Olympic Tassie tracker: Your one stop shop for results, reaction, remaining schedule
The Paris Olympics have come to an end and there were mixed results for our local athletes overnight. Get the latest on our Tassie Olympians here.
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The Olympics came to an end in thrilling fashion.
Here’s the latest from our Tassie stars in Paris.
ALANNA SMITH (BASKETBALL)
Alanna Smith became the third Tasmanian to leave the French capital with a medal after the Opals won their bronze medal match.
She contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds in the 85-81 victory over Belgium which delivered the Opals’ first Olympic medal since 2012.
After 15 lead changes at the Bercy Arena, Tess Madgen went to the free throw line with a five-point lead and six seconds left on the clock and the Opals began to celebrate.
Averaging 22.7 minutes across her six games in the tournament, 27-year-old Smith also averaged 11.5 points, eight rebounds and 2.2 assists with percentages of 63 for free throws and 42 for three-pointers.
Born in Hobart, Smith grew up in Melbourne and has played for Phoenix Mercury, Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA.
She top-scored with 22 points and 13 rebounds in a comprehensive 85-67 quarter-final victory over Serbia.
After the Serbia win Smith chose to deflect praise to young point guard Jade Melbourne, who was brilliant with 18 points, four rebounds and five assists.
“I keep saying to people, Jade’s ceiling is so high,” Smith said.
“She is still so young and she has the potential to be one of the greatest Australian players to play that spot and it is really exciting.
“Just the way she is now performing, I mean she had a rough start like we all did, but, she’s responded so well. It’s just so nice to play alongside Jade - someone who has so much heart and love for the game.
“She gives off such good energy and I absolutely love playing with her.”
Smith moved from Chicago to Minnesota last year and is averaging 11.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists to help the Lynx to a 17-8 start to the season.
That output demanded an Opals recall and, identifying a mismatch in the post against Serbia, her teammates gave her inside looks at every opportunity.
“We were confident and we’d already bought flights (before selection), so we rolled the dice,” Darren said.
“She didn’t get picked for the World Cup so we were always on edge a little bit. But the way she’s been playing, it was going to be very difficult not to pick her.
“She was bitterly disappointed (missing the World Cup) and values the opportunity to play for Australia very highly. She doesn’t take it for granted and was keen to get back in the mix.”
Results: Lost to Nigeria 75-62, Def Canada 70-65, Def France 79-72, Def Serbia in quarterfinal 85-67, Lost to USA in semi final 85-64, Won bronze 85-81 against Belgium.
STEWART MCSWEYN (ATHLETICS)
The King Island middle distance runner’s campaign ended with an 18th placing in the 5000m final held early Sunday morning.
The 29-year-old clocked 13:31.38, well outside his personal best of 12:56.07 set three months ago in Los Angeles.
Earlier, McSweyn has described his 5000m heat as “chaotic” after he was given a lifeline into the 5000m final despite being part of a dramatic multi-runner collision in his round one race.
He was an outside chance of grabbing a top eight placing, and a finals spot, entering the home straight of the final lap, but barely managed to stay on his feet as a number of rivals tumbled in front of him.
He managed to remain upright and finish the race in 12th spot. McSweyn later received some compassion from stewards who granted him a place in the final after a successful protest.
The King Island athlete was one of five runners to finish outside the top eight added to the final.
“It was very chaotic,” he said.
“In such a slow race with so many people fighting for qualifying spots it was always going to be messy.
“The appeal is lodged by the team and they decide when you were impeded if they thought you would qualify from that position and, lucky for me, they did.”
McSweyn finished seventh in his maiden Olympic final over 1500m in Tokyo and, having fallen short of that final in Paris, is determined to make amends over 5000m in which he is ranked 19th in the world and set his personal best of 12:56.07 in Los Angeles in May.
“I think now I’m through to the final, I have to believe if I run my best I can be there
with the best. So that’s what I will be doing, being aggressive and trying to take the
race on.”
Earlier in Paris, McSweyn’s 1500m campaign ended in the repechage.
Having finished 11th in his heat to miss out on automatic qualification to the semi-finals, McSweyn needed a top-three finish to stay in the competition.
He again hit the front early and led for the opening two laps before being run down to finish 12th of the 13 runners in a time of 3:37.49. Fellow Aussies Oli Hoare and Adam Spencer also missed out in the second heat at a packed Stade de France.
Launceston-born, Melbourne-based McSweyn was seeking to improve on his seventh place in the Tokyo Olympic final which was the best by an Australian in 61 years.
