Our Queensland 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games medallists
Take a bow. Here are our Queensland 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games medallists.
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It was equal to Australia’s most successful Olympic Games campaign and typically Queenslanders were the roaring engine behind the triumph in Tokyo.
From favourites to underdogs, from the pool to the BMX track and rowing course, Queenslanders provided the rousing pulse of Australia’s 17-gold medal Games.
From the spell binding deeds of Emma McKeon, Ariarne Titmus Zac Stubblety-Cook in the pool, to Logan Martin’s death defying BMX freestyle feats and Kevin McNab’s imperious Equestrian deeds, Queenslanders shone through.
Some, like decathletes Ashley Moloney and Cedric Dubler, didn’t need to win to be winners, with their bond capturing world audiences down the back straight of the 1500m as Dubler rallied an exhausted Moloney to surge one last time in the gruelling 10 event program.
Never has an individual medal - Moloney’s bronze - been such a team effort.
And what about the respect shown by Kaylee McKeown for the veteran Emily Seebohm, when McKeown invited Seebohm onto the highest point of the podium to share her gold medal success with her.
Old ties shone through for McKeown had long idolised Seebohm and the golden standards she had set.
“As a kid growing up you have your idols and for Kaylee it was always Emily,’’ said McKeown’s sister Taylor.
“For those two to be on the Olympics together all these years later is so beautiful. Emily has been so nurturing. She has not had a bad thing to say about Kaylee.’’
The McKeown’s provided some of the most heart-warming stories of the Games with Kaylee dedicating her gold medals to her late father Sholto who died of brain cancer a year ago.
McKeown said at times her “tank’’ seemed empty in the pool but somehow she found extra strength. “I’m sure it was him,’’ she said of her father.
Some, like sprint star Riley Day, Ellie Beer and diver Cassiel Rousseau, did not make it onto the podium but produced stunning efforts which set them up for strong performances at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
And there were heart warming moments, like little rhythmic gymnast Lidiia Iakovleva living out her dream of performing at an Olympics - with her mother-coach Iuliia watching from just metres away.
It was a Games like no other for Queensland rowers Caitlin Cronin and Harritt Hudson, both bronze medallist, for young swimmers like Tom Neill, Meg Harris and Mollie O’Callaghan who have Olympic medals to contemplate.
GOLD
Emma McKeon: Swimming (50m, 100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, and the medley relay)
Gold Coast-based superstar from Michael Bohl’s Griffith Uni swim stable. She is Wollongong raised but we will claim her - after all, as stated in the famous State of Origin songs: Where’s Wollongong, it’s in Queensland. After all she has been in Queensland with Bohl since 2014.
McKeon won seven medals across all seven of her events, including four individual gold medals. Only two other Olympians in history have accumulated seven medals at a single Games.
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Ariarne Titmus: Swimming (women’s 200m, 400m freestyle)
The St Peters Lutheran College alumni brought down the greatest women’s middle distance swimmer of all-time, Kate LeDecky, in the 400m which sparked a victory dance from her coach Dean Bozall which went viral.
Titmus also won the 200m freestyle and an array of minor medals, all reward for her extraordinary courage, commitment and dedication in the training pool when television cameras were focused elsewhere in the world.
Kaylee McKeown: Swimming (women’s 200m, 100m backstroke, 4x100m freestyle and medley relays)
The emotion-charged pocket dynamo from the Sunshine Coast dedicated her remarkable four gold medals to her late father who passed away in 2020.
Her stunning gold rush effort included winning the 200m backstroke, where she showed respect for her elders by inviting Emily Seebohm (bronze medal) onto the top of the podium to celebrate with her.
Zac Stubblety-Cook: Swimming (200m breaststroke, 4x100m mixed relay)
The boy whose swimming career started at Wellers Hill State School when his mother tossed him into the school pool as part of a children’s water safety class.
His staggering final lap swim (200m breaststroke) from the back of the field was one of the most captivating moments of the Games.
