While athletes such as world No.1 tennis player Ash Barty and football’s Sam Kerr will command international attention at the Tokyo Olympics, there are many other members of the Australian Olympic team who will challenge the world’s best in Tokyo.
Jess Fox (starts competing Sunday, July 25)
Jess Fox and her mother Myriam will join forces in Tokyo. Credit: Samuel Costin/Red Bull
French-born canoeist Fox became the youngest woman to win a medal in canoe slalom when she collected silver at the 2012 London Olympics. In 2018, she became the first athlete to win the C1 and K1 titles across three World Cup canoeing events, known as the “triple double”, as well as winning a record-breaking six consecutive World Cup titles. At Rio in 2016 Fox won bronze and she is at the top of her game as she prepares for Tokyo with her coach and mother, Miriam.
Ariarne Titmus (Saturday, July 24)
Ariarne Titmus has recorded two of the fastest times ever seen in the women’s 200m and 400m freestyle at the recent Olympic trials.Credit: Swimming Australia
“The Terminator” Titmus is a force to be reckoned with in the pool. At just 20 years of age, the Tasmanian freestyler has three Commonwealth records and a world record under her belt. An Olympic debutant, Titmus made her mark at the 2021 Australian Olympic trials by becoming the second-fastest woman ever in the 200m and 400m freestyle, after swimming 1:53.09 and 3:56.09 respectively. There’s no one who’s come as close to beating US superstar Katie Ledecky and their showdown will be one for the history books.
Cameron Smith (Thursday, July 29)
Cameron Smith won the 2020 Sony Open and the Australian PGA championship in 2017 and 2018. Credit: David Cannon/ R&A/Getty
Golfer Smith is another Olympic debutant and claimed his first individual PGA Tour victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii in 2020. He then progressed to his fourth consecutive FedEx Cup playoff, where he tied for 24th before becoming the first player in US Masters history to post all four rounds in the 60s, finishing the tournament tied for second. Alongside Olympic teammate Marc Leishman, Smith won the New Orleans Zurich Classic, putting the team in a good position to claim a medal in Tokyo.
Rohan Dennis (Saturday, July 24)
Rohan Dennis won the Tour Down Under in 2016 and wore the yellow jersey at the Tour de France after winning the opening time trial in Utrecht.Credit: Tim de Waele/ Getty
Road cyclist Dennis was injured during a training crash ahead of his race at the Rio Olympics. Despite riding with an injured hand, he finished fifth. In 2019 he won the individual time trial at the Road World Championships, cementing his reputation as one of cycling’s top riders. At London’s 2012 Games Dennis was part of Australia’s team pursuit and took home a silver medal. Ahead of Rio he won the Tour Down Under and wore the yellow jersey at the Tour de France after winning the opening time trial in Utrecht.
Sally Fitzgibbons (Sunday, July 25)
Hailing from the South Coast of NSW, Sally Fitzgibbons is ranked No.3 in the world. Credit: Tonny Heff/ World Surf League
The Australian surfing team is one of the strongest heading to Tokyo, but special attention should be paid to NSW-born Fitzgibbons. She has won three gold medals at the World Surfing Games, most recently at El Salvador during the final Olympic qualifying event in June. Ranked third in the world behind France’s Johanne Defay and US star Clarissa Moore, Fitzgibbons is in with a real shot at gold in the sport’s Olympic debut.
Stewart McSweyn (Friday, July 30)
Tasmanian Stewart McSweyn has set the fastest time in seven years for the mile. Credit: Getty
McSweyn is the fastest Australian man over 10,000 metres in history. The 26-year-old has qualified in three events for the Olympics: 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m. At the beginning of this month the Tasmanian runner broke the Australian mile (1.6km) record with a time of 3:48.37, the fastest in the world in the past seven years, putting him in with a good chance of a medal at Tokyo in the 1500m.
Kaylee McKeown (Sunday, July 25)
Kaylee McKeown is the world record holder in the women’s 100m backstroke. Credit: Getty
At the 2021 Australian Olympic trials, 20-year-old Games debutant McKeown broke the 100m backstroke world record by more than a tenth of a second, swimming 57.45 seconds. Earlier in the year, she broke three national records in one weekend, with personal bests in the 200m, 100m and 50m backstroke.
Rohan Browning (Sunday, August 1)
Sprinter Rohan Browning is the first Australian to qualify for the 100m at the Olympics since 2003. Credit: Getty
Browning is the first Australian in nearly 20 years to compete at the Olympics in the men’s 100m. That alone is noteworthy, but after a stellar performance by the 23-year-old Sydneysider earlier in the year, he’s actually in with a chance of making the Olympic final after clocking a 10.05 personal best. He’s also just the second Australian to break through the magical 10-second barrier, but that was a wind-assisted time.
Patty Mills (Sunday, July 25)
Indigenous basketballer Patty Mills is the captain of the Boomers.Credit: Matt Adekponya/Australian Olympic Committee
Tokyo flagbearer and basketball captain Mills recently led the Boomers to an historic 91-83 win against Team USA. The Indigenous Australian has played a big role in Australia’s march up the world rankings to No.3. He’s not one to miss as the Boomers vie to win their first medal at the Olympics.
Nicola McDermott (Saturday, August 7)
Just 20 years old, Nicola McDermott recently became the first Australian woman to clear two metres in the high jump. Credit: Getty Images
In April, Nicola McDermott became the first Australian woman to break the two-metre barrier in the high jump. Ranked seventh in the world, McDermott jumped 2.01 metres in Stockholm this month. To put that jump into perspective, Spain’s Ruth Beitia took home the women’s high jump gold medal in Rio with a leap of 1.97 metres.
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