (01:30 AEST) Women’s basketball semifinals – Opals v USA
The return of 43-year-old legend Lauren Jackson helped put the world No3 Opals back in the frame at these Paris Games. After winning silver or bronze medals at five consecutive Olympics from Atlanta 1996 to London 2012, the Opals were beaten in the quarter-finals at the past two Games in Rio and Tokyo. But Jackson did not play in those two Olympics, retiring after four Games from Sydney 2000 to London 2012. Jackson’s selection for Paris marks an incredible return to the Olympic arena 12 years after last playing at London where she was also the Australian Flag Bearer. Opals captain Tess Madgen described the team as more like a sisterhood. “We have the absolute best team of athletes, we are much more than a team, we are a sisterhood and we carry with us all the Opals from the past and we draw on their strength.” The Opals started in Pool B and initially lost to Nigeria before beating Canada and host-nation France before downing Serbia in the quarter-finals. They now face their toughest task against the USA in the semis.
18:00-19:55 (02:00-03:15 AEST)- Cycling track
18:00-19:38 (02:00-03:38 AEST) Men’s Sprint finals – Matthew Richardson
Matt Richardson, 25, is on target to collect two more medals in the individual sprint and the keirin on what he describes as the world’s fastest sea-level track that’s “like NASCAR on bikes”. The English-born former gymnast won bronze in the team sprint with Matt Glaetzer and Leigh Hoffman. Commonwealth champion Richardson appears to be in the kind of form that could beat the dominant Dutch superstars Harrie Lavreysen and Jeff Hoogland.
18:09 (02:09 AEST) Women’s Madison – Georgia Baker & Alex Manly
Georgia Baker, 29, is at her third Olympics and has already finished seventh with the Australian women’s pursuit team at these Paris Games. Now she hopes to grab her first medal in the tag-team Madison event where cyclists take turns to ride with the aim of finishing fastest. Baker finished second in the Madison with partner Alex Manly at the 2023 world championships in Glasgow. Baker thanked her support team for getting her to a third Games. “Like many athletes, there’s a lot of people supporting me behind the scenes that goes unnoticed. From my family, friends, coaches & teammates to my primary school back in Tasmania – they have all played a role in my selection into the Olympics team, simply by believing in me.”
21:00-24:00 (05:00-08:00 AEST) Beach Volleyball W finals – Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy
Peruvian-born Mariafe Artacho del Solar, 23 and her towering indigenous team mate Taliqua Clancy, 32 are the Olympic silver medallists now chasing bronze in Paris. “We were proud to be on the podium in Tokyo,” Artacho del Solar said. “We just have to trust in ourselves that we have the potential.” The Beach Volleyball venue is in the heart of Paris in a temporary stadium constructed at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. “It’s so magical. To have the beach volleyball venue right in front of the Eiffel Tower is amazing,” says Artacho del Solar.
Mariafe Artacho del Solar & Taliqua Clancy path to Paris
20:00-22:00 (04:00-06:00 AEST) Break Dancing W – Rachel “Raygun” Gunn
Break Dancing or Breaking is making its Olympic debut in Paris and Australia will be represented in the women’s event by 36-year-old Rachel Gunn, AKA ‘Raygun’, who has a PhD and lectures in modern dance and youth cultures at Macquarie University. She admits she is doing things “the wrong way around – I had a career and now I’m an athlete”. There is little form to judge the competition on and Gunn says “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about medals but I’m trying to just focus on what I need to do and my own performance goals”. she said. The sport is not on the program for the next Olympics in LA 2028. “It’s a real shame that there is no breaking in LA, but it’s amazing to have the opportunity and platform to show the world what breakers can do,” Gunn says.
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.
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