Fighting back tears in her closing press conference, Anna thanked the 467 Australian athletes in Paris, saying the country should be enormously proud of the entire Team. She paid tribute to the athletes beyond those who contributed to the medal haul, which ended at 18 gold, 19 silver and 16 bronze. 

The tally eclipses the previous high of 17 gold in Athens 2004 and in Tokyo 2020, with 53 medals in Paris a new record by an Australian Team at an away Games.

Australian medals have come from 13 sports in Paris with a Team which includes 239 athletes making an Olympic debut.

“I am so proud. Proud for them, of them and to be here with them,” Anna said.

“The way they have supported each other in success and in defeat, shown courage and been the great role models that they are, they have truly inspired the next generation.

“We have always talked about the Cathy Freeman effect. Now we have the Jess Fox effect, the Emma McKeon effect, the Ariarne Titmus effect, the Cam McEvoy effect, the Saya Sakakibara effect, the Keegan Palmer effect, the Arisa Trew effect, the Stingers effect, the Opals effect, the Harry Garside effect.

“The sky really is the limit.”

Earlier, Anna announced that sailor Matt Wearn and swimmer Kaylee McKeown would carry the flag and lead more than 300 Australian athletes into the Stade de France for the Closing Ceremony on Sunday night.

Kaylee and Matt have both defended their Olympic titles in Paris and made history along the way. Matt is the first person in history to successfully defend an Olympic sailing gold medal and Kaylee is the first swimmer ever to successfully defend the 100m and 200m backstroke double.

“I made that decision yesterday and I have struggled over it these whole Games,” Anna said.

“I couldn’t go past Kaylee. To be the first Australian Olympian to win four individual gold medals and go back to back in her 100m and 200m.

“I could list every single one of the 18 gold medallists, but I have to choose one female and one male. I love the quirkiness and character of Kaylee, I love that she is unapologetically Kaylee, and I love her personality, and in conjunction with her performances our athletes will have a lot of fun with her at the Closing Ceremony.

“And for Matt Wearn, an incredible human being," she said.

Anna said Australia’s success in Paris had been far-reaching back home, where more than 19 million Australians had watched Channel Nine’s coverage live and on demand.

The Australian Olympic Committee’s #AllezAUS campaign has reached more than 450 million social media users around the world, the TeamAUS Olympic Schools resources have been downloaded by more than 22,000 teachers, equating to almost 500,000 children connecting to the Olympics through curriculum-aligned activities in the classroom, and Australians around the country came together at the Olympics LIVE sites.

“There were more than 500 live sites back home and thousands of watch parties. That’s a lot of coffee and woolly jumpers.

“The vision of Aussies celebrating our athletes at all hours, from all over the nation, really demonstrated the power of the Olympics to bring us together.”

Anna also paid tribute to host nation France and said Paris and its people had come alive with extraordinary enthusiasm and hospitality.

“They have welcomed us with open arms and it makes me very excited about what we can offer in Brisbane, 2032,” Anna said.

As Team Australia prepares to depart Paris in the next 48 hours, Anna also wished the Australian Paralympic Team and Chef de Mission Kate McLoughlin all the best for their upcoming campaign with the Games set to begin on August 28.

Australian athletes will attend a welcome home ceremony to be attended by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Qantas Jet Base in Sydney on Wednesday from 6am.

Reece Homfray