Rio Olympics report card: Every Australian team rated
AS the Rio Olympics wrap up, we review how every Australian team performed. Who starred, who struggled, who emerged as ones to watch?
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THE Rio Olympics are wrapping up, and the post mortems are beginning.
So which Aussies starred, who struggled, who emerged as the ones to watch for the future?
We review the performance of every Australian team in the ultimate Rio 2016 Olympic Games report card
ARCHERY (1 bronze)
(1 bronze)
Who starred: Two-time Olympian Taylor Worth was exceptional as he spearheaded Australia’s first medal of the Games, a bronze, with Ryan Tyack and Alec Potts.
Who struggled: No-one. Had any link in the chain come loose they would not have won a medal.
One to watch: Worth confirmed his status as a world-class performer when he finished in the top eight of the individual competition and almost beat gold medallist Ku Bon-chan from South Korea.
They say: “This will be just the tip of the iceberg for us. We train together all the time and we shoot scores in training which we know will be competitive when it matters. We produced it when it mattered and we can do it again.’’ — bronze medallist Alec Potts.
We say: Australia’s first team medal in archery came after clever planning on a limited budget. Knowing the archery arena had them competing on a potentially bouncy platform, they built one in Brisbane to practice on and while on tour they even got school children to cheer and try and distract them to replicate the Olympic atmosphere.
Medal rating: Silver
ATHLETICS
(1 silver, 1 bronze)
Who starred: Dane Bird-Smith, Ella Nelson, Ryan Gregson, Jared Tallent.
Who struggled: Fabrice Lapierre, Eleanor Patterson, Luke Mathews, Kim Mickle.
Ones to watch: Ella Nelson, Brooke Stratton, Milly Clark.
They say: “Kathryn Mitchell seemed so close (in the javelin), in the end it came down to 44cm which was the same amount as Dani (Samuels) missed out in the discus. It’s such a fine line.” — head coach Craig Hilliard lamenting two fourth places that were so close to medals.
We say: It was always going to be tough from a medals perspective and two is about right. But hidden behind that disappointment is a lot of encouraging signs with a number of youngsters making finals, which was always the bigger picture aim of this developing team. In saying that there have been some stinkers as well with Fabrice Lapierre choking in the long jump, the Kim Mickle shoulder debacle was wrong on many levels while there were plenty of the same old faces not performing (ie Benn Harradine). The selling point out of Rio is look out Gold Coast 2018 and there’s probably enough evidence to back that up.
Medal: No banana.
BADMINTON
(no medals)
Who starred: Matthew Chau, Sawan Serasinghe
Who struggled: Leanna Choo, Robin Middleton
One to watch: Hsuan Chen
They say: “Consistency is probably the key that we need to work on as all the top pairs are really consistent. The next big event is the Commonwealth Games and hopefully we can bring back a medal for Australia.” — Matthew Chau
We say: Nothing to get excited about in the badminton this Games. All competitors went out in the first round but the men’s doubles pairing of Matthew Chau and Sawan Serasinghe were at least competitive against the top-seeded Koreans, losing 0-2 (14-21, 16-21).
Medal: No banana
BASKETBALL
(no medals)
Who starred: Liz Cambage, Patrick Mills
Who struggled: Anyone who played Serbia in a knock-out game, with the Opals losing in the quarters and the Boomers in the semi.
One to watch: Tessa Lavey
They say: “That is not the way we wanted to go out. For a kid growing up in basketball this is the ultimate, to represent your country and be named one of the best basketballers in your country. It was always my goal and it hurts to have not done that so well, but the future is bright for this team.” — retiring Opals captain Penny Taylor.
We say: Both teams showed so much positive energy and fighting spirit in combining for nine wins from 10 pool games. The Boomers showcased a selfless game plan, the star power of the NBA guns, and the poise borne from NBA finals until the semi-final against Serbia. Then they self-destructed in a hail of turnovers and missed shots. They had the chance to mitigate that horror performance with a win against Spain in the bronze medal play-off but fell agonisingly short, losing by just one point on the buzzer.
The Opals got through five unbeaten games through the masterful performances of Liz Cambage and Penny Taylor. But the argument is all their eggs were in one basket, unable to get the ball to Cambage late in the Serbia clash and with few other options as a result.
A tournament of such promise turned into the sport navel-gazing about whether it picked the right team, whether it had the right plan and what the hell went wrong.
