Australia’s best medal hopes at the Tokyo Olympics

Australia has quietly assembled an Olympics team that is now predicted to deliver our best Olympic medal tally since 2008.

Australia has quietly assembled an Olympics team that is now predicted to deliver our best Olympic medal tally since 2008.

Lost in the chaos of the Tokyo Games being delayed to 2021 in the middle of a pandemic, is the fact Australia could finish as high as fifth on the final Tokyo medal tally on the back of recent performances from our athletes in the build-up to the Games, beginning on July 23.

Some preliminary team events — such as football, softball and baseball — kick off on July 21, before the opening ceremony on July 23, with the closing ceremony to cap things off two weeks later on August 8.

You can read-up on everything you need to know about the weirdest Olympics ever here.

While there is certain to be chaos away from the events, it shouldn’t overshadow the promising performances Australia’s athletes are expected to deliver.

Global data giant Gracenote Sports in April announced Australia should win 12 gold medals and 40 medals total in what would be one of our best ever returns.

Gracenote Sports’ 2021 Virtual Medals Table shows Australia will pull out of its gold medal slumps at London (2012) and Rio de Janeiro (2016) where our athletes returned with eight gold medals.

The Gracenote analysis predicts Australia will finish ahead of Great Britain or the first time since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Fifteen months ago, Gracenote predicted Australia would return home with 17 gold medals, but the latest predictions announced in April claim Australia will return from Japan with 12 gold medals and 40 medals total.

Here are the must-watch Aussies and our top gold medal chances:

Ariarne Titmus

Ariarne Titmus is coming. AFP.

The 20-year-old’s showdown with American superstar Katie Ledecky will be must-watch TV. She put the world on notice when she recorded two of the fastest times ever seen in the women’s 200m and 400m freestyle at the Olympic Swimming Trials. Her times were quicker than the ones posted by Ledecky during America’s trials.

Titmus could easily return home as our biggest star with the potential for three gold medals in the 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle and the 4x200m freestyle relay.

Jess Fox

The high-profile canoeist is heading to her third Olympic Games in Tokyo. The silver-medallist is desperately chasing her first Olympic gold — and could even walk away with two gold medals with the canoe and kayak events to be held together for the first time in Olympic history.

Rohan Dennis

The two-time individual time trial world champion is looking for revenge in Tokyo after a bike malfunction killed his medal chances in Rio. He will be competing in the men’s road race and is still considered a red-hot contender in the individual time trial.

Kaylee McKeown

Kaylee McKeown is considered a good chance of returning from Tokyo with three gold medals after she lit-up the pool at the Australian Olympic Trials.

She broke a world record in the 100m backstroke and a Commonwealth record in the 200m backstroke. Her best chance is in the 100m, but she is also highly fancied in the 200m backstroke and 200m individual medley.

Kookaburras

Australia’s men’s hockey team is ranked second in the world and has showed enough from recent series against New Zealand to prove it is the real deal. After a disappointing 2016 campaign where they finished sixth, the Kookaburras are Australia’s best hopes for a gold medal in a men’s team event. Their expected success contrasts dramatically with the Hockeyroos.

Sally Fitzgibbons

Sally Fitzgibbons poses for a portrait during the launch of the Australian surf team.

Sally Fitzgibbons. Photo: Martin Fitzgibbons

The Wollongong product is favoured to become surfing’s first Olympic champion after showing impressive form earlier this year. Fitzgibbons won the World Surf League event at Rottnest Island in May.

Stewart McSweyn

McSweyn is going to be one of the biggest stories at the Tokyo Olympics after he put the world on notice with a record-breaking run at the Diamond League meet in Oslo this month. The 26-year-old has the potential to break the drought of Aussie men failing to win medals on the track. Australia hasn’t won a track athletics medal since the 4x400m relay in Athens, 2004.

Sam Kerr and the Matildas

The Chelsea goal-scoring freak will lead Australia’s push for our first ever medal in football.

Kerr’s form in 2021 has seen her again join discussions surrounding the best players on the planet. She and her Matildas teammates will need to find some defensive steel after leaked goals saw them crash out in the round of 16 at the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

Liz Cambage and the Opals

Liz Cambage will lead the Opals.

The outspoken centre headlines a star-studded Opals outfit looking to win Australia’s elusive first gold medal in basketball. The WNBA All-Star recently threatened to boycott the Games as a protest at “white-washed” images of athletes at the launch of Australia’s 2021 team uniforms. The Opals bombed out in the quarter-finals in Rio, but have three Olympic silver and two bronze medals from Atlanta 1996 to London 2012.

Rohan Browning

The 23-year-old is a red-hot shot of making the final of the men’s 100m final. The sprinter is even an outside chance of winning a medal after posting a time of 10.05 seconds this year. His qualification in the blue-riband event is the first time since 2004 that Australia has had a runner in the 100m field at an Olympic Games.

Ash Barty

The World No. 1 is not the favourite with bookmakers to win in Tokyo but is expected to pick up a medal. The 25-year-old tennis champion has committed to playing the Olympics on the back of a taxing schedule where she will play the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics in less than eight weeks.

Australia’s final medal tally at recent Summer Olympics

Sydney 2000: 630 athletes. 16 golds, 25 silvers, 17 bronzes. 58 overall medals. Fourth on medals table.

Athens 2004: 482 athletes. 17 golds, 16 silvers, 17 bronzes. 50 overall medals. Fourth on medals table.

Beijing 2008: 433 athletes. 14 golds, 15 silvers, 17 bronzes. 46 overall medals. Sixth on medals table

London 2012: 410 athletes. Eight golds, 15 silvers, 12 bronzes. 35 overall medals. Eighth on medals table

Rio 2016: 422 athletes. Eight golds, 11 silvers, 10 bronzes. 29 overall medals. 10th on medals table

How can I watch?

The Olympics will be broadcast on free-to-air TV on Channel 7. Coverage will be spread across the network’s three channels: 7, 7TWO and 7mate.

Seven will also be live streaming the Games via their website and the Olympics on 7 app.

What does the schedule look like?

The official Tokyo 2020 website is the place to go for a full rundown of what events are taking place when. Click here to check it out.

Originally published as Australia’s best medal hopes at the Tokyo Olympics