Sportshounds correspondents Mike Osborne and Louise Evans wrap up the Australian highlights on Day 14 of 16 at the Paris Olympics.
Potential gold medals evaporated into silver and bronze for Australia at the Paris Olympics on another day of what might have been.
Already a cycling bronze medallist in the team sprint, Matt Richardson could not match the speed and power of Dutch defending champion Harrie Lavreysen in the men’s individual sprint.
And at the diving Maddison Keeney recovered from a bout of Covid to finish second in the women’s 3m springboard diving splitting the all powerful Chinese who took gold and bronze.
The day started when defending Tokyo Olympic kayak champions Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen could not catch the fast starting Germans and Hungarians in the men’s K2 500m.
Waiting for Australia’s nuggety Richardson in the cat-and-mouse individual sprint final was a lion of world cycling, Dutch nemesis Lavreysen the reigning five-time world champion.
And so it came to pass that the lion dominated, winning two straight races in the final to collect the gold medal and hand the ever-improving Richardson a hard-fought and very welcome Olympic silver.
It’s also the first Olympic medal won by Australia in the men’s individual sprint since Ryan Bayley won gold at the 2004 Athens Games.
“I came here for gold, who doesn’t but I’m definitely going to hold my head high with silver,” Richardson said. “This men’s sprint event is so competitive. To fight all the way to the end I couldn’t be prouder.
“Harrie and I have had close battles for a few years now. I’ve got a couple but he’s got more. I have the ability to beat him but if he makes a few mistakes then it’s easier for me.
“Big cat and mouse game, one versus one, trying to out-psyche your opponent. It’s very complicated.”
Coming into the Games Richardson described the Paris velodrome as the world’s fastest sea-level track that’s “like NASCAR on bikes”.
Richardson, 25, won through to the final after beating Harrie’s Dutch team mate Jeff Hoogland in straight sets in their semi-final showdown.
The former gymnast turned track cyclist had already won a bronze medal when he combined with Matthew Glaetzer and Leigh Hoffman in the team sprint behind Harrie and the Dutch cycling demons.
Harrie now has four gold medals – two from Tokyo and two from Paris.
Richardson’s silver proved just how far he’s come since he was a rookie at the Tokyo Games, finishing fourth in the team sprint, 12th in the keirin and a distant 17th in the individual sprint – after being a last-minute call-up.
Richardson’s decade-long gymnastic training has gifted him explosive power and strength which makes him different to most riders who come to the sport through road cycling.
At the Glasgow World Cup in 2022 he medalled in every event, winning the team sprint, second in sprint and third in keirin.
His progress continued apace and although he only stands 1.72m in his socks, he came to Paris rated as a potential king slayer.
Richardson is not finished yet. He has a third Olympic event – the keirin final is still to come on the final day on Sunday.
Richardson has vowed to train-on to the Los Angeles 2028 Games and hopefully Brisbane 2032.
“You have to commit your life to the sport. I enjoy cycling so it’s not a hard decision to make,” he said.
“The Paris and LA Games are the ones where I’ll try to win as many medals as possible,” he said. “But Brisbane is my bucket-list finish: A home Olympics in front of a home crowd.”
The bad news for Richardson is that his old mate Harrie said post final that “I will definitely be there” in LA.
After a disappointing fifth in the women’s 3m synchronised springboard with Anabelle Smith, Keeney took the silver in the individual event splitting China’s winner Chen Yiwen and bronze medallist Chang Yani.
She spent the 10-day down time between events recovering from a neck injury sustained in training and from a bout of Covid.
“I can’t believe it. It’s something I’ve dreamed of for so long,” Keeney said through tears of happiness. “If I’d been fifth in the synchro I probably would have crumbled a few years ago but I was happy just to get five good dives down.
“It’s everything. Coming from kind of the bottom of the barrel around 2020, 2021, missing out on Tokyo. I think it’s made me a better person. It’s made me a better athlete and I’ve really falling back in love with the sport,
“The 3m diving events are so competitive and it’s more of a relief than anything. I could see what the people in front of me had scored and what I’m getting and you’re trying to do the maths in your head. I knew that as long as nothing went disastrously wrong with my last dive I’d be fine.”