Medal: Bronze
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
(no medals)
Who starred: Louise Bawden and Taliqua Clancy
Who struggled: Nicole Laird and Mariafe Artache del Solar
One to watch: Taliqua Clancy
They say: “I think both our teams really showed everyone that there’s some world class talent in Australian beach volleyball and while we didn’t reach the heights we know we’re capable of at this Games, there’s such exciting times ahead.’’ — Louise Bawden.
We say: Despite being eliminated in the quarter-finals in straight sets 2-0 to the mighty US, Clancy and Bawden produced Australia’s best finish in beach volleyball at an Olympic Games since Sydney 2000 when Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst won gold. In a hostile environment, Clancy and Bawden were just two games away from an Olympic final. The younger pairing of Laird and Artache de Solar were always going to find their opposition tough, but will be stronger for the experience.
Medal: Bronze
BOXING
(no medals)
Who starred: Daniel Lewis
Who struggled: Shelley Watts
One to watch: Daniel Lewis
They say: “I thought there were four good performances, Daniel won his first fight and then came up against the number two seed and I thought Shelley did enough to win her bout and was unlucky.” — coach Kevin Smith.
We say: Daniel Lewis was the only boxer to win a fight as Jason Whateley and Shelley Watts both bowed out in the first round. The boys weren’t expected to challenge for the medals but Watts will be disappointed given she came in as Commonwealth champion and had high hopes. All three are boxing on to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018 where they will set their sights on the podium.
Medal: No banana
CANOE KAYAK
(2 bronze)
Who starred: Jess Fox, Ian Borrows, Lachlan Tame, Stephen Bird
Who struggled: Lucien Delfour, Martin Maranov
Ones to watch: Jess Fox, Lachlan Tame, Stephen Bird
They say: “In the canoe slalom we’ve held our position of one medal from London. OK, it was a bronze, not a silver but Jess (Fox) was in contention for the gold. Of the men, Ian Borrows exceeded our expectation while Lucien Delfour was harshly judged and he’s disappointed not making the final. Of the sprint guys, Lachie (Tame) in his first games and Ken did a great job to podium, while Stephen produced the best times of his career.” — high performance director Richard Fox.
We say: As the gold medal favourite, it would be easy to declare that Jess Fox disappointed in Rio. But still just 22 and the youngest paddler in the women’s final by three years, Fox will look back on Rio as a huge learning curve for her career. By and large the sprint team produced their best times and results at an Olympics. Ken Wallace proved he’s one of Australia’s greatest-ever kayakers, Stephen Bird in the K1-200m showed there’s great depth in the sport, while Lachlan Tame’s effort to collect bronze on debut and just six years after picking up a paddle was special.
Medal: Bronze
CYCLING
(1 silver, 1 bronze)
Who starred: Men’s team pursuit, Anna Meares
Who struggled: Pat Constable, Annette Edmondson, Caroline Buchanan
One to watch: Sam Welsford
They say: “It’s not the week that we’d been aiming for (on the track) that’s for sure, we had a bit of misfortune leading into it but that’s not the reason for performing below our expectations. For most part we shifted with every other nation from worlds, clearly one nation (Great Britain) moved ahead of the rest and made some pretty significant gains in a very short period and we weren’t able to match that. We ended up with fourths, fifths, and a couple of minor medals which is not where we wanted to be but it’s not through lack of effort.” — Cycling Australia high performance manager Kevin Tabotta.
We say: No medals on the road, only two on the track and a wipeout in the BMX. There were mitigating circumstances like Richie Porte breaking his shoulder, the women’s team pursuit crashing in training and Rohan Dennis snapping his handlebars. But if we’re really honest about it, apart from the men’s team pursuit who broke the world record but still had to settle for silver, Great Britain were all over us. Anna Meares produced a gutsy performance in the keirin to win bronze, but we had big misses in the men’s sprint and women’s omnium. Everything was then set up for BMX to save the day but they came up empty handed leaving only mountain bikes to come.
Medal: Bronze
DIVING
(1 bronze)
Who starred: Maddison Keeney, Anabelle Smith
Who struggled: N/A
One to watch: Maddison Keeney. A real talent for the future off the springboard.
They say: “I’ll definitely be training for 2020. I have a few things that I’ll be working on over the next year or so that I’m going to bring out, but I’ll have to keep that to myself for now.” — Maddison Keeney.