Results: 11th in 1500m heats; 12th in the 1500m repechage; 12th in 5000m round one (advanced to final after successful protest); 18th in 5000m final
GEORGIA BAKER (CYCLING)
Tasmanian cycling star Georgia Baker admitted she was “pretty upset” with her finish to the Olympic Games.
The 29-year-old finished fifth in the women’s omnium after having being among the medals for most of the competition.
But a difficult run in the points race, the fourth and final part of the event, Baker eventually slipped down to fifth position on the standings.
Competing in her third event of the Olympics, Baker had finished third, fourth and second to be sitting in the silver medal position heading into the final event.
“I’m pretty upset,” she said.
“I’m proud of how I rode and the three events prior.
“I was really happy with being consistent, and I can’t be disappointed because I didn’t leave anything out on the track.
“I gave it my all, but I still am disappointed because my goal was to get on the podium and I knew it was possible.
“I was just running out of legs, there were moments I wanted to go and there were some moments I was up high on the fence and a move went and I needed to be in it, but the wrong position at the wrong time. I just didn’t quite have the little bit that I needed.”
The 2022 Tasmanian Athlete of the Year was part of the Australian quartet which set a national record en route to finishing seventh in the team pursuit in Paris and came ninth with Alex Manly in the madison.
Earlier on Sunday, Baker had become one of six new members elected to the Australian Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission, along with Sally Fitzgibbons (surfing) Joshua Hicks (rowing), Henry Hutchison (rugby), Annabelle Smith (diving) and Alyce Wood (canoe sprint).
Earlier
They won silver at last year’s world championships, but Tasmania’s Baker and teammate Alex Manly were never in the hunt in the madison held early Saturday morning.
The pair had to be content with ninth after picking up points in three of the 12 sprints to finish on six points, well behind the podium of Italy (37), Great Britain (31) and Netherlands (28).
Perth’s Baker, 29, has one last chance to grab a medal when she competes in the four-discipline omnium on Sunday night, beginning with the scratch race at 7pm.
Baker began her most hectic Olympics schedule yet by helping Australia finish seventh in the women’s team pursuit early Thursday morning.
After posting the sixth-fastest time in qualifying, Australia was out of contention for the gold and silver medals.
Their hopes of bronze were dashed when they fell to France in their first round heat, but they rebounded to beat Canada in the ride-off seventh.
Baker is at her third Olympics. After competing in just the team pursuit in her previous two campaigns in Rio and Tokyo, she has added the madison and omnium to her schedule.
Baker is hopeful of better luck after a crash and illness scuppered any chance of adding a maiden Olympic medal to her CV, which includes world championship and Commonwealth Games gold.
“That’s what I’m hoping for, third time’s a charm,” she said.
“I’ve learned lots as well, I was only 21 or so when I was at Rio and I’ve definitely changed as a person, but also as a cyclist. “I’ve learned something big from each Olympic Games, and I’m hoping this time around it will all fall into place. I feel a lot more relaxed and it just feels a bit different this time around, which is a good feeling.”
Baker will have her own mini cheer squad - the students at her former school Perth Primary who she enjoys a long connection with.
Results: Sixth in women’s team pursuit qualifying, lost women’s team pursuit round one heat to France, won women’s team pursuit ride-off for seventh against Canada; finished ninth in madison, finished fifth in omnium
JACOB DESPARD (ATHLETICS)
Hobart’s Jacob Despard and his Aussie teammates had mixed emotions during the 4x100m relays on Thursday night AEST.
The 27-year-old, making his Olympics debut, was part of an Aussie team which set a new national record of 38.12s, breaking a time which had stood since 1995.
But it wasn’t quick enough to see the quartet also including Lachlan Kennedy, Calab Law and Josh Azzopardi move through to the final after finishing sixth in their heat.
They were just 0.05s behind Italy who won the last non-automatic qualification place.
To add to the confusion, Australia’s time would have been fast enough to win the second heat.
“The record’s been a long time coming, if I’m honest,” Despair said in a statement released by the Australian Olympic Committee.
“We’ve definitely had the potential and the speed for a number of years and a lot of people have said ‘You’ve got the raw speed, why haven’t you broken it?’
“Today we went out there and showed Australia what we can do and what we’re proud to do. An Australian record holder sounds pretty nice to me.”
Despard ran 9.25s for the second leg.
The Aussies introduced Lachlan Kennedy for the heats as he replaced national champion Seb Sultana.
“This has been a four-year journey for some of us. We have lots of relay training during the year and know that we can do really well in relays,” Despard said.
“To be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s not one of the fastest times to miss the Olympic final so hats off to all the boys involved. I think we’re going to walk away with our heads held high and very proud of what we did out there.”
Result: Finished sixth in 4x100m men’s relay heat.
