CANBERRA: (Xinhua)/Flowerbudnews: — Three years after winning a record haul of gold medals in the pool, Australia’s swimmers are again expected to deliver a majority of the nation’s Olympic glory in Paris.
Australian athletes won 46 medals at the Tokyo Olympics, including 17 golds – more than the 16 in London and Rio combined. Of Australia’s Tokyo medals, the nation’s swimmers won nine golds.
To move up the medal tally from sixth in Tokyo, Australia will again need its swimmers to excel.
Based on times set so far in 2024, Australia has the No. 1 ranked swimmer globally in six individual events – Kaylee McKeown in the women’s 200m individual medley, 200m and 100m backstroke, Ariarne Titmus in the 400m and 200m women’s freestyle and Cameron McEvoy in the men’s 50m freestyle.
McKeown and Titmus head to Paris as the defending Olympic champions and world record holders in those freestyle and backstroke events, while McEvoy, the first Australian male swimmer to qualify for four Olympics, is aiming to win his first-ever Olympic gold in the men’s 50m freestyle.
“The world record is a bonus,” Titmus said after winning the 200m freestyle at the Australian trials in June.
“That wasn’t really on my radar coming into this. I just wanted to put together a great swim, and I have the chance to do it again in Paris.”
Additionally, Australians have set the second-fastest time in four events in 2024 – Mollie O’Callaghan in the 100 and 200m freestyle and Elijah Winnington in the 400 and 800m freestyle – and are the defending Olympic champions in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay.
Emma McKeon, the most decorated Australian Olympian in history, will again swim in both relays and defend her titles in the 50 and 100m freestyle to add to her 11 medals, seven of which were won in Tokyo.
Outside the pool, canoeist Jessica Fox will be defending her Olympic title in the C1 canoe slalom and chasing a first gold in the K1 kayak slalom after winning both at the World Cup for the ninth time in her career in Poland in June.
With freestyle BMX rider Logan Martin, park skateboarder Keegan Palmer, and sailor Matthew Wearn heading to Paris, every Australian who won an individual gold medal in Tokyo is set to defend their title.
In the team events, Australia’s men’s basketball team returns with a squad similar to that which won bronze in Tokyo, and the men’s field hockey team will be expected to win a medal, having done so at seven of the last eight Olympics.
The national women’s football team, the Matildas, is also hopeful of winning a medal following fourth-placed finishes at the Tokyo Olympics and 2023 FIFA World Cup but will have to do so without captain and all-time top scorer Sam Kerr, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury.
Australians will also be hoping for the country’s first gold medal in athletics at the Olympics since 2012, with women’s world champions Nina Kennedy in the pole vault and Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers in the high jump, all in contention for gold.
