Tokyo 2020: Top 10 Gold Coast moments of the 2020 Olympic Games
Top 10 Gold Coast moments of the 2020 Olympic Games
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The 2020 Olympic Games have been simply unforgettable.
Over 16 days, many of which were viewed from within lockdown, a generation of heroes were forged on our TV screens.
From hundreds of hours of live sport, these were the 10 moments featuring Gold Coasters that we loved the most.
10. Swimming - Women’s 50m freestyle
Another World Record swim from McKeon. The superstar would bring home seven medals to the Coast, four of them Gold.
Watching her slay the competition in her premier event was another great moment.
9. Women’s BMX & Women’s 3000m Steeplechase
It feels wrong to include, but the bravery and poise shown by Saya Sakakibara (BMX) and Gen Gregson after major injuries were among the proudest moments we felt as a nation.
Sakakibara was leading the pack in the BMX semi-final before being clipped on the final turn, knocking her out of the final.
Gregson tore her Achilles tendon on the final water-jump of the Steeplechase, composing herself to give an unforgettable interview, wracked with emotion.
8. Rugby Sevens - Women
Gold Coast Suns turned Aussie 7s young gun Maddi Levi scored a try with her first touch of the ball at the Olympics, galloping clear on the left wing against host nation Japan.
She finished the match with a second-half double in a fantastic debut.
7. Swimming - Women’s 4x100 freestyle relay
Emma McKeon’s relay crew set a new World Record to claim Austrlaia’s first Gold medal of the games.
The dominant swim set the tone for Australia’s best campaign in the pool since Athens in 2004.
6. BMX - Freestyle park
Logan Martin of Maudsland, west of Helensvale, entered the Games as reigning World Champion and favourite for Gold.
He delivered in the biggest way, securing Gold on his first run and thrilling with his victory lap to soak it all in.
5. Swimming - Mixed 4x100 medley relay
It was only for bronze but the wild mixed medley relay was one of our favourite events of the game.
The final straight, with Emma McKeon surviving a chasedown against the world’s fastest freestyler, USA’s Caleb Dressel, was some of the most exciting action of the Olympics.
4. Sprint canoe - K-2 1000m
Jean van der Westhuyzen didn’t even have a Wikipedia page before shocking the world alongside Tom Green to take out the K2 1000 metres event.
Van der Westhuyzen and Green weren’t even Australia’s greatest medal hope after finishing second to Riley Fitzsimmons and Jordan Wood at the national championships.
The pair rose together to bolt from the blue and claim Australia’s first K2 1000 Gold.
3. Skateboarding - Men’s Park
Currumbin teenager Keegan Palmer’s huge stack in the build-up to the first Olympic Park skateboarding final didn’t worry him a lick as he dropped in.
His first run, pulling off a kickflip body varial 540 - look it up - netted a score of 94.04 to take a commanding lead on the Gold.
His final run was even better, 95.83 to lock in first place for an 18-year-old legend in the making.
2. Sailing - Men’s 470
Gold Coaster Mat Belcher and partner Will Ryan only needed to avoid disqualification and finish the final race of the Olympics to take home the Gold medal.
Instead the fearless crew dominated the field to cross the line first, celebrating by leaping into the water.
It was the moment that sealed Belcher as Australia’s closing ceremony flag-bearer.
1. Swimming - 4x100m medley relay
Three Gold Coast residents, Emma McKeon, Emily Seebohm and Chelsea Hodges, set the Women’s Olympic record in the event in a staggering swim that to edge the USA swimmers by 0.13.
It was the seventh medal of the Games for McKeon (and second Gold of the day), carrying her clear of Ian Thorpe and Liesel Jones as Australia’s greatest ever Olympian, in just her second Games.
Every Gold Coast athlete’s results at the Olympic Games
GOLD Coast athletes would have carried the region to 7th on the Olympic medal tally in Tokyo had the Coast broken free of Australia to go it alone.
Across the swimming, sprint canoe and sailing disciplines, Gold Coast-based talent will bring home 11 Gold medals after a halcyon month of international competition.
That medal tally alone would pip 196 nations on the Olympic dais, including Poland, Kenya, Jamaica, Spain and Sweden.
SCROLL DOWN FOR EVERY GOLD COAST RESULT
Australia claimed 17 Gold medals in total to finish sixth on the medal tally.
More than half of those came from events including Gold Coasters despite the region making up less than five per cent of Australia’s population, with the Glitter Strip’s medal haul enough to lift the city to seventh on the tally.
If Mayor Tom Tate plans on handing out the keys to the city anytime soon there could be no more deserving candidate than Emma McKeon.