We say: Pretty much what you’d expect from the diving team with the women’s 3m springboard synchro bronze medal the highlight. No doubt Melissa Wu would’ve loved better than fifth in the 10m platform but when you’re against the might of China you’re almost competing for bronze from the start anyway. Australian divers just need a bit higher consistency in their dives to be medal threats.
Medal: Bronze
EQUESTRIAN
(1 bronze)
Who starred: Eventing team, Edwina Tops-Alexander, Chris Burton
Who struggled: Australia’s dressage riders: ninth in teams, no higher than 36th individually
One to watch: Chris Burton - top form across all the eventing disciplines
They say: ”Sometimes you need a bit of luck, sometimes you hit a fence and it doesn’t fall ... everything just has to go your way on the day. It’s a matter of having everything go right and we just missed.” — Edwina Tops-Alexander.
We say: Big thumbs for the eventing team — particularly Chris Burton — for pulling out a bronze, even with Shane Rose out action. Tops-Alexander was again a model of consistency right up to the single error made in her final. That one clip of a rail was the difference between a medal and ninth.
Medal: Bronze
FOOTBALL
(no medals)
Who starred: Lydia Williams, Elise Kellond-Knight, Samantha Kerr.
Who struggled: Laura Alleway, Kyah Simon.
Ones to watch: Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Chloe Logarzo.
They say: “We’re shattered but in the cold light of day as a coach and a staff, and I guess as a country, we’re all extremely proud of the performance of the players and the resilience they showed — the courage and toughness. It’s pretty raw at the moment. You can appreciate the effort the players have put in.” — Coach Alen Stajcic.
We say: There is no more brutal ending to a sports match than football’s penalty shootout and that was the method of the Matildas’ elimination against hosts Brazil. The campaign started poorly with a naive 2-0 loss to 10-woman Canada, but a draw against Germany, albeit conceding a late equaliser and a thumping win over Zimbabwe put them through to the knockouts. Katrina Gorry had a shot to win it, but failed and Australia’s chance was blown. Australia was the fourth highest ranked team in the tournament but for all their preparation and confidence failed to seize the chance in front of them. Like so many of our Olympic teams.
Medal: No banana
GYMNASTICS
(no medals)
Who starred: No one
Who struggled: Danielle Prince
They say: “Any time something like this happens it’s really disappointing, I’ve been training for four years for this moment.” — Larissa Miller.
We say: Australia had just two competitors in the gymnastics disciplines - Danielle Prince in the rhythmic gymnastics and Larissa Miller in the artistic gymnastics. The failure of Australia’s women’s team to qualify for the artistic teams event caused repercussions that saw the WA Institute of Sport cut its gymnastic program.
Larissa Miller fell short of the eight-person final after a flawless floor routine was ruined by a fall on her last tumble. Prince was thrilled to make the Olympics after just falling short of London but finished 24th of 25 competitors.
Medal: No banana
GOLF
(no medals)
Who starred: Marcus Fraser, Minjee Lee, Su Oh
Who struggled: Scott Hend
One to watch: Minjee Lee
They say: “Not in my wildest dreams did I think I would have a chance to be here, let alone mixing it with those guys over four rounds in such a big event. It was a very, very special experience.” — Marcus Fraser.
We say: Top-notch efforts from Aussie golfers who wanted to be in Rio when others did not, and a nice guy like Fraser deserves the profile gained for contending. Lee and Oh showed they are young players with huge potential.
Medal: Silver
HOCKEY
(no medals)
Who starred: Kathryn Slattery
Who struggled: Jamie Dwyer
They say: “For me it just shows how brutal the Olympics are. We have had so much success and been well-prepared and trained and the brutal reality is when you lose a knock-out game there is not a next season.” — Hockey Australia CEO Cameron Vale
We say: This was an unmitigated disaster. The Australians could reasonably have expected to throw off the Olympic hoodoo in the men’s competition and have a fighting performance that might have got them into the semi-finals in the women’s draw. Instead both crashed out in the quarter-final stage after failing to inspire in the pool rounds. The men’s team went 200 minutes without scoring, the women had built momentum after two losses to start the pool. Then the men were annihilated 4-0 by the Netherlands and the women lost 4-2 in a scoreline that reflected New Zealand’s dominance. For a sport that needs to build profile and keeps its funding in its rare moments in the Olympic spotlight, it couldn’t have been worse.
