Sportshounds accurately predicted Australia would win 18 gold medals at the Paris Olympics. Senior correspondent Mike Osborne reviews the Aussie performances.
Paris proved to be Australia’s greatest Olympics ever winning 18 gold medals and finishing among the top five nations, just as Sportshounds predicted a week before the Opening Ceremony.
Australia finished with 53 medals in all and – thanks to cycling and basketball success on the final day – it was the first time the country won a medal on every day of an Olympics not staged on home soil.
Before the Games, your Sportshounds experts Louise Evans and Mike Osborne, who were both covering their seventh Olympics, predicted that Australia would win 18 gold medals and up to 60 in total for a top five finish, with most of the medals coming from women, water and wheels.
And so it came to pass.
Swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan came away with the most gold medals winning the 200m freestyle and swimming in the two successful freestyle relays, plus she picked up a silver and bronze in the medley relays for a total of five.
The 4x100m freestyle relay win also made Emma McKeon Australia’s most successful Olympic athlete with six gold, three silver and fiver bronze medals
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 |
Kaylee McKeown also won five medals but only two gold in the 100m and 200m backstroke, but she added three minor medals in the medley relays.
While all 18 gold medals were special in their own way, McKeown’s two made her Australia’s greatest individual Olympic gold medal winner with four after winning the same two backstroke events in Tokyo.
“History? It’s a cool thing to have next to my name, it’s amazing,” McKeown said. “I feel I have so much more to give.”
Noemie Fox’s heart-melting kayak cross gold medal surprised everyone. She was the last Australian athlete to qualify for the Games and be added to the team before heading to Paris after a sudden death qualification process for the sport making its Olympic debut.
Her sister Jess Fox was the favourite after already winning the canoe and kayak slalom events but she was knocked out in the quarter finals.
At her first Olympics, Noemie stepped up to win all her races in the kayak cross including the final which sparked extraordinary scenes of jubilation as her coach, her mother and her sister all jumped into the water to celebrate.
“When people ask me ‘Jess did you get three gold medals in Paris’ I can say ‘no just two because Noemie got one’,” the elder Fox sister said.
Another surprise gold came from swim sprinter Cam McEvoy who re-invented himself and his training program to emerge with a 50m freestyle gold medal.
McEvoy became Australia’s oldest swimming gold medallist at the age of 30 by avoiding the pool and doing 90 per cent of his training on dry land.
“About 18 months ago, my goal was to just come back, give this new training approach a go and see what happens,” he said. “What I’ve done so far has just obliterated any expectations I had.”
Another special gold medal on water was won by defending Olympic champion sailor Matt Wearn in the laser dinghy, with the dual world champion becoming the first person to successfully defend a sailing title.
He also continued Australia’s domination of the laser dinghy stretching back through Rio 2016 (Tom Burton) to London 2012 (Tom Slingsby).
“Going back-to-back, no-one else has done it, which shows just how special it is. That really hits home,” Wearn said.
Arisa Trew became Australia’s youngest Olympic champion at 14 years and 86 days after flipping and spinning to gold in the skateboard park event.
She surpassed swimmer Sandra Morgan who at 14 years and 183 days helped Dawn Fraser win relay gold at the Melbourne 1956 Olympics.
“I really wanted to win. Even if I didn’t win I was so excited because it’s my first Olympics and sharing a podium with these girls and just competing with everyone has been super fun,” Trew said.
Also defying gravity was Nina Kennedy in the pole vault. She won rare track and field gold for Australia, the last coming for walker Jared Tallent and hurdler Sally Pearson in London 2012.
Another standout gold medal on wheels was the courageous and dominant victory of Saya Sakakibara in the women’s BMX racing.
Sakakibara overcame a fear of crashes, treatment for severe concussion and seeing her beloved older brother Kai almost die after suffering brain trauma after a BMX race crash.
“I’m so happy Kai is here to support me. It means so much to have my family here after everything I have been through in the last few years,” she said after the victory.
And it was women and wheels that delivered again on the final day in Paris with sprint cyclists Matt Richardson and Matt Glaetzer finishing with silver and bronze in the keirin and the Opals winning the bronze medal basketball match against Belgium.
Richardson won his second silver and third medal of the Games and said he hoped to ride at two more Olympics and go for gold in the team sprint, individual sprint and keirin just as the great Dutch rider Harrie Lavreysen did in Paris.
“In Tokyo I finished like 17th in the sprint, fourth in the team sprint and nowhere in the keirin, and that was only three years ago. I’ve got big ambitions for the next four years,” he said.
“Maybe I’ll win every event at the next one. I’m only 25 and time is still on my side. I’d like to go to two more Olympics and do as well as I can then.”
For Glaetzer, who until Paris had more fourth placings without a medal than any other Australian, the individual medal was special after the team sprint bronze, even if he had to do a ‘Bradbury’ to get it.
“In the end, I stayed on my bike, dodged the chaos, crossed the line and felt blessed to get an individual medal,” he said, after three riders ahead of him crashed out to leave him with the keirin bronze. He even told his wife ‘I did a Bradbury’ after the final.
Another special bronze was won by the Opals and Lauren Jackson who will finish with a medal from each of her five Olympics.
Jackson, 43, retired after her fourth Games at London 2012 with three silvers and a bronze only to return to the court last year and to be selected for a fifth Olympics in Paris
While Jackson didn’t get any game time in the 85-81 bronze medal win over Belgium, just her presence was inspiring according to Ezi Magbegor who had a game-high 30 points and 13 rebounds in the victory.
“Wherever she goes she brings success, and it was just great to have her on our team to bring experience, whether she was on the floor or not. Her aura, her vibe, it was felt throughout the team,” Magbegor said.
Jackson was equally as enthusiastic about Magbegor’s magnificent performance.
“Ezi was incredible. She came to play and seeing her dominate the way that she did today, look out. That was special to watch. She’s freaking amazing,” Jackson said
“I’ve really been able to take this entire tournament in. I’ve been on the sidelines, I’ve been supporting the girls, and it has been one of my favourites. I didn’t play much, so I’m going to remember all of it.”
As are we all.
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.
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