The 27-year-old, born in Wollongong but now calling the Gold Coast home, produced one of the all-time great Olympic performances in Tokyo.
Her four Gold medals (50m freestyle; 100m freestyle; 4x100m freestyle relay and the 4x100m medley relay) and three Bronze (100m butterfly, 4x200 medley relay and 4x100m mixed medley relay) saw her overtake legends Ian Thorpe and Liesel Jones as Australia’s most prolific medal-winner, with 11.
With three years to the Paris Games and age on her side McKeon has the ability to overtake USA’s Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres medal counts (both 12) as swimming’s most successful female of all time.
On the opposite end of the scale, Mayor Tate could consider canoe sprint gold medallist Jean van der Westhuyzen.
The 22-year-old Gold Coaster didn’t even have a Wikipedia page before shocking the world alongside Tom Green to take out the K2 1000 metres event.
Van der Westhuyzen and Green weren’t even Australia’s greatest medal hope after finishing second to Riley Fitzsimmons and Jordan Wood at the national championships.
The pair rose together to bolt from the blue and claim Australia’s first K2 1000 Gold
Another candidate is sailor Mat Belcher.
In 2000, while still a Year 12 student at The Southport School, Belcher’s Olympic dream was lit when invited to carry Australia’s flag at the closing ceremony in Sydney.
More than two decades later Belcher’s dream came full circle, carrying the flag at the closing ceremony once again, this time as a two-time Gold medal champion in the 470 class.
Or perhaps the best course of action is to honour all three.
EVERY GOLD COAST RESULT AT TOKYO 2020
LOGAN MARTIN - Men’s cycling BMX Freestyle GOLD.
KEEGAN PALMER - Men’s skateboarding park GOLD.
ALEX GRAHAM – Men’s 4x200m freestyle relay: BRONZE 7:01.84. Men’s 4x100m freestyle relay. 3:10.22
ELIJAH WINNINGTON – Men’s 4x200m freestyle relay: BRONZE. Men’s 200m freestyle: 7th. 1:46.99. Men’s 400m freestyle: 7th. S:45.20
EMMA MCKEON – Women’s 4x100m medley relay: GOLD, Olympic record 3:51.60. 50m freestyle GOLD. Mixed 4x100m medley relay BRONZE. Women’s 100m freestlye GOLD. Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay BRONZE. Women’s 100m butterfly BRONZE. Women’s 4x100 freestyle relay. GOLD.
EMILY SEEBOHM – Women’s 4x100m medley relay GOLD; Women’s 200m backstroke bronze; women’s 100m backstroke 5th
CAM MCEVOY – Men’s 50m freestyle eighth in Heat 10; Men’s 100m freestyle 7th in Heat 9; Men’s 4x200m freestyle relay: BRONZE
CHELSEA HODGES – Women’s 4x100m medley relay: GOLD (Olympic Record); Women’s 100m breastroke fifth in semi-final
JEAN VAN DER WESTHUYZEN – Men’s K-2 1000m: GOLD. Men’s K-1 1000m: 3rd in Final B
RILEY FITZSIMMONS - Men’s K2 1000m: 13th. Men’s K4 500m: Sixth in Final A.
THOMAS GREEN - Men’s K-2 1000m: GOLD. Men’s K-1 1000m: Seventh in Final A.
LACHLAN TAME - Men’s K4 - 500m: Sixth in Final A.
MAT BELCHER – Men’s 470 Sailing. GOLD
ELLIE BEER – Athletics, 4x400m relay. Finished seventh in Heat 1, did not qualify for finals
GEN GREGSON – Athletics, 3000m steeplechase. DNF in final, suffering a torn Achilles on final water jump.
KATIE HAYWARD – Women’s 20k walk. Finished 37th in final with time of 1:38.11.
ALEX BECK – Men’s 400m. Finished sixth in Heat 1, did not qualify for finals
RILEY DAY – Women’s 200m. Finished fourth in semi-final w/ 22.56
LIZ CLAY – Women’s 100m hurdles. Finished third in semi-final with 12.71
DANI STEVENS – Women’s discus. Finished 14th in Group B with 58.77m, did not qualify for finals.
HAYLEY RASO – Women’s soccer. Fourth, defeated by USA 4-3 in bronze playoff
MACKENZIE ARNOLD - Women’s soccer. Fourth, defeated by USA 4-3 in bronze playoff
TAMEKA YALLOP - Women’s soccer. Fourth, defeated by USA 4-3 in bronze playoff
ELISE KELLOND-KNIGHT - Women’s soccer. Fourth, defeated by USA 4-3 in bronze playoff
NICK D’AGOSTINO – Men’s soccer. Finished fourth in Group C.