Dwyer then retired, as did Madonna Blyth, leaving the men’s team to pick up the pieces and the women’s team to find a new captain and a midfield centrepiece.
Medal: No banana
JUDO
(no medals)
Who starred: Katharina Haecker
Who struggled: Miranda Giambelli
One to watch: Nathan Katz
They say: “It will be four long years to wait and work to make my dreams at the Olympics come true but the feeling of having it slip away once before will push me every single day. Tokyo for me was always where I believed I would be in the best position to be on the podium.” — Nathan Katz.
We say: Katharina Haecker was the best performed of Australia’s judo team, winning her round of 32 against Andorra’s Laura Lopez Salles but then lost to world championship medallist Miku Tashiro of Japan. Debutant Nathan Katz was knocked out four minutes into the first round of his fight against his Moroccan opponent and Miranda Giambelli bowed out of her first round against Brazilian Mayra Aguiar.
Medal: No banana
MODERN PENTATHLON
(1 gold)
Who starred: Chloe Esposito (gold), Max Esposito (seventh)
Who struggled: n/a
One to watch: Max Esposito
They say: “I have never thought this ever, but I thought: ‘You know what? I think I am going to win’. I just had this gut feeling that I can do this ... and it happened.” — Chloe Esposito after winning a gold medal.
We say: In a sport we know little about, Chloe Esposito became a household name and deservedly so. The Esposito family live in Europe, away from everyone, dedicating themselves to success in the modern pentathlon. Max, 19, finished a very credible seventh; the same placing Chloe had in London in her first Olympics. Don’t discount a family double in Tokyo.
Medal: Gold
ROWING
(1 gold, 2 silver)
Who starred: Kim Brennan, men’s quadruple sculls, men’s fours.
Who struggled: Women’s quadruple sculls, women’s double sculls.
Ones to watch: Genevieve Horton, Olympia Aldersey, Sasha Belonogoff
They say: “We finished the regatta as the fourth ranked country in the world, compared to ninth in London. More than 60 per cent of our athletes competed at Olympic level for the first time and this gives us strong encouragement moving forward to Tokyo in 2020.” — Rowing Australia national performance director, Chris O’Brien.
We say: A pass mark, but only just with the state of rowing in Australia on the precipice of success and major failure. Yes, we ranked fourth on the medal tally compared to ninth in London and Kim Brennan won gold. However, only four crews made A finals while Brennan was the only women’s boat in a final. Our women’s eights only got a start because of Russia’s doping scandal while we failed to qualify a boat in the women’s pairs. The men’s quad were a gold medal “banker” but came up short, leaving us one gold medal shy of the Rio target.
Medal: Silver
RUGBY SEVENS
(1 gold)
Who starred: Women’s sevens team - gold medallists
Who struggled: Men’s sevens team - beaten quarterfinalists
One to watch: Charlotte Caslick - voted the player of the women’s tournament
They say: “It’s really overwhelming at the moment. The last four or five years we have been working up to this moment. It’s down to all that hard work.” — women’s star Emilee Cherry
“We are bitterly disappointed with the way we finished, we know we’re better than that but we didn’t show it here.” — men’s coach Andy Friend
We say: A superb and deserved gold medal for the Aussie women’s team, who came into the Olympics as favourites and delivered with a sparkling brand of attacking rugby — and under-rated muscle. A real game changer for women’s rugby in Australia. Though hampered by injury, the men failed to pull together their best form when it counted. Defence and ball security saw them drop vital matches and a chance at a medal.
Medal: Gold for the women. Participation certificate for the men.
SAILING
(1 gold, 3 silver)
Who starred: Tom Burton, Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin
Who struggled: Mat Belcher, Will Ryan and Carrie Smith.
One to watch: Tom Burton
They say: “A lot of people thought it would be hard to repeat the kind of success we had in London, with such a big turnover of people and different classes. It’s good to see that we’ve got such a big depth of talent in Australia and the AST as a program is working really well. We’re in really good stead for Australian sailing.’’ — 470 silver medallist, Will Ryan
We say: 11 athletes with seven returning home with a medal around their neck. Imagine if every other sport in Australia had a similar athlete to medal ratio as what sailing enjoyed in Rio. The 2016 games will be seen as another success story on the water for sailing, but the challenge has to be turning the three silver medals into three gold in Tokyo.
