Tokyo 2020 canoe sprint champions Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen have set the stage for Paris by winning World Cup gold in Hungary, plus a double podium in the men’s Triathlon World Series highlights the weekend in Olympic sport.
Canoe Sprint – Monumental results for crews in Paris tune-up
Olympic gold medallists Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen made their intentions for the Paris Olympic Games clear, with a dominant performance in the men’s K2 500 final to take out World Cup gold in Szeged, Hungary.
The Aussie crew pulled together the perfect race that saw them storm home in first place ahead of world champions Joao Ribeiro and Messias Baptista (POR) in second and Spain’s Adrian del Rio and Marcus Cooper in third.
“We’ve lined up in this event so many times, and we’ve been on the podium before but we hadn’t got that top step yet, so our patience has paid off today,” Tom said.
Mum Alyce Wood capped off a successful Mothers Day weekend by winning gold in the K1 1000 for the first time since her 2017 World Championship title and finished fifth in the women’s K1 500.
“I’m very happy with that result, I haven’t done the 1000 metres in a long time,” Alyce said.
In the men’s K4 500 final, the Australian crew of Riley Fitzsimmons, Jackson Collins, Pierre van der Westhuyzen and Noah Havard won the silver medal.
After finishing fifth at the 2023 World Championships, the Aussies were determined to put their best foot forward at their first and final regatta before the Paris Games.
“It’s been a pretty long runway into this World Cup - the four of us have come a really long way from where we were last year so it’s a good little confidence boost, this result, and the next 12 weeks are going to be really important,” Riley said.
Triathlon – Roommates share WTCS podium in Japan
Luke Willian’s career-best performance to claim bronze at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Yokohama, Japan has secured an auto nomination for the Paris 2024 Olympics (under Triathlon Australia’s nomination criteria).
He joined Tokyo 2020 Olympian and roommate Matt Hauser on the podium, with Matt winning silver.
Jaz Hedgeland was Australia’s top performer in the women’s race, finishing 25th.
Diving – Keeney and Smith claim gold at Paris test event
Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallists Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith have tested the waters at the Paris 2024 Olympic test event claiming a gold medal in the women’s 3m synchronised springboard event.
The pair scored a total of 292.77, just 17 points ahead of the Italian team to take home the gold medal.
Athletics – Aussie quartet find the podium in Doha
Reigning pole vault world champion Nina Kennedy led the way for four Australians to land on the podium at the Doha Diamond League, including Jessica Hull, Eleanor Patterson and Matt Denny at the third stop of the world’s premier athletics series.
Nina Kennedy was locked in a battle with world indoor champion Molly Caudery (GBR) with both clearing 4.78m, but Nina finished in second place after an early miss at 4.53m. She was pleased with her return to the overseas action.
“This is my first competition back with the best girls in the world. I’m a little bit rusty but if anything has changed, it’s just that I have higher expectations of myself now,” Nina said.
A turbulent women’s 1500m saw Jess Hull thrive in a physical contest, holding her own despite multiple challenges to clock 4:00.84 and finish in second place behind Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu in 4:00.42.
“It was so physical out there! About 150m in I was reminded that this isn’t quite like racing in Australia. I think we slowed down a lot in the middle and when it bunches like that it gets pretty rough with everyone trying to fight for the same position,” Jess said.
While the men’s discus was a non-scoring event for the overall Diamond League series, it mattered little for Matthew Denny who roared to the second-best performance of his career with a 69.02m throw in the opening round. It placed him second in Doha behind the 70.48m effort from 2022 world champion Kristjan Ceh (SLO).
“It’s a good start, I wouldn’t say I’m super stoked with it because it was tough with the conditions and with the slippery circle. I was a little bit surprised by the 69m, so it’s a solid start but we know there is a lot more in the tank,” Matt said.
Continuing the theme of podium finishes in Doha, 2022 world champion Eleanor Patterson claimed third place with a 1.91m clearance on her third and final attempt at the height, as the competition was won by Angelina Topic (SRB) with 1.94m – reflecting the challenging conditions.
Water Polo – Stingers take commanding series lead against China
The Aussie Stingers have taken out the first of three test matches against China in Sydney.
Tokyo Olympian Abby Andrews opened the scoring and the Aussies raced out to a 5-0 lead in the first quarter. In the third quarter, Tokyo Olympian Bronte Halligan was instrumental in the Stingers attack and pushed the home side out to a 13-3 lead heading into the last quarter.
It was a special occasion for Tokyo Olympian Elle Armit, who played her 100th game for the Stingers.
“It was great to play my 100th game today - I never thought I’d get this far. These games give us a great insight to how China will be in Paris, and to have the home crowd advantage right behind us one last time before the Olympics is super special,” she said.
The Stingers will play their second test match against China on Wednesday 15 May at 8pm AEST at Ryde Aquatic Centre, with the match being streamed live on YouTube.
Table Tennis – All-Aussie final at Table Tennis Oceania Cup
All five Aussies competing at the Table Tennis Oceania Cup have secured a spot on the podium.
The women’s competition saw Yangzi Liu and Minhyung Jee fight it out in the gold medal match where Liu secured the gold medal winning 4 of 7 sets, whilst Jee took home silver.
In the men’s, Finn Luu topped the competition winning the grand final 4-1 against fellow Aussie Aditya Sareen. Nicholas Lum took home a bronze medal against New Zealand’s Alfred Dela Pena, winning 4-1.
Cycling – Road – Seventh place finish in Stage 9 of the Giro d’Italia
The ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia saw Aussie road cyclist Kaden Groves placing seventh, with fellow Aussies Caleb Ewan, Nick Schultz, Ben O’Connor and Michael Storer placing 12th, 41st, 45st and 51st respectively.
Ben O’Connor is currently the highest placed Australian, sitting in fourth place at the end of stage nine.
The next stage of the Giro d’Italia will be competed across the 141km stretch between Pompei and Cusano Mutri on Tuesday 14 May.
Wrestling – Top 17 finishes at World Olympic Games Qualifiers
Australian wrestlers Nachi Masuda and Thomas Barns competed at the World Olympic Games Qualifiers in a last bid effort to book their ticket to Paris.
Nachi Masuda competed in the 62kg women’s wrestling category, coming 17th in the event whilst Thomas Barns finished in 15th place in the men’s 97kg freestyle category.
With both athletes needing to finish in the top 3 of their respective categories to book a ticket to Paris 2024, neither athlete secured a quota.
