The Australian 2008 Olympics Guide
The 433 Aussie athletes are pouring into smoggy Bejing, just days before the world’s largest sporting event kicks off. It’s quite a healthy contingent, especially considering the host nation (and the world’s most populous) have 639 competitors. There are slightly fewer athletes than four years ago, but the level of talent is by no means diminished, and should potentials be filled, our Aussies may fly home from the with an impressive collection of precious metals.
Our world champion at running and jumping over little fences, Jana Rawlinson was perhaps our best hope for gold at track and field – but cruelly her toe stepped in to douse her Olympic dreams. That left Nathan Deakes, our champion at walking as our best hope at striking gold in athletics…but alas, the injury goblin claimed his scalp too. The best hopes for any metal rest with pole-vaulter Steven Hooker, distance runner Craig Motram, hurdler Sally McClellan and the men’s 4x400m relay team.
A young team will head to this year’s Olympics, hoping to break a 20-year medal drought in the ring. Brad Pitt will lead the Aussies, no doubt spurred on by the fisticuff action from his namesake’s popular 1999 film Fight Club. Medals are a possibility, but let’s not expect too much from out nations best amateur punchers.
Riding bicycles is a something us Aussies are very good at. Whether it’s around in circles, down rocky mountains, or along the road, we can expect medals - gold medals, in every department. Athens gold-medallists Sara Carrigan, Anna Meares, Ryan Bayley, Luke Roberts, Brad McGee, Stuart O'Grady, Brett Lancaster and Graeme Brown will return for more glory, and will be joined by 20 other pedal-merchants, including Tour de France hero Cadel Evans and the BMX rider with the cool name, Kamakazi.
Jumping into water seems like something we all mastered as children, but for some reason only nine of us are going to Beijing to do it. But luckily, it’s a talent-rich group, with diving couple Chantelle and Robert Newberry, Michelle Yu and Matthew Helm all set to dive headfirst onto the dais.
Once every four years, we care about equestrianism, not for the fact that the horses are prancing in a funny fashion, nor for the fact that only the rider, the judges and the solitary, slightly over-excited commentator know what on earth is going on. No, we care because it’s a discipline where we win a good stack of medals. With a wealth of experience in the team (including our oldest Olympian, Laurie Lever, 60), its likely our horse wranglers can squeeze out a gold or two.
Olyroo’s coach Graham Arnold has worn a great deal of flak, sent mercilessly at him for his selection policy which excluded two of Australia’s brightest young footballing talents. But, what’s done is done, and Arnie and his boys (and three men) are facing a tough draw. Argentina, Serbia and the Ivory Coast await the Olyroos in the group stage, but Arnold remains confident of a medal. Whether many others share his optimism remains to be seen.
Australia’s flexiest, flippiest, and jumpiest best have yet to nab a medal in artistic gymnastics, but hopes are high with Daria “Dasha” Joura who will spearhead the Aussie tilt. It’s tipped the Russian born West Australian can lead the girls all-round team to a rare podium. Meanwhile, our other hope in the gym rests with our resident expert on jumping really high and doing cool flips and stuff, Ben Wilden, who will take to the trampoline – the only apparatus an Australian has medalled. Perhaps more backyards should have parallel bars and balance beams.
Hockey has long been a happy hunting ground for the Aussies. Hitting little balls with lumps of wood is something we are innately good at, but seeing as cricket is not (yet) an Olympic sport, it’s left to the mighty Kookaburras and the equally mighty Hockeyroos to bring home some gold. The women have three gold’s from past Olympics campaigns, and are least worthy of a medal, while the men are hot favourites after taking out the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
The paddlers look likely to come home with a bag of medals heavy enough to sink an 8-man canoe. The crews are looking to put the lay-down Sally incident of Athens behind them, and concentrate on ploughing through the algae-ridden regatta waters to strike success. Keep an eye out for the men’s four, the women’s eight and the men’s double scull.
Legendary trigger-puller Michael Diamond is a great chance to shoot his way to a third straight gold medal, while Russell Mark is another veteran who has the clay pigeons in Beijing nervous. And the talent doesn’t end there; newcomer Warren Potent is shaping up as a strong chance in the 50m rifle. Pull!
The great sport of softball looks to one of the unfortunate casualties of the IOC’s tightening of sports, meaning the girls will have one last wild underarm throw at gold. The USA, Japan and China stand as our main rivals here, but it’s safe to expect a bronze at the very least.
No Thorpey, but as usual, it looks like the bulk of our medals will come from the pool. Grant Hackett, Leisel Jones, Stephanie Rice, Libby Trickett, and Craig Stevens are all gold medal hopefuls – while there are several others who can consider themselves medal contenders. In fact, the dolphins are so confident of success, they’ve released a song about it. Seriously.
There’ll be a host of other Aussies plying their trade at Beijing, well worth keeping an eye on. A gold-silver double is on the cards in the women’s triathlon, with Emma’s Snowsill and Moffatt looking good, Robin Bell will be a force in the canoes, and veteran beach volleyballer Natalie Cook will hope to grab another gold with new partner Tamsin Barnett.
Let’s not forget our helmet donning, budgie smuggler-groping water polo men’s team, and their world-beating female counterparts. Nor should we miss our number one ranked men’s sailing team – should they manage not to get blown apart by that typhoon lurking off Hong Kong. And of course, Lleyton Hewitt will be screeching about the courts in his quest for a tennis medal.
Beyond that, there are green and gold representatives in archery, badminton, fencing, judo, pentathlon, table tennis, taekwando, wrestling and lifting heavy things above your head.
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