Medal: Silver
SHOOTING
(1 gold)
Who starred: Catherine Skinner
Who struggled: Warren Potent
One to watch: Mitch Iles
They say: “I think it’s going to be really positive for (Shooting Australia), to show that their programs have been paying off. They have been copping a bit of flak over the time and a fair bit of criticism over there and while it is an ongoing process because every system has its own flaws and takes a long time, it’s nice to see the programs they have been developing through the juniors have really been paying off.” — Catherine SKinner
We say: There was so much potential in this campaign given Skinner’s early surprise gold medal in the women’s trap. But world No.1 James Willett couldn’t get it done despite leading qualifying in the double trap, then rifle shooter Warren Potent bombed in the 50m discipline after being world No.1 as recently as last year.
But given London was a barren Olympics with not a single medal, Australia might have taken this result heading into Rio. With a young team including 16-year-old Aislin Jones, 17-year-old Mitch Iles and 20-year-old James Willett at least there is hope for the future.
Medal: Silver
SWIMMING
(3 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze)
Who starred: Mack Horton, Kyle Chalmers, Emma McKeon
Who struggled: Cameron McEvoy, Cate Campbell, Emily Seebohm
Ones to watch: Kyle Chalmers, Mack Horton, Maddie Groves
They say: “We definitely missed some opportunities here. We could have, would have or should have gone better but could have, would have and should have are never on the podium. That’s the truth. I think the ship is moving in the right direction but it hasn’t left the harbour yet,” — head coach Jacco Verhaeren
We say: What a wasted opportunity and potential. Many Australian swimmers will live to regret not making the most of their Rio Games in the weeks and years ahead. There was so much to like about the performances of many new stars, but the enduring memory of Rio will be of how some of Australia’s biggest stars crumbled under pressure in finals they could have, should have and would have won if only they swam near their best times. On paper Australia should have challenged USA for pool supremacy. In reality, 16 gold medals to three, it was a giant mismatch that leaves the Dolphins asking serious questions of themselves and how it all went so horribly wrong more often than not.
Medal: Bronze
SYNCHRO SWIMMING
(no medals)
Who starred: All of them
Who struggled: All of them
One to watch: All of them
They say: “It was tough. We’ve lived and trained together for months, missed seeing our family and friends and we don’t get much support but we wouldn’t change a thing. We achieved our Olympic dream. Synchro isn’t considered a sport in Australia like it is in other countries but it’s getting better. We’re starting to get some respect for what we do.” — team captain Bianca Hammett, retiring after 18 years in the sport.
We say: A team of little Aussie battlers who punch above their weight. A pleasure to watch because of the sheer joy they have in competing on the world stage, and the pride they have in representing their families and their country.
Medal: No banana
TABLE TENNIS
(no medals)
Who starred: Jian Fang Lay
Who struggled: Dave Powell
One to watch: Melissa Tapper
They say: “Overall if we look back we probably exceeded our expectations slightly, the overall performance was a bit better than expected. Apart from Jian, it’s a very young team (and) I think it’s likely that we’re going to see them in Tokyo.” — coach Jens Lang
We say: All our table tennis players exited the tournament in the first round except for Jian Fang Lay who made it to the third round of the women’s singles and equalled Australia’s best ever result at a Games. Lay is ranked outside the top 100 players in the world but managed to beat the world No.55 and No.70 in Rio. Melissa Tapper was competitive against her Brazilian opponent losing 2-4 and will now turn her attention to trying to medal in the Paralympics next month.
Medal: Bronze
TAEKWONDO
(no medals)
Who starred: Safwan Khalil
Who struggled: Caroline Marton
One to watch: Hayder Shkara
They say: “I’m done, I’m 30 years old and I want to start a family. After London and getting so close we decided we wanted to go around again especially considering we were still winning medals on the world stage. This time around Carmen (teammate and fiance) and I spoke before this campaign and said no matter what happens we have to be happy with what we have done and just move on. This is now the end of a very long era.” — Safwan Khalil
We say: Safwan Khalil was the best performed of the Aussies who went into the final round of his quarter-final even on points against Korean No.2 seed Taehun Kim but lost 4-0. Had he won that he would have been fighting for bronze after earlier beating Belgium’s Si Mohamed Ketbi. Hayder Shkara lost his fight to London bronze medallist Lutalo Muhammad while Carmen Marton and Caroline Marton both bowed out early.
