Simply the best: Every medallist from Australia’s greatest Olympics

Greatest venues, greatest medal return, greatest moments. The Paris Olympics gives Brisbane 2032 plenty to worry about, writes ROBERT CRADDOCK. Check out our complete guide to every medallist from Paris!

This was the best of the best, the Olympics where Australia not simply looked the world in the eye but stared much of that world down.

To steal a line from Humphrey Bogart, no matter what challenges lie ahead in the bumpy, bruising road to the Brisbane Olympics, we’ll always have Paris.

It was a triumph of many colourful, contrasting threads, from 14-year-old Arisa Trew winning a skateboard gold at her first try to five seasoned Olympians defending titles they won in Tokyo.

Arisa Trew shows off her gold medal. Picture: Michael Klein

Jessica Fox (left) and Noemie Fox show off their gold medals in front of the Eiffel Tower. Picture: Getty Images

Australia had daredevil rookies shocking people and seasoned professionals like Ariarne Titmus just doing what they do, grinding out gold medal assaults with a professional timed-to-the-minute preparation. No wonder chef de mission Anna Meares shed tears when she was talking about Australia’s triumphant two weeks.

It was not simply the medals but the stories behind them that so roused Australia’s fans.

Saya Sakakibara saluting her BMX brother Kai whose career ended because of the brain damage he suffered in a fall.

Kaylee McKeown looking down on the blocks at a tattoo mentioning her late father who died of cancer before the last Games.

The unflappable Jess Fox going off tap and plunging in the rapids to greet her sister Noemie after her gold medal win.

Australia’s journey was both heroic and humbling in that behind the glory of the medals lay the realisation that Paris was putting on perhaps the greatest Olympics of the century.

After a modest Rio and a Covid-challenged Tokyo the Games are back baby.

That Los Angeles 2028 is between Brisbane and Paris is a merciful relief to 2032 organisers who know that, for all of the mega-charged star power of the LA Games, they won’t have an Eiffel Tower to host the beach volleyball.

The venues in Paris were the best in Olympic history.

Australia’s 18 gold medals, which beat the previous high of 17 in Athens in 2004 and Tokyo in 2021, was the killer stat of the Games but the true merit of the performance comes when you compare Australia not to Australian teams of the past but to other nations right here and now.

France and Great Britain are the ones. Knowing for seven years they had these Games, France upgraded their high performance system and targeted big medals here. They are one of the great sporting nations of the world yet won fewer golds than Australia.

Great Britain spend at least 50 per cent more on high performance than Australia yet they were four golds behind Australia.

By any measure, it was an unforgettable Games.

Brought to you by

Originally published as Simply the best: Every medallist from Australia’s greatest Olympics