JAY RICH-BAGHUELOU - Men’s soccer. Finished fourth in Group C.
SKYE NICOLSON – Women’s featherweight boxing. Defeated in quarter-finals by Karris Artingstall 3-2
ASH GENTLE – Women’s Triathlon: Lapped out of race. Mixed Relay Triathlon: 9th in final, 1:26.27
JAZ HEDGELAND – Women’s Triathlon: Lapped out of race.
MATT HAUSER – Men’s Triathlon: Finished 24th with 1:47.35. Mixed Relay Triathlon: 9th in final, 1:26.27
MADDISON LEVI – Women’s Rugby 7s: Finished 5th, defeating USA 17-7
JOE PINCUS – Men’s Rugby 7s: Finished 7th, defeating Canada 26-7
STEPH GILMORE – Women’s shortboard surfing: Knocked out in third round by Bianca Buitendag
DAVID MORGAN – Men’s 100m butterfly: 7th in Heat 8; Men’s 200m butterfly: 8th in Heat 4
MADDY GOUGH – Women’s 1500m freestyle: 8th
JENNA STRAUCH – Women’s 200m breastroke: sixth in semi-final
TRISTAN HOLLARD – Men’s 200m backstroke: 6th in semi-final
KIAH MELVERTON – Women’s 800m freestyle: 6th. Women’s 1500m freestyle: 6th
KAI EDWARDS – Men’s 10km marathon swim: 12th (1:53.04)
SAM STOSUR - Women’s doubles: Eliminated in Quarter-Final v Switzerland. Singles: Eliminated in first round v Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina
KIERA GAZZARD – Women’s Artistic Swimming. 9th in free routine.
RACHEL PRESSER - Women’s Artistic Swimming. 9th in free routine.
KIRSTEN KINASH - Women’s Artistic Swimming. 9th in free routine.
BERNADETTE WALLACE – Women’s C-1 200m Canoe Sprint: 4th in quarter-final; 5th in Women’s C-2 500m Canoe Sprint Final B
CAT MCARTHUR – Women’s K-4 500m: 7th in final
JAIME ROBERTS – Women’s K-4 500m: 7th in final
JORDAN WOOD – Men’s K-4 500m Canoe Sprint: 6th in final A. Men’s K-2 1000m canoe spinrt: 5th in final B.
ALYCE WOOD – Women’s K-1 500m: 8th in Final A. Women’s K-2 500m: Fifth in Final A
ALY BULL – Women’s K-1 500m: 8th in Final B. Women’s K-2 500m: Fifth in Final A
ROSIE MALONE – Women’s Hockey: Eliminated by India 1-0 in quarter-final
MADISON FITZPATRICK - Women’s Hockey: Eliminated by India 1-0 in quarter-final
GEORGIA GODWIN – Women’s Artistic Individual All-Around: 37th. Women’s Balance Beam: 38th. Women’s Uneven bars: 45th. Women’s floor: 26th.
SAYA SAKAKIBARA – Women’s BMX Racing. 5th in Semi Finals heat 1.
GOLD COAST TO OUTNUMBER COUNTRIES IN TOKYO
TEAM Gold Coast will outnumber entire countries in Tokyo as leading sports figures call on leaders to carve out a new sports master plan to ensure the city remains a breeding ground of elite athletes.
Gold Coast accounts for 54 of the 472 Australians competing in the 2021 Olympic Games that will feature over 11,000 athletes from 206 countries.
The Glitter Strip team alone is bigger than many rival nations, including Slovakia (41), Fiji (30), Finland (29), the Refugee team (29) and Chile (22).
The abundance of elite facilities, access to both water and land and warm weather conditions all year round mean many national squads from sports like rowing, triathlon and swimming make it their training base.
Sports Gold Coast Chairman Geoff Smith said the abundance of athletes showed exactly why figures from Gold Coast City Council, universities and schools needed to collaborate and produce a strategic plan for the future quickly.
“Sports Gold Coast are pushing at the moment to get Council and the city to come up with a sports strategy straight away,” Mr Smith said.
“It should only take three to six months. The last master plan was written in 2013 and only went up to 2023. It’s totally past its use-by-date.
“We have hosted the Commonwealth Games in that time and need a completely fresh one.
“We have a whole group of sophisticated people who have experience in sport, business and media. They want to be involved in supporting sport for the city so we are trying to be a platform for them to engage with the likes of Council, state government, the federal government, sporting bodies and universities.
“At the moment we are very fragmented in terms of those stakeholders doing their own thing.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the current crop of athletes competing in Tokyo should be buoyed by the fact the Olympics will be held in their home city in 2032.