Medal: No banana
TENNIS
(no medals)
Who starred: Sam Stosur
Who struggled: Daria Gavrilova
One to watch: Thanasi Kokkinakis
They say: “I can’t say I am expecting to be in Tokyo but if I can stay healthy and do what I am doing then I don’t see why not. But I am not really thinking about Tokyo at this point in time. It’s a great experience. I have loved the four Olympics that I have been able to be a part of so far.” — Sam Stosur.
We say: Sam Stosur got to the third round but lost to Germany’s Angelique Kerber, then she and John Peers bowed out of the mixed doubles in the first round against India. Daria Gavrilova was no match for Serena Williams in the first round, while Sam Groth and Thanasi Kokkinakis also made early exits.
Medal: No banana
TRIATHLON
(no medals)
Who starred: Emma Moffatt, Aaron Royle, Ryan Bailie
Who struggled: Ryan Fisher (due to illness)
Ones to watch: Aaron Royle, Ryan Bailie
They say: “I think two Australians inside the top 10 is a promising sign. We’re both only 26 and in this sport you can go into your 30s so we could be around again (at Tokyo 2020 Olympics) and hopefully up a little bit further.” — Aaron Royle
We say: First time in Olympic history we’ve not won a medal in triathlon. Three top 10 placings (Emma Moffatt 6th, Aaron Royle 9th and Ryan Bailie 10th) is a fair return given the growing strength of this event. If Bailie and Royle can keep developing they could be pushing for medals at Tokyo in 2020.
Medal: No banana
TRAMPOLINE
(no medals)
Who starred: Blake Gaudry
Who struggled: N/A
One to watch: N/A
They say: “Going into this competition I knew it would be very tight, that I could easily have done the best routines I could have, and still missed out. Even though it’s 13th place again, I feel like I have improved since London and am very much a better competitor.” — Blake Gaudry.
We say: Australia’s only trampolinist in the draw was Blake Gaudry in the men’s who overcame a nervous start to finish 13th overall, equalling his result in London, 2012. Gaudry was fifth after his first routine in Rio but false started in his second and fell just two points short of qualifying for the top eight.
Medal: No banana
WATER POLO
(no medals)
Who starred: Rowie Webster, Ash Southern, Lea Yanitsas, John Cotteril, Joe Kayes
Who struggled: The Sharks
One to watch: Keesja Gofers
They say: “Unfortunately the last thing you see is a miss but the game was probably won and lost before that point.” — Rowie Webster on the women losing their quarter-final via a missed penalty shot
“I probably won’t watch to be honest. I don’t think I could handle it,” — Sharks’ Aaron Younger on Brazil-Hungary’s last pool match. Australia needed Brazil to win by two goals to advance. They lost and the Sharks went out.
We say: Both the Sharks and Stingers showed the sort of form that could have won them medals in Rio. The problem was it came and went in the tournament, and sometimes within games too. In disappointing exits for both, that inconsistency will sting players for a long time to come.
Medal: Bronze
WEIGHTLIFTING
(no medals)
Who starred: Simplice Ribouem
Who struggled: N/A
One to watch: Tia-Clair Toomey
They say: “My knee was very, very painful on the last couple of lifts but I knew I had to give it a go again even though the doctor told me my knee was bad. I’m very proud to lift for Australia and give back to the country that gave me this opportunity.” — Simplice Ribouem
We say: Solid results from our only male and female weightlifters in Rio, who didn’t crack the top 10 but never had great expectations. Simplice Ribouem recovered from malaria last year and equalled his PB of 155kg in the snatch in Rio while CrossFit star Tia-Clair Toomey was 14th in the women’s 58kg category in her Games debut.
Medal: No banana
WRESTLING
Who starred: Ivan Popov
Who struggled: N/A
One to watch: N/A
They say: “The competition, as with all the divisions, is not easy. The level of the wrestlers is quite similar. I’m really hoping for some glory. This will be my last Olympics and I know it’s going to be hard but it’s not impossible.” — Sahit Prizreni (who fights Sunday night AEST).
We say: Talgat Ilyasov was forced to abandon his fight against Japanese in the 74kg freestyle division after popping his elbow out. After missing out on a fight in Athens in 2004 it was a cruel blow for Ilyasov who eventually lost to Sohsuke Takatani. Australia’s only competitor in the greco roman wrestling competition was Ivan Popov who lost his 130kg fight against Sweden’s Johan Magnus Euren. Australia still had Sahit Prizreni to fight in the 65kg contest Sunday night (AEST).
Medal: No banana
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