Paris 2024: How Tassie hopes are faring in selection race

There was bad news overnight for one of Tasmania’s rowers, but a host of other athletes remain right in the frame to compete at the Olympics in Paris. Read how our top hopes are faring here.

Tasmanian Stewart McSweyn, pictured winning at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in Melbourne in February, is a strong Olympics hope. Picture: Supplied.

Hobart rower Anneka Reardon has fallen just short of helping qualifying Australia’s women’s lightweight sculls boat for the Paris Games at the Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta in Switzerland early Wednesday morning.

Needing a top two finish to qualify the boat, Reardon and New South Welshman Georgia Miansarow crossed the line in third (7:10.88), behind all-the-way winners France (7:02.54) and Greece (7:05.7)

Australia was looking to add to its tally of nine boats already qualified for the Olympics at the regatta, but failed to do so.

“It was a tough day at the office, Rowing Australia performance director Paul Thompson said.

“The first two go to the Olympics, while all the other crews get to row back to the boat park.
“I feel for all the crews. They did their best, but that wasn’t good enough today. Sport can be so cruel, but they didn’t die wondering.”

Tasmania’s Sarah Hawe had previously helped Australia qualify the women’s coxless four boat for Paris.

Here’s how Tasmania’s other Olympic hopefuls are faring before the action begins at Paris on July 26.

Tasmania's Anneka Reardon and crew mate Georgia Miansarow after just falling short of qualifying Australia's women's lightweight sculls boat for the Olympics. Picture: Rowing Australia

HOCKEY

Maddison Brooks remains well in contention to earn a spot in the Hockeyroos squad after she was included in a 22-player squad to compete in the FIH Pro League in Europe.

With 16 players to feature in Paris, it’s the 19-year-old’s final major audition to survive the cut.

Every Hockeyroos squad member is fit to compete on the tour. Australia is currently fourth in the Pro League’s overall standings, and face Belgium, Argentina, Great Britain and Germany on this tour.

Maddison Brook in action for Tassie Tigers. (Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images)

“It’s certainly great to travel with the whole squad and provide them with I suppose their last-minute opportunity before Olympic selection, but also it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to play against a couple of teams that we will face at the Paris Olympics as well,” Hockeyroos coach Katrina Powell said.“We expect teams to hold a few things back and not go all out to show what they’re doing, but all the athletes will be going all out to show what they can do considering each country is in the same position as we are.”

Hobart trio Josh Beltz, Hayden Beltz, Eddie Ockenden and Jack Welch are also right in contention for the Kookaburras squad.

ATHLETICS

Jacob Despard is right in the mix to carry the baton for in the 4x100m relay after helping Australia qualify for one of athletics’ blue ribbon events.

Despard was part of the quartet which secured the top two finish necessary for Games qualification in the repechage round at the recent World Relays in the Bahamas.

The fly in the ointment is the country’s fastest man, Rohan Browning, didn’t race at the event with Josh Azzopardi, Calab Law and Josh Azzopardi featuring with Despard.

“As soon as Josh was clear of the chasing pack I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face,” Despare said after the race. “I couldn’t be prouder to qualify with this group of men. We’re all really committed to relay and have a great connection as a team.”

Despard finished third in the 100m at last month’s national championships behind Sultana and Azzopardi.

Meanwhile King Island’s Stewart McSweyn enhanced his hopes by running an Olympic qualifying time of 12:56.07 at a grand prix event in the US last week.

Hobart's Jacob Despard (second from left) helped Australia's 4x100m relay team qualify for the Olympics at the World Relays in the Bahamas on Sunday night. Picture: Athletics Australia

BASKETBALL

He may have been part of the Melbourne United squad which fell to our JackJumpers in the NBL finals, but Launceston-born Chris Goulding is carrying Tasmania’s basketball hopes.

The Boomers squad was trimmed to 17 this week, with 12 players to survive the final cut.

Jackies stars Jack McVeigh and Will Magnay also remain in the mix after stellar NBL campaigns, but both seem unlikely to both be included in the final squad.

Launceston Tornadoes skipper Keely Froling is also in the selection mix for the Opals, and will embark on a tour shortly to take on the Japanese national team in lead-up games.

SWIMMING

Ariarne Titmus. Photo by Michael Klein.

Launceston’s golden girl Ariarne Titmus is obviously the state’s best medal hope after a stellar world championships campaign in Japan last year.

In a clash dubbed the ‘race of the century’, Titmus produced arguably the greatest display of her career in dispatching American legend Katie Ledecky in the 400m freestyle in world record time.

She beat the previous record held by Canadian young gun Summer McIntosh, who finished fourth.

The 23-year-old won gold the 200m and 400m at Tokyo, but had to be content with silver in the 200m at the world championships behind countrywoman Mollie O’Callaghan.

TRIATHLON

Launceston’s Jake Birtwhistle fell short of a second straight Games berth after failing to finish a major selection race in Japan earlier this month.

The 29-year-old finished 16th at the Tokyo Games but acknowledged on social media he will be a spectator for Paris.

“I won’t be getting that fairy tale ending after all,” he said.

“This sport is a roller coaster of highs and lows, and this moment now is pretty low. I’ll share more of my thoughts on this soon once I’ve had time to process what this all means.

“Congratulations to Luke Willian on a performance worthy of an Australian Olympian. I look forward to watching you and Matt Hauser race in Paris.”

Georgia Baker. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

CYCLING

Georgia Baker is looking to qualify for a third straight Olympics, and hoping to build on a fifth-place finish as a member of the women’s pursuit team in Tokyo.

At August’s world championships in Scotland the 29-year-old win silver medals in the elite women’s madision and the points race.

Fellow Launceston cyclist Josh Duffy was classified as a ‘podium ready’ athlete by AusCycling in December.

Duffy is locked in a battle with training squad members including James Moriarty, Ollie Bleddyn and Blake Agnoletto for a spot in Australia’s team pursuit team.

Illness affected his racing schedule last year, but Duffy returned to the Nations Cup circuit with the Australia squad earlier this year.