JACK MCVEIGH AND WILL MAGNAY (BASKETBALL)
The Boombers’ campaign ended in quarterfinal heartache after the Nikola Jokic-led Serbia produced the greatest comeback in Olympic history.
Down by as many as 24 points at one stage late in the first half, Serbia recovered to send the clash into overtime and eventually prevailed 95-90.
Now their maiden campaign is over, McVeigh and Magnay can now feel their selections were justified.
McVeigh landed a number of important shots off the bench, while Magnay was a solid understudy in the pain behind Jock Landale.
Australia was made to pay for a slow start in Friday‘ss 77-71 loss to Greece in their final pool. It meant they missed an automatic quarterfinal spot after finishing third in their group, and needed Canada to get the job done later.
Earlier in the tournament McVeigh (13 points) was outstanding in the first-up 92-80 upset of Spain, which gives Australia a huge chance of progressing to the quarterfinal stage from what has been dubbed the ‘group of death’.
They then pushed a star-studded Canada most of the way before succumbing 93-83 on Tuesday night. McVeigh scored nine points.
Results: Def Spain 92-80; Lost to Canada 93-83, Lost to Greece 77-71, Lost quarterfinal in extra time to Serbia 95-90
MADDISON BROOKS (HOCKEY)
Maddi Brooks realised her dream by playing her first two matches at an Olympics after she was intially named as a travelling reserve.
However the Hockeyroos’ campaign ended in heartache, eliminated in the quarterfinals for the sixth straight Olympics with a shock 3-2 loss to China.
The youngster is likely to be nearing her peak in time for Los Angeles, when several older members of the Hockeyroos may have called it quits.
“I didn’t think I was going to be selected so when I found out I was a travelling reserve I was super excited,” Brooks said. “At that stage I wasn’t feeling too nervous as I had low expectations about playing.”
The quarter-final against China is at 6pm and Brooks is well aware of just how important the game is.
“While we have played well in the rounds, this means nothing unless we can get through the quarter-finals,” she added.
Away from the hockey field, Brooks has also been busy mingling with the famous faces in Paris.
She took some photos with Tasmanian born Denmark’s Queen Mary and met Spanish tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal.
Hockeyroos results
Results: Def South Africa 2-1, Def Great Britain 4-0, Def USA 3-0, Drew with Argentina 3-3, Lost quarterfinal to China 3-2
SARAH HAWE (ROWING)
The 36-year-old Huon rower, who alternates between Sydney and Hobart, earned her place at a second Olympics in the women’s eights.
The crew just missed out on a medal after storming home in the back end of Saturday’s final to finish fourth, just 1.22 seconds behind bronze medallists Great Britain.
It was one spot better than the fifth placing Hawe helped the women’s eight to at Tokyo.
Earlier the crew was successful in earning a spot in the final in repechage on Thursday night.
With four of five boats qualifying, Australia got the job done comfortably in third spot behind USA and Canada, with Italy also qualifying in fourth.
She will look to help the crew build on their fifth place finish at the last Games in Tokyo.
Results: Second in women’s eight heat, third in repechage heat, fourth in final
EDDIE OCKENDEN (HOCKEY)
Eddie Ockenden and the Kookaburras saw their campaign for gold ended at the hands of the Netherlands on Monday morning AEST.
It came just days after India spoiled his 450th game for his country.
Not only is the 37-year-old Ockenden now the first Australian hockey player to feature in five Olympics, he also got the honour of being the male flag bearer at the opening ceremony.
He is the first Tasmanian to be given the honour.
“It doesn’t feel real yet,’’ Ockenden said. “When Anna (Meares) rang I just didn’t feel it was something that would ever be a possibility.’’
“It’s really hard to describe how I feel expect that I am filled with so much gratitude. If I get emotional it is because of gratitude.’’
JOSH BELTZ (HOCKEY)
Josh Beltz and the Kookaburras said their Olympic dream come to an end at the hands of the Netherlands.
After winning silver at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, the Aussies were sent packing on the back of a 2-0 result.
Duco Telgenkamp deflected Jip Janssen’s drag flick into the net to open the scoring before Thijs van Dam put the result beyond doubt.
The DiamondBacks product, who now has 126 international appearances to his name, loved his second Olympic experience.
“The Olympics are amazing,” Beltz said before the game . “Being part of not only the hockey team but team Australia is incredible. There is a ‘buzz’ in the village that’s hard to describe.”
This is just the second time since the 1992 Olympics the Kookaburras have failed to finish on the podium.
