There was gold for the Aussie 3x3 basketballers and Sail GP team on the weekend, silver for the Volleyroos and bronze for boxers and surfers on the world stage. Plus, more athletes were added to the Athletics World Championships Team, and footballers Sam Kerr and Cheryl Salisbury make history.
First athletes selected for Tokyo 2020 Team
In case you missed it, sailors Mat Belcher, Will Ryan and Matt Wearn became the first members of Australia’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team, announced at middle Harbour Yacht Club on Friday.
Belcher and Ryan, reigning 470 Class World Champions and silver medallists at Rio 2016 will be back for their third and second Games respectively, while Laser sailor Matt Wearn will make his Olympic debut.
Check out the news, images and reactions from the event on Sydney harbour (links)
Boxing bronze for heavyweight Justis Huni
Justis Huni has won bronze at the Boxing World Championships in Ekaterinburg, Russia in the +91kg division.
Huni’s successful campaign could have gone even further, but a stomach bug forced the Queenslander to withdraw from his semi-final. Huni’s ability to battle through the bug in earlier rounds to make the semis and earn the bronze medal highlight the resilience and toughness of the young fighter, who is a former Youth World Champion.
With the Asia Oceania Olympic boxing qualifying tournament for Asia/Oceania confirmed for Wuhan, China from 3-14 February, a top 3 result is a strong confidence boost.
Volleyball – Volleyroos win Asian Cup silver
The Volleyroos have won silver at the Asian Cup, going down 3-0 in the final to hosts Iran in front of a raucous 12,000 strong crowd.
It was Australia’s only loss of the tournament, after going undefeated through the pool stage (including a win over eventual champion Iran), before beating Pakistan and Japan in elimination rounds to make the final.
Australia’s Tom Edgar was named Tournament MVP, with Sam Walker named as Best Outside Hitter.
Despite falling one game short of the title, the strong results are a great sign ahead of next January’s Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament.
Basketball 3x3 – Aussie women win gold in Tokyo
The Australian women’s 3x3 team has secured gold in Tokyo on the latest stop of the Women’s World Series, defeating The Netherlands 21-15 in the final.
The Tokyo stop was the 14th stop of the inaugural edition of the FIBA 3x3 Women's Series, however Australia have only competed in two events so far, with a two-from-two series win, after starting the season with a victory in Chengdu back in June.
In more basketball news, the Aussie Opals kick off their FIBVA Asia Cup on Tuesday with their first game against the Philippines at 5.45pm AEST.
Surfing – Wright Takes Third at ‘Wave Ranch”
Owen Wright has finished third at the Freshwater Pro at California’s ‘Wave Ranch’, with compatriot Julian Wilson finishing fifth.
Despite finishing tied with Brazil’s Felipe Toledo in second behind winner Gabriel Medina, Toledo’s higher individual wave score pushed Wright to third place.
Fresh off the back of Wright’s win at the last tour event in Tahiti, the top three ranking is firming up his place in the top 10 World rankings, vital for Tokyo 2020 qualification. Wright currently sits in seventh, with Wilson at ninth.
On the women’s side, Sally Fitzgibbons and Steph Gilmore were the top ranked Aussies in sixth and seventh respectively, maintaining their positions inside the top five World Rankings.
Football – Kerr Keeps Records Tumbling, while Salisbury set for Hall of Fame induction
Matilda Sam Kerr has broken her own record for goals in a National Women’s Soccer League season.
Kerr netted a double for Chicago Red Stars in their 3-1 win over Washington, taking her season tally to 18 goals.
In more accolades for Australia’s female footballers, Former Matildas captain and Australian football’s most capped player Cheryl Salisbury will create history when she becomes the first female footballer inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
A pioneer of Australian women’s football, Salisbury played 151 games for Australia, a record for either gender, and captained the Matlidas for seven years until her retirement in 2009.
She scored 38 international goals and played in four FIFA World Cups (1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007), two Olympic Games (2000 and 2004) and two Football Confederation Women’s Asian Cups (2006 and 2008)
Olympians battle it out at Sail GP finale
It was a battle of Aussie Olympians in the Sail GP Final, as the Tom Slingsby-skippered Australian boat took a thrilling victory over Team Japan, skippered by Nathan Outteridge.
Team Australia, which also featured fellow Olympians Ky Hurst and Jason Waterhouse in the crew, beat Japan by just seconds in a nerve-wracking final race to secure the overall series victory and a $1 million prize.
Weightlifting – Aussies take on World Championships
Australians were in action at the International Weightlifting Federation World Championships in Thailand.
In the 59kg division, Erika Yamasaki finished in 23rd, snatching 80kg and jerking 106kg for a combined 186kg. Sarah Cochrane and Kiana Elliott finished 20th and 25th respectively in the 64kg division, with Cochrane totalling 206kg (93kg snatch and 113kg jerk) and Elliot 202kg (93kg snatch and 109kg jerk).
On the men’s side, Brandon Wakeling in the 73kg division snatched 119kg and jerked 162kg for a total of 281kg, finishing in 31st.
The tournament continues with Charisma Amoe-Tarrant lifting in the +87kg division on Thursday.
Athletics – Team expands and prepares for World Championships
60 athletes have been named for Australia’s IAAF World Championships team in Doha, after additional spots were allocated thought the IAAF roll down process.
Steve Solomon and Genevieve Gregson have also been named as captains for the event, which will run from 27 September to 6 October.
Softball – Squad announced for Olympic qualifier
Softball Australia have announced the final team of 15 athlete who will right for Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification at this week’s WBSC Asia/Oceania Olympic Qualifier in Shanghai, China.
See the full Team and match schedule HERE
