Another action-packed evening and morning of Olympics ahead with locals flying the Aussie flag
IF you are loving the Rio Olympics, there will certainly be plenty to keep you glued to the screen tonight and tomorrow morning with Brisbane athletes vying for honours in a host of sports. Read our Day 5 preview.
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TONIGHT and tomorrow again promise to be action-packed in Rio with a host of Brisbane athletes to be in the thick of Olympic contest. We will be gunning for Olympic glory in the sports of rowing, basketball, hockey, sailing, soccer, water polo and swimming.
We wish our amazing Aussie athletes the best of luck.
Two of the Rio Games sees Greater Brisbane locals challenge for honours in the sports of basketball, water polo, hockey, judo, rugby 7s and swimming.
The locals highlighted below will be in action and will do us proud in their chosen sports as they achieve their dream of representing Australia at the Olympic Games.
ROWING — Tuesday 11.20pm
FORMER St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School student Sally Kehoe will have Thursday night’s women’s double sculls final in mind as she joins forces with Genevieve Horton for semi final A/B2.
After finishing second in its heat, the Aussie pair will line up against crews from the Czech Republic, Belarus, Great Britain, Poland and France in the 11.20pm semi on Tuesday.
The top three crews from each of the two semi finals will book a place in the medal race at 11.04pm on Thursday.
AUSTRALIAN OPALS versus France — Wednesday 1.15am
THERE will be only one undefeated team left in the women’s basketball Group A after Australia clash with France tomorrow morning.
The Opals beat Brazil and Turkey in the opening two days while their opponents have recorded victories over Turkey and Belarus in the lead up to Wednesday’s meeting.
Whoever wins is expected to top the group but Australia will be on high alert after France beat the Opals in the group stages in London four years ago.
Australia feature former Kedron State School student Cayla George as well as former SEQ Stars WNBL players Erin Phillips and Rachel Jarry.
SAILING:
Jake Lilley — Men’s Finn Sailing — Wednesday 2.05-4.20am
THE Second Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron member off the rank at the Olympics in Rio is Jake Lilley who will also make his Games debut tomorrow morning in the Finn sailing event.
Lilley, a Bulimba resident, has form behind him at recent major international regattas, including three top 10 finishes at World Cup races this year. He also won a World Cup event in France earlier this year.
The 23-year-old has made his goal clear in the lead up to the Olympics saying “you always go into any event wanting to win, the Olympics are no different.”
Ashley Stoddart — Laser Radial Wednesday 2am
Ashley Stoddart will be looking to continue her impressive start to her Rio Olympics campaign when she takes to the water in the laser radial sailing regatta on Guanabara Bay in the early hours of tomorrow.
The former Mueller College, Rothwell student who is now at UQ, will be back on the water just after 2am tomorrow morning for two more races in the series of 10.
The 23-year-old from Murrumba Downs finished eighth and then sixth in the opening two races to finish day one with 14 points and equal third in the overall standings.
Conditions were described as “tricky” with winds “dying” off, but Stoddart, a member of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron at Manly, is only four points behind the leader.
“This is my first Olympics and my first day on the water and I’m really pleased with the result,” said Stoddart on the Australia Olympic website.
“We’ve been training here for the last couple of years. When I got out there I was thinking this actually doesn’t feel that different.”
The competition finishes on August 16 when the medal will be held.
SOCCER — Matildas versus Zimbabwe Wednesday 5am
THE Matildas will seek qualification for the knockout stages when they take on Zimbabwe.
After opening the tournament poorly with a 2-0 loss to Canada, the Matildas bounced back with a 2-all draw against Germany to keep their hopes of a maiden Olympic medal alive.
The top two from each group automatically qualify for the knockout stage, however, the two best placed third teams will also progress.
Canada has already confirmed its place in one of the top two spots, leaving Australia and Germany to fight it out for second and third.
Germany (four points) have the advantage over Australia (one point) but the Matildas can leapfrog them with victory over Zimbabwe and a win to Canada.
The goal difference is also currently in favour of Germany by seven goals, meaning the margin of Germany’s loss and Australia’s win would need to add up to eight goals in order to jump ahead.
If Australia finishes third, they would need to finish with one of the two best records among the third-placed teams.
The Matildas currently trail other third-placed teams New Zealand and Sweden (both on three points), while the second-placed France and China in the other two groups also sit on three points.
With China taking on France and New Zealand battling Sweden, a clean win to any side in both of those games, plus a win to Australia, would qualify our girls for the knockout stage.
