All eyes of the world turn to Paris tonight as the 2024 Olympic Games officially get underway.
After the Opening Ceremony early this morning, anticipation of what could be one of Australia’s most successful Olympic campaigns has reached its peak.
Day One (or Night One for us here in Australia) is littered with Australian medal opportunities. On the streets of Paris, in the 80,000-seat Stade de France and of course, in the pool at the Paris La Défense Arena. But the first events in the largest multi-sport event in the world are an opportunity for some of Australia’s best podium chances to get their tournament campaigns underway. Here’s what we can expect from some of Australia’s best athletes.
Titmus aiming to defend title in stacked Day One of swimming
Middle-distance superstar Ariarne Titmus won’t have to wait long to get a shot at defending her Olympic title in the 400m freestyle. After storming home to take the gold in Tokyo over American star Katie Ledecky, Titmus claimed the world record in 2022 and again in 2023 to cement herself as the favourite.
Ledecky and Titmus will headline the field, but Canada’s exciting teenager Summer McIntosh has firmly stamped herself as a key competitor this time around. In what some believe to be the “race of the century”, the three world record holders will vie for the top step of the podium.
Titmus will go in as the favourite to win the first gold medal on the women’s side of pool action.
On the men’s side, an equally dogged fight is expected in the same discipline, with a duo of Australian talent likely to feature. Elijah Winnington and Sam Short, the 2022 and 2023 400m freestyle world champions, will be looking to build on a rich Australian history in the men’s middle distances. Without Tokyo Olympic champion, Ahmed Hafnaoui, it’ll offer a better chance for the two men to medal.
However, Germany’sLukas Märtens comes in ahead of the two Aussies as the fastest man in the world this year.
The finals session will be bookended by the always exciting4x100m freestyle relay events for both the men and women. Fierce competition for spots at the trials means Australia goes into the girls race as the heavy favourite. Headed by two-time 100m freestyle world champion Mollie O’Callaghan and Shayna Jack, the Dolphins will be looking to make it four in a row in the event.
The quartet will face the usual stiff competition from the Americans, who will go into the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay event as the favourite. The Kyle Chalmers-led green and gold team will do their best to improve on their bronze from Tokyo, but the relay gold medal hopes sit firmly on the shoulders of the golden girls barring a stirring upset.
Heats kick off at 7pm. Finals from 4:30am.
Keeney and Smith offer Australia first medal chance
Rio 2016 bronze medallists Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith are eyeing the higher steps of the podium when they take on the synchronised 3m springboard diving competition.
Taking confidence from their triumph in the Olympic test event in May, the duo will face the seemingly unbeatable Chinese team. China has not lost this event since the 2000 Games in Sydney, and remain favourites heading into Paris. Still, Keeney and Smith offer Australia their first chance at a medal.
Event starts at 7pm.
World number one looking to snare Olympic crown
A fourth place finish for Grace Brown at the last Olympics in the time trial was rectified in 2022 when she took out the gold at the Commonwealth Games. Now rated as the best time trialist in the world, Brown’s chances to emulate her heroics from Birmingham on the streets of Paris are strong.
Australian women are yet to breakthrough onto the podium in the time trial event since its introduction in 1996, and Brown will have to face the daunting task of dethroning the Americans and the Dutch, who have taken out six of the seven previous gold medals.
Event starts at 7pm.
Podium chance alive and well for the men’s Sevens team
Rugby sevens was one of four events to get underway before the Opening Ceremony. That means that Day One of competition for everyone else is the final day of the men’s competition, and Australia are right in the mix for a medal.
Poised to take on two-time Olympic champions Fiji in the semi-finals, any result will give the Aussies a chance to claim their first ever medal a few hours later. Having both made their way through the group stage undefeated, Fiji and Australia secured their final four placings on Friday morning, beating Ireland and the USA respectively. It’ll be a tough taskto overcome the Fijian men, who have never lost at the Olympics, but the scrappy nature of the Australian team threatens to dethrone them.
Watch for the grit of Henry Hutchison, the lightning speed of Corey Toole and the experience of captain Nick Malouf, who guided the team to its previous best seventh place finish three years ago.
Semi Finals from midnight and then medal matches from 3am.
Tokyo team medallists’ set to open their accounts
The first day of main competition doesn’t offer the same individual medal opportunities to Australia’s most promising teams, but that doesn’t mean they are of any less importance. The men’s hockey team, who took silver in Tokyo after an agonising penalty shootout defeat to Belgium, open their account against a dangerous Argentinian team who will be looking to improve on their seventh-place finish at the 2020Games. Led by five-time Olympian and Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony flagbearer Eddie Ockenden, the “Dad’s Army” have a wealth of collective experience to draw on. The top step beckons but early victories will be important to settle in.
On the basketball courts in the Pierre Mauroy Stadium, the Australian Boomers who clinched bronze at Tokyo will open their account against Spain. Although not part of the Paris festivities, Australia’s men’s basketball team will be hoping to come out of their opener in Lille with plenty to celebrate. Finding themselves in the ominous “group of death” alongside star-studded Canada and NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greek team, an early win will put the wheels in motion for Brian Goorjian’s men in what should be an ultra-competitive tournament.
The men’s basketball team takes the court at 7pm.
The men’s hockey team begins at 9:15pm.
Three other key things to watch:
• Beach volleyball gets underway in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Men’s team Carracher and Nicolaidis from 11pm, followed by women’s duo Artacho del Solar and Clancy from 2am.
• Jess Fox takes on the whitewater in the kayak slalom. Heats from 11pm.
• Surfing kicks off in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, part of French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. Men’s Round One (featuring Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing) from 3am. Women’s Round One (featuring Molly Picklum and Tyler Wright) from 8am.
All times in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).
Photo can be found here, used with Creative Commons licence.
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