Keeney’s final dive, a forward two-and-a-half somersault with two twists, was her most difficult and highest scoring dive of the night.
“The last dive is a difficult one, but one I enjoy and to have it all come down to the last dive it’s incredible,” she said.
Meanwhile Cassiel Rousseau qualified seventh and Jaxon Bowshire 14th for the semifinals of the men’s 10m platform.
Tokyo gold medallists Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen failed to defend their title, finishing with the bronze medal behind Germany and Hungary.
Green admitted the pair failed to get their normal flying start and then with the Hungarians tried to race down the German leaders as they approached the line.
“I didn’t have the best start,” Green said. “But we have got to be happy. We were still able to push through onto the podium.”
Green, who still has the men’s K1 1000m semi final to contest on Saturday, said “I know we started really pushing towards them in the last 100m, but we didn’t have the best performance”.
Van der Westhuyzen was more philosophical about their photo finish for the silver or the bronze.
“Getting an Olympic medal is super special,” he said, after his younger brother Peter also won a silver medal in the men’s K4 500m yesterday.
“We wanted to make sure on our worst day we could still put out a good performance, so we were still happy to take the bronze. I think you’d trade any world championship medal for it.
“It’s mixed emotions. It feels like you could have executed better, but that’s sport. That’s why we love it, it’s why we wake up every day and train for it. It’s still so special.”
Aly Bull and Ella Beere finished seventh in the final of the women’s K2 500m behind the New Zealand champions Alicia Hoskin and Lisa Carrington. It was Carrington’s seventh Olympic gold medal.
Australia remained third on the medal table with two days of competition in Paris to come.
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:
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Tokyo silver medallists Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy lost to Switzerland’s Tanja Hueberli and Nina Brunner in the battle for the bronze medal in Paris.
“Obviously we’re upset, but it is what it is,” Artacho del Solar said after the straight sets loss 17-21 15-21. “We are still proud of making it to the semi final and the result doesn’t define us. We just need to keep our heads held high.
“We win as a team, we lose as a team. We battle out there, and we have each other’s back no matter what. We are definitely proud of our hard work that we put in, and our teamwork over the last two weeks.”
She said the Swiss duo came out hard from the start: “We have played against each other a lot of times, so we know each other very well, and we just feel maybe we have another gear and just couldn’t find it.”
The Brazilian duo of Ana Patricia Silva Ramos and Eduarda Santos Lisboa, who beat the Australians in the semi final, won the gold medal 2-1 over Canada.
BASKETBALL
The Australian women’s basketball team will once again face a play-off for an Olympic bronze medal on Sunday after being out-muscled and out manoeuvred by the ruthless American seven-time Olympic champions 85-64.
Coach Sandy Brondello lamented the Opals lack of urgency, possession and turnovers, but took heart in the more sticky last quarter.
“If there’s any positive, I like the fourth quarter when we gave some other players opportunities,” Brondello said. “We wanted to win a medal. We’ve still got an opportunity. We’ve still got potential for a podium finish. We want to try and get that bronze medal.”
The story of the Opals Olympic campaigns over the last 26 years have almost always ended with being crushed by the USA in the quarters or semis at seven of the last eight consecutive Olympics. The same story unfolded in Paris.
Australia bashed and brawled their way through three pool matches which Brondello described as “rugby”. They got slapped down by Nigeria but rallied to knock off Canada and France by sucking-up the anything-goes FIBA-run tournament style of aggressive play.
A glimmer of hope emerged when they beat Serbia in the quarters but it proved only a slither of summer Paris sunshine.
America has dominated women’s world basketball for almost three decades. They were riding a 59-game unbeaten streak and sprinted to the Olympic semi finals without missing a stride.
They easily won all three pool matches against Japan, Belgium and Germany and beat Nigeria in the quarters.
Plus the American team was packed with powerful athletes including veteran Diana Taurasi who is chasing her sixth Olympic gold medal, formidable forward in Breanna Stewart and sharpshooting weapon Sabrina Ionsecu.
In the semi’s America’s bid for an eighth successive Olympic gold medal was never in doubt.