If there is a draw in the other two games, then it will again come down to goal difference, with Australia again needing to make up some ground in the goal difference column.
Brisbane locals in the Matildas are: Clare Polkinghorne (Former Capalaba and Wolves FC player, Carindale resident), Laura Alleway (Mt Gravatt Hawks junior) and Katrina Gorry (Mt Gravatt Hawks junior).
WATER POLO — Stingers versus Russia Wednesday 2am
AUSTRALIA’S journey towards a fourth medal from five games in women’s water polo will begin on Wednesday morning against Russia.
The Aussie Stingers have won medals at three of the past four Games, coming in second at Sydney 2000 and third at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
However, they have made no secret of their desire to improve on that in Rio.
“This is definitely the best team I have been a part of,” Australian vice-captain Rowie Webster told the Australian Olympic Team’s website.
“Not just the water polo women but the whole Australian Olympic team too. What Kitty [Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller] has fought for — passion, pride and respect for every athlete and every team is taking that into the Games.
“I still remember where I was when the 2000 girls won gold. Every day we work super hard with the dream of going to the Olympics and now more than ever that dream is attainable [in emulating that feat].
“We have to put one game after the other together but this is the team to do it. We’re not scared about showing other sides our ability and we’re not scared about the challenges — that’s what makes true athletes.”
Australian captain Bronwen Knox, who lives in Ashgrove, attended Wilston State School and played for the North Brisbane Polo Bears as a junior, has overcome a shoulder injury to be fit for the tournament.
SWIMMING — Wednesday from 2.43am
INDOOROOPILLY’S St Peters Western Swim Club will present a double threat in the women’s 200m freestyle final on Wednesday morning.
Veteran Bronte Barratt will start from lane 8 in the 11.19am race, with St Peters clubmate Emma McKeon to swim alongside her in lane 7.
Competing at her third Olympics, Barratt, 27, snuck into the final with the eighth-fast qualifying time (1:56.63), while McKeon posted the sixth-quickest time (1:56.29) as she finished second in the first semi final.
Making her Games debut, McKeon, 22, is one of Australia’s busiest swimmers in Rio and has already pocketed gold as part of the triumphant 4x100m freestyle relay team.
Alicia Coutts, a former student at Chisholm Catholic College Cornubia, will be hoping to bow out a winner when she lines up in the 200m individual medley final at 12.29pm on Wednesday.
The three-time Olympian clocked a time of 2:10.35 to finish third in the first semi final, sending her into the final as the sixth-fastest qualifier.
“I guess I went into the race tonight kind of in a calm mind. (I knew) tonight could possibly be the last swim of my career so I just wanted to give it my all,” the 28-year-old told Channel 7 after the final.
“It really hurt, I didn’t feel as good as I did this morning. I was probably just a little bit mentally not there.”
St Peters’ Madeline Groves will also swim in the 200m butterfly heats at 2.43am on Wednesday, with the semi finals to begin at 11.37am.
HOCKEY — Kookaburras versus Belgium Wednesday 9.30am
THE Kookaburras will be desperate to bounce back from Monday’s shock 1-0 loss to Spain when they meet Belgium at 9.30am on Wednesday.
An Australian side including locals Daniel Beale, Matthew Swann, Jake Whetton, Jamie Dwyer and Mark Knowles has been far from its best in the early stages, scraping past New Zealand 2-1 in its opening game before falling to Spain 1-0.
Another loss against the Belgians would put a massive dent in the hopes of the gold-medal favourites, with pool games against Great Britain and Brazil still to come.
Belgium has been impressive in its two outings, beating Great Britain 4-1 before a 12-0 annihilation of Brazil.
RUGBY 7S
FRANCE will be the first opponents in the way as the Australian men’s rugby sevens team aims to emulate the gold medal success of the women’s side.
The women, spearheaded by Corinda’s Charlotte Caslick, claimed the first ever women’s rugby sevens gold medal when they overcame New Zealand in the decider on Tuesday morning.
Former Souths Magpies fly half James Stannard is among a strong contingent of Brisbane players in the men’s side, which also features University of Queensland’s Con Foley and Nick Malouf.
The men have generally been rated outside of the medal fancies despite coming fourth on the World Series standings but that sits fine with coach Andy Friend.
“All Australians perform better when you’re the underdog,” Friend told NewsCorp Australia.
“We came fourth (in the world series), which is not on the podium and we know that’s not acceptable from where we want to get to.
“We need to lift the game and that’s what we have been focusing the last two and a half months on.”
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