Logan Martin: BMX freestyle
When prospective Olympian Logan Martin was a boy, a big trip for him was to catch the train from Loganlea to the Beenleigh skatepark.
Now he is a world acclaimed Olympic gold medallist from the Tokyo Olympic Games who stunned both devotees and casual onlookers with his effort to claim Games gold.
Mathew Belcher: Saling (men’s two person dinghy)
Belcher joined with Will Ryan to win the 470 class - his second Olympic gold medal after victory at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
From the sun drenched Gold Coast, Belcher also teamed with Ryan to snare silver at
the 2016 Rio Olympics
Keegan Palmer: Skateboarding, men’s park
Transplanted American-born skateboarder from the Gold Coast who captivated the new generation of Olympic Games onlookers with his bewildering antics that led to a gold medal.
Thomas Green: Canoe sprint (men’s kayak double 1000m)
A Currumbin Creek Canoe Club junior, Green linked with South African-born Jean van der Westhuyzen to win in a gruelling, wind swept 1000m canoe sprint.
Cate Campbell: Swimming (women’s 4x100m medley, 4x100m freestyle relays)
The Kenmore SHS alumni’s dramatic finale effort at the Games was to swim Australia into a gold medal position (medley relay) on the final day swimming competition. The Queensland swim great was also a 4x100m freestyle gold medallist.
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Bronte Campbell: Swimming (women’s 4x100m relay freestyle)
Campbell was a member of the world record breaking 4x100m freestyle relay team which raised morale right from the start of the swimming competition, triggering a medal avalanche that continued for a week.
Meg Harris: Swimming (4x100m freestyle)
The former Eimeo Beach SLSC nipper from Mt St Michael’s College who swam the house down to help her team to gold medal relay success. She was also a heat swimmer in the 4x200m freestyle bronze relay effort confirmng the next generation of female sprint stars was already among us.
Chelsea Hodges: Swimming (4x100m medley relay)
The daughter of a school principal, Hodges, from The Southport Olympic Swimming Club, rose from the disappointment of moderate individual breaststroke swim to produce a world class gold medal relay team effort.
Mollie O’Callaghan: Swimming (4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley)
The baby of the swim team, the year 12 St Peters student was unlucky not to earn swim in at least one relay final. But her surging world class heat performances were rightly acclaimed by her teammates and she thoroughly deserved her gold medals - and also bronze in the 4x200m freestyle team.
Emily Seebohm: Swimming (Women 4x100m Medley Relay)
The ageless champion, who for 12 or more years has never been off the podium in a major international event, kept on keeping on with her role as a heat swimmer in the 4x100m medley relay, and her bronze medal winning effort in the 200m backstroke (individual)
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SILVER
Jack McLoughlin: Swimming (men’s 400m freestyle)
A swimming workhorse who came through the Nudgee College swim program as a junior before progressing to Vince Raleigh Chandler squad. McLoughlin’s work ethic is renowned and a gleaming silver medal has been his reward.
Jake Whetton: Hockey
An old boy of Calamvale State School and Clairvaux MacKillop College, Whetton’s reward for uprooting his life and moving to Perth to train was rewarded with a cherished silver medal that has been a lifetime in the making after being spurred on by his 2012 Olympic team omission.
Alex Graham Swimming. 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x200m freestyle relay.
Brisbane born before heaving to Melbourne and returning to do a sports management degree at Bond University, he did some handy work which helped Australia to regular podium finishes in the relay.
Ash Barty Tennis.
Mixed doubles. Was disappointed not to medal in the women’s singles and doubles but had a huge build-up, including winning Wimbledon and signed off from the Games with a satisfying bronze medal in the mixed doubles with John Peers.
Daniel Beale Hockey.
The 28-year-old former Australian under-21 captain was inspired to take up the game after watching the Kookaburras 2004 Olympic Games gold in Athens but fell agonisingly short of matching their deeds despite a sterling silver.