They never lost their lead being 20-16 up at the first break and 45-27 at half time.
It was great to see Lauren Jackson, competing at her fifth Olympics, get some court time – five minutes.
Alanna Smith, 27, one of seven Opals who plays in the American WNBA, said it was a big rivalry between Australia and the USA, even in the lead-up to the Olympics, and they had to be prepared for a fight.
“I was playing in the US and they were talking shit,” said Smith, who talks as she plays, aggressive and athletic.
“The beauty of our team is that seven of us have been playing against them in the WNBA. It doesn’t change how good they are but it changes the level of intimidation factor.”
The Opals weren’t intimidated but they were eliminated as the Americans closed out the 85-64 victory to progress to the final.
Australia will play for bronze on Sunday against the winner of the other semi between Belgium and France.
Still dripping with sweat, the Opal’s three-time Olympian Opal Cayla George said she was ready to fight for bronze. “I’m almost ready to play again tomorrow morning. Let’s get this medal game started.”
Twenty-eight years of America’s bitter medicine – Opals history at the Olympics:
1996 Atlanta Australia bronze, lost to USA in the semis | 2000 Sydney Australia silver, lost to the USA | 2004 Athens Australia silver, lost to USA | 2008 Beijing Australia silver, lost to USA | 2012 London Australia bronze, lost to USA in the semis | 2016 Rio Australia 5th lost to Serbia quarters | 2020 Tokyo Australia 8th lost to USA in quarters.
GOLF
Hannah Green had the round of the day in the women’s golf with a 6-under 66 to be 3-under after three days and tied for 11th heading into the final round tomorrow.
New Zealands’ Lydia Ko is equal leader with Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux at 9-under.
Australia’s other Olympic female golfer Minjee Lee was level with the card at after three rounds at France’s National course and was tied for 21st.
“It was tough out there but I finally felt like, after round one and round two, everything was starting to piece together,” Green said after her first two rounds of 77 and 70.
“This is the strongest the wind has been all week, and maybe even the last two weeks. I didn’t hit it as great as yesterday, but the putts were definitely rolling and the hole felt a lot bigger than yesterday.
“It’s been great to experience Paris and the Olympics, but I believed in myself that I could win and have a podium finish and now I’ve put myself in a good position to be able to do that with one more round to go.”
BREAKDANCING
Australia’s Rachel Gunn, or Raygun as she is known in competition, was in the first battle with the USA’s Logistx, aka Logan Edra, as Breaking or breakdancing made its Olympic debut in Paris.
Logistx won the battle of the B-Girls but Raygun said she was excited to have been part of the first group to showcase Breaking at the Olympics.
“It is such a phenomenal atmosphere here. It is such an amazing experience, and it is a privilege to get this opportunity,” said the 36-year-old Australian who has a PhD and lectures in modern dance and youth cultures at Macquarie University.
“All my moves are original. Creativity is really important to me. I go out there and I show my artistry. Sometimes it speaks to the judges, and sometimes it doesn’t. I do my thing, and it represents art. That is what it is about.”
Raygun, who failed to progress to the quarter finals, is disappointed 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.
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.
Louise Evans is an award-winning journalist who has worked around Australia and the world as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor and media executive for media platforms including The Sydney Morning Herald (eight years), The Australian (11 years) and Australian Associated Press (six years in London, Beijing and Sydney).
A women sports’ pioneer, Louise was the first female sports journalist employed by The Sydney Morning Herald and the first female sports editor at The Australian. Louise went on to work at six Olympic Games, six Commonwealth Games and numerous world sporting championships and grand slam tennis events.
Louise is the Founding Editor of AAP FactCheck, the Creator of #WISPAA – Women in Sport Photo Action Awards and national touring Exhibition and the author and producer of the Passage to Pusan book, documentary and exhibition.
In 2019 she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) Queen’s Honour for services to the media and sport and named an Australian Financial Review Top 100 Woman of Influence for services to the arts, culture and sport.
In 2020 she won a NSW Volunteer of the Year Award plus the NSW Government Community Service Award for her women-in-sport advocacy work.
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