Rio Olympics the games of near-misses, agonising heartbreak for Australia

IT was the moment that could have summed up the Rio Olympics for Australia, when the men’s K4-1000m crew raced for gold at Lagoa Stadium.

IF only the Rio Olympic pool were five-metres shorter.

If only the high-jump bar were lower, the BMX track a little tighter and the road which hosted triathlon’s final run-leg, just not as long.

Because if Games organisers presented medals for fourth-place — or near enough — at the Rio Olympics, Australia would boast a swag full.

For Australia, Rio will forever be remembered as the games of near-misses, agonising heartbreak and questions of: we waited four years for this?

That emptiness was never more evident than on the second last day of competition at Lagoa Stadium where the K4-1000m crew of Jacob Clear, Ken Wallace, Riley Fitzsimmons and Jordan Wood raced for gold ... but finished fourth.

Beaten fair-and-square by the world champions Germany, the Australian four couldn’t hide their disappointment at just how close they were to a medal.

“It is a hard one to swallow, that fourth place, just missing the podium,’’ Clear said.

“I suppose you look at things like, if we may have done something different, would have we got on the podium?’’

Australia's Ken Wallace, Riley Fitzsimmons, Jacob Clear and Jordan Wood finished fourth in the K4-1000m. Picture: Brett Costello

There is another question which every athlete asks themselves and it’s the one that provides them with solace.

Did I do everything possible for my country?

And it’s how that question is answered which will ultimately determine how the athlete recovers and responds from their Rio heartbreak.

“It’s tough to get fourth, but if you can walk away knowing that you’ve done your absolute best, then that’s all we can do,’’ Wallace said.

“Everybody else in the Australian Olympic team that got fourth, or 10th, or 15th that were lucky enough and privileged enough to put on that green and gold, that’s a win already.

“That’s the best that we can do.

Germany's Max Rendschmidt, Tom Liebscher, Max Hoff and Marcus Gross celebrate their gold in the K4-1000m.

“The Australian Olympic team is one of the hardest teams to make and for us just to line up on the world stage, for us this is the pinnacle.

“The Olympics — you can’t go past an Olympic Games final, fighting for a medal and we got fourth.

“We just missed out.’’

Fitzsimmons, almost 10 years younger than Wallace, had another thought. Defeat is what will drive him for the next four years.

“Even though it was fourth and we were that close to a medal, it’s definitely made us guys a lot hungrier to go that step further,’’ Fitzsimmons said.

“We didn’t come away with a medal, but we’ve come away with a lot of experience.

“We do this sport because we love it and we’ll come back stronger.’’

Originally published as Rio Olympics the games of near-misses, agonising heartbreak for Australia