“All of the Coast is behind our mighty athletes,” he said.
“I hope the Olympics and Paralympics announcement on Wednesday night has given them extra encouragement to do their very best in Tokyo.
“They only need to look at their uniforms and see the gold colour to remind them how proud we are of them as our Aussies on the world stage.’’
Gold Coast’s Top 15 Medal Hopes:
Emma McKeon (Swimming):
Events: Swimming 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly
One of greatest medal chances in the pool, McKeon will be right in the hunt in all three of the racing formats she will compete in and will likely feature in the relays.
McKeon won gold in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay in Rio, is a multiple world champion and dominated at the 2018 Commonwealth Games where she won four gold and two bronze medals.
Elijah Winnington (Swimming):
Events: 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 4x200m relay
The 21-year-old beat 2016 Rio Olympic 400m champion Mack Horton to claim his spot in the Tokyo team and looks set to become a household name.
Winnington has 30 national age group titles to his name, now he is tipped to challenge for gold on the world stage.
Chelsea Hodges (Swimming):
Event: 100m breastroke
An Olympic debutant who used the agony of just missing selection in the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games team to improve.
Hodges’ best 100m breastroke time of 1:05.99 is up there with the best from around the world this year and while US star Lilly King will set the pace, Hodges could get on the podium.
Emily Seebohm (Swimming)
Event: 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke
One of the most experienced members of the Australian team, Seebohm will feature in her fourth Olympics and is always in the hunt in the backstroke.
Alex Graham (Swimming)
Event: 4 x 200m freestyle relay
Australia is ranked No. 1 in the world in this event, giving Graham the perfect opportunity to secure a dream gold medal. Graham will likely line up alongside the likes of Kyle Chalmers, Elijah Winnington and Mack Horton on the blocks as part of all-star relay team.
Ash Gentle (Triathlon)
Events: Women’s triathlon and mixed relay
Part of Australia’s gold medal-winning mixed relay team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Gentle has been among the best female triathletes for several years.
It will be Gentle’s second Olympics and her early selection in the team at the start of the year has provided her the flexibility to train with the Games as her sole focus.
Matt Hauser (Triathlon)
Events: Men’s triathlon and mixed relay
Hauser also won gold in the mixed relay at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and has been building a reputation as one of the sport’s greatest upcoming athletes in recent years.
Injury halted his progression over the past two years but Hauser looks to be in career best form going into Tokyo.
Rosie Malone and Madison Fitzpatrick (Hockey)
Malone and Fitzpatrick are members of the Australian women’s hockey team who are hoping to come from the clouds to win a medal.
The Hockeyroos are ranked fourth in the world after playing limited internationals in the past 18 months but a win and three draws with New Zealand recently has shown they could spring an upset.
Mat Belcher (Sailing)
Event: Two Person Dinghy
The most successful Olympic-class helm sailor in Australian history plans to add to that legacy at Tokyo.
Belcher and teammate Will Ryan claimed silver in the 470 class at the 2016 Rio Olympics but are both driven to go one better at Tokyo.
Skye Nicolson (Boxing)
Event: Featherweight division
Nicolson won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and bronze at the 2016 World Championships, making her a genuine threat in Tokyo.
She has secured a bye in the first round of the featherweight bracket, with South Korea’s Im Aeji waiting for her after that.
Hayley Raso, Mackenzie Arnold, Tameka Yallop (nee Butt), Elise Kellond-Knight (Football)
The Matildas players have already recorded a 2-1 win over New Zealand and faced Sweden overnight in their second group game.
The side went through a rough patch earlier this year but retained its top 10 world ranking and look to be hitting form at the right time.
Maddi Levi (Rugby Sevens)
The Australian women’s Rugby Sevens team are the defending Olympic champions going into Tokyo but they will have their work cut out for them. New Zealand, who lost to the Aussies at the 2016 Games, are the sleeping giant of women’s Rugby Sevens and look to have woken up just in time for Tokyo.
Steph Gilmore (Surfing)
A seven-time world champion who is currently ranked fifth in the 2021 World Surf League’s Championship Tour.
Gilmore’s trademark smooth style of surfing will have her pushing to become the first female surfer to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport’s debut at the Games.
Dani Stevens (Discus)
Stevens will go to her fourth Olympics in the hope of finally coming home with a medal.
She finished fourth in Rio and hopes her experience will push her to go at least one better in Tokyo.
Liz Clay (Athletics)
Event: 100m hurdles
Clay has taken the mantle of Gold Coast sprinting great Sally Pearson and has been using her former coach Sharon Hannan in a bid to try and mirror the success of the former Olympic champion.
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