Paris Olympics 2024: Day one live updates and news
Ariarne Titmus and our women’s relay team have delivered gold for Australia with our men’s relay team and Elijah Winnington chipping in with silver on an epic night one in Paris.
The hype about Australia’s incredible swimmers is all true.
Our golden girls really are on their way to being the best generation of Dolphins ever.
On the first night of swimming at the Paris Olympics, they just lit up the Games - winning gold in both women’s events to put Australia on top of the swimming medals table - ahead of the United States.
Tough as nails Ariarne Titmus joined Dawn Fraser as the only Australian female swimmer to retain an Olympic title when she steamrolled her high profile rivals to win the 400m freestyle.
“It is one thing to come into an Olympics the last time not being a gold medallist, another thing to come and defend your title” Titmus said. “A big monkey on your back. I felt it this week. Really relaxed today, which was nice.
“I wanted to come out and have fun. It is about getting a hand on the wall first, it is not about swimming as fast as you can. I did my best, I will forever be a back-to-back Olympic champion, which is really cool.”
Then the Dolphins won the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay - for the fourth time in a row - making them Australia’s greatest and most reliable team in any sport.
The GOAT Emma McKeon collected her sixth career gold, breaking Ian Thorpe’s Australian record after teaming up with Mollie O’Callaghan, Meg Harris and Shayna Jack, who missed the last Olympics while serving a doping ban.
It was that sort of night - with takes of triumph and comebacks everywhere - in front of a packed and electrified crowd at the La Defense Arena.
The Aussie men won two silver medals, with Elijah Winnington finishing runner-up in the men’s 400m freestyle three years after he bombed out as the favourite in Tokyo.
“Straight after the Tokyo Olympic Games I got the word ‘redemption’ tattooed on my forearm, and that’s what these next three years have been,” Winnington said.
“Every day I’ve looked at that word tattooed on my arm, and it’s been about fighting to get back to this moment.”
Finally, Kai Taylor, the son of swimming legend Hayley Lewis, won silver in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay after joining forces with Jack Cartwright, Flynn Southam and Kyle Chalmers, who unleashed one of the fastest splits in history - a scarcely believable 46.59 seconds.
There are still eight more days of swimming to go but after the first one, this is going to be something not to miss.
Relive all the action from day one at the Paris Olympics with our blog below
Originally published as Paris Olympics 2024: Day one live updates and news
New coaches to lead rowing into future after Paris disaster
Rowing Australia has installed new men’s and women’s head coaches to lead its program to the LA and Brisbane Games after its worst Olympic return in more than 30 years.
Healy takes Olympic legend to task over commentary slight
Swimming legend Ian Thorpe has found himself in the crosshair’s of Australian cricket great Alyssa Healy – who has taken umbrage at a piece of commentary from the Paris Olympics.