Tim Howard Hockey.
The Birkdale boy had to cover plenty of ground in defence for the Kookaburras and often finished sweat laden in the humid conditions but was part of a strong team effort.
Kareena Lee. Marathon swimming, women’s 10km.
Narrowly missed selection for the Rio Games after being pulled from the water in the World Aquatic Championships but that only fuelled the Noosa swimmer’s desire to shine in Tokyo which she did with a robust bronze despite being struck on the chest by a flying fish.
Taliqua Clancy: Beach volleyball
From the Kingaroy region, a hot bed for elite sporting talent, Clancy teamed with Artacho Del Solar to claim silver. A two-time Olympian after linking with Mariafe Artacho del Solar at the 2016 Rio Games.
Kevin McNab: Equestrian, eventing team
The son of Millaa Millaa diary parents in far North Queensland, McNab joined the legendary Andrew Hoy and Sydney’s Shane Rose in a joyous silver medal winning performance. As a child he would lull himself to sleep reading horse magazines and now as a silver medal to reflect upon.
BRONZE
Tom Neill: (swimming)
A brilliant prospect, the St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace old boy from Damien Jones’ Rackley Centenary swim squad surged Australia to a bronze medal in the 4x200m relay after narrowly missing the 200m individual final.
Ashley Moloney (athletics)
One of the great stories of the Games, with the young boy from Logan city rising to snare a bronze medal in a dramatic final thrust - in the 1500m - the latest event of the gruelling two day, 10 event decathlon. The image of his team mate Cedric Dubler urging him to launch his run to the finish line 300m from will be etched in the memory of those who witnessed it.
Aron Baynes
The 2.08cm tall giant from North Queensland aron Baynes started his road to tokyo started playing ball in the school playground if Mareeba and cairns.
He learned his craft playing college Washington USA before playing pro ball in Europe
Chris Goulding
An nbl veteran who first hit the Aussie big league in 2006 as a Brisbane bullets development player. He was schoolboy star at Brisbane state high school and has been a boomers regular
Leah Neal: Swimming 4x200m freestyle relay
From the famous Queensland sporting town of Ipswich, Neah iced her second successive Olympics by helping Australia to bronze. Coached by Vince Raleigh at Chandler.
Issac Cooper: Swimming 4x200m freestyle relay
The boy from Bundaberg via Toowoomba Grammar School, Cooper joined Rackley Centenary teammate Tom Neill as rookies on the swim team, Cooper was a member of the 4x200m heat swim squad that went on to podium finish.
Cailtin Cronin and Harrit Hudson rowing (quadruple scull)
Cailtin Cronin and Harrit Hudson rowing (quadruple scull)
Up until year 10 at All Hallows’ School, Cronin was a better footballer than a rower. But her involvement in rowing ramped up in year 11 as part of the school’s second VIII, and then in year 12 when she made the Firsts. Warwick rowing product Harriet Hudson was a boarder at Somerville House where she was exposed to rowing expertise. Together they are now Olympic bronze medallists.
Elijah Winnington: Swimming 4x200m freestyle relay
From Dean Boxall’s St Peters Western swim club, the Gold Coast raised Winnington played his part in Australia’s 4x200m freestyle relay success with a powerful heat swim.
Cameron McEvoy: Swimming (4x100m Freestyle Relay (heat swimmer)
The TSS Aquatic star shone brightly from a team perspective to help position Australia into a medal position with his role in the 4x100m freestyle heat
Emily Seebohm: Swimming 200m backstroke
The Australian swim great yet again found the wall to podium finish in her pet 200m backstroke - then had the honour of standing on the gold medal podium after an invitation from her young team mate Kaylee McKeown who finished first.
Alex Graham: Swimming 4x200m, 4x100m freestyle relays
The Bond University talent burst through to help Australia to two relay medals - in the 4x100m Freestyle Relay and the 4x200m Freestyle Relay.
Originally published as Our Queensland 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games medallists
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