Kookaburras results: Def Argentina 1-0, Def Ireland 2-1, Lost to Belgium 6-2, Def NZ 5-0, Lost to India 3-2 (Finished third in their group), Lost to Netherlands 2-0
ARIARNE TITMUS (SWIMMING)
Ariarne Titmus has won her fourth medal at the Paris Olympics and eighth in total after claiming silver in the women’s 800-metre freestyle.
On another historic night at La Defense Arena, the Tasmanian swam a personal best time in her eighth race of the Games as America’s world record-holder Katie Ledecky became the first female athlete to win four consecutive gold medals in the same event.
Titmus’s medal haul of two gold and two silver in Paris improved on her two gold, one silver and one bronze from Tokyo.
“I left it all out there and I’m really proud of my efforts,” said the Launceston-born 23-year-old.
“This is the first time I’ve really let my emotions out. I felt so much pressure coming into these Games. I know a lot of people at home were willing and wanting me to win and defend my titles and to do it on day one makes me so proud and now I can finally relax. It’s been a big week … I’m excited to let my hair down.”
Ledecky and Titmus were both under world record pace early as they established a big lead over the rest of the field.
Just 0.29 behind at the halfway point and 0.82 with 200m to go, Titmus stayed in contention as American Paige Madden challenged for second place.
She held on through a thrilling last lap to set an Oceania record of 8:12.29, well inside her PB of 8:13.59, to repeat the one-two from Tokyo. Ledecky won in 8:11.04 with Madden (8:13.00) taking bronze.
“I’m so proud of my effort tonight,” Titmus added. “That’s my first PB of the week and I haven’t swum a PB in the 800 since the last Olympics so I’m stoked with that.
“I’m proud of the way I put myself out there and took it to Katie. She’s a champ and I have the most respect for her of any athlete I’ve ever competed against. I know how hard it is to go back-to-back and to be on top of the world in the same event for more than 12 years is just remarkable. I feel so honoured to be part of her story and hopefully made her a better athlete as well.
“She has this incredible ability to sustain her race so the only way I could challenge her I thought was to take it out with her, put my body on the line and try and hang on. I knew that at the end of eight days it would be tough but I wanted to leave it all out there and go home from these Games with no regrets because I don’t think I’d be able to sleep at night if I second-guessed my approach to the race.”
The freestyle specialist, who swam with Riverside and Launceston Aquatic Clubs before relocating to Queensland in 2015, also took home silver from the 200m having claimed gold in the 400m and 4x200m relay.
Results: Won gold in 400m freestyle, won silver in 200m freestyle, won gold in 4x200m freestyle relay, won silver in 800m freestyle.
MAX GIULIANI (SWIMMING)
Giuliani admitted he was close to giving up swimming to become a tradie after he booked his Olympic spot by winning the 200m freestyle at the Australian trials.
The 20-year-old’s decision to follow his coach Paul Crosswell to Brisbane in 2022 paid off after he finished seventh in one of the tightest 200m freestyle finals in Olympic history, before helping Australia’s 4x200m relay team to a bronze medal.
“I just love lifting for the boys,” said Giuliani, who was swimming his fourth 200m in as many days.
“It’s not just your pride on the line, it’s everyone and you’ve really got to get up, put your best foot forward and do what you can. Tonight that was enough for bronze which was epic.
“We’ve got the best team of boys here and we’re all young – 2028’s our year and it’s so epic. I couldn’t be prouder of us, that was such a good job.”
A former surf lifesaver at Carlton Park Surf Lifesaving Club, he signalled his intent be a serious Games threat after he won the 100m and 200m titles at the USA Pro-Championship in August last year.
Results: Seventh in 200m freestyle final; Won bronze in 4x100m relay
ALEXANDRA VINEY (ROWING)
The 32-year-old became the first Tasmanian to be selected for the Paralympic Games this week.
The Melbourne-based rower will compete as part of the PR3 mixed coxed four crew, after featuring in the same race where Australia came fourth in Tokyo.
Viney suffered severe injuries in a high speed accident involving a drunk driver in Launceston as an 18-year-old.
Every time someone mentions fourth, as if it wasn’t bad enough before, this year seems to sting even more,” she told The Mercury this week.
“My crew and I are based in Canberra now out of the AIS, and this is the first time the crew has been centralised.
“We’ve been in Canberra since the beginning of April so to have that time together is immense. In the lead up to Tokyo we rowed together for about four days in six months, so we’re excited to see that synergy put into practice.
Schedule: PR3 Mixed Coxed Four – PR3Mix4 + Rep (Saturday, August 31, 7.30pm); PR3 Mixed Coxed Four – PR3Mix4 + Final B (Sunday, September 1, 6.50pm); PR3 Mixed Coxed Four – PR3Mix4 + Final A (Sunday, September 1, 8.30pm)
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