A big weekend for Aussie athletes, smashing records around the world and filling qualification qutoas for Paris 2024
Swimming – Dolphins Top Medal Tally With Best Ever World Champs
The Aussie Dolphins had an incredible campaign, topping the gold medal tally at the 2023 World Aquatic Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Australia amassed 13 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze medals, making this the first time the Aussies have beaten the United States in the medal tally since the 2001 World Aquatic Championships, also in Fukuoka, Japan.
The 13 golds equalled Australia’s best ever World Championships results (2001 and 2005), however with more silver and bronze, Fukuoka 2023 stands as Australia’s best ever meet.
The team also broke an astonishing five World Records over the course of the meet, with Mollie O’Callaghan part of four of those. Mollie’s record-breaking meet included bettering the oldest record in women’s swimming by claiming the 200m freestyle crown.
World Record results
Women's 4x100m freestyle relay: 3:18.83 – Emma McKeon, Meg Harris, Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack.
Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay: 3:27.96 – Jack Cartwright, Kyle Chalmers, Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack.
Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay: 7:37.50 – Ariarne Titmus, Brianna Throssell, Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack.
Women’s 200m freestyle: 1:52.85 – Mollie O’Callaghan.
Women’s 400m freestyle: 3:55.38 – Ariarne Titmus.
Kaylee McKeown scored a clean sweep in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke, the first woman to achieve this remarkable treble in the same stroke at a World Championship, and was named “Female Swimmer of the Meet”.
Cameron McEvoy showed he is back to his world beating best, securing the 50m Freestyle gold in a scintillating time of 21.06 - the first time an Australian has ever won the event.
“It’s insane,” McEvoy said. “Words do little to describe it. That was incredible. It’s everything to do with what I love about swimming culminated in that one lap. It’s beautiful.”
The Dolphins also locked in quota spots for Paris 2024 – with the top three finishers in each relay event securing a Paris 2024 quota for their country. With Australia medalling in every relay event (Women’s and men’s 4 x 100 Freestyle, 4 x 100 Medley, 4 x 200 Freestyle and Mixed 4 x 100 Medley), the team has locked in quotas for each of the relay events to be contested at Paris.
Water Polo – World Championships top 4 finish for the Stingers
The Stingers have wrapped up a successful World Championships campaign with a heart wrenching loss in the bronze medal match against Italy.
With no more than three goals separating the two sides for the entirety of the game, the Australian women fought hard against the European powerhouse, ultimately going down 14-16 to finish the tournament in 4th place.
With only the top 2 countries at the World Championships earning quota places for next year's Olympic Games, the Stingers will now turn to the upcoming Oceania Olympic Qualifier where they’ll need to defeat New Zealand to book their tickets to Paris 2024.
Cycling – Spratt overcomes Pyrenees for top 10 finish at Tour de France Femmes.
Triple Olympian Amanda Spratt has capped off the 2023 Tour de France Femmes with a top 10 overall finish.
After 956km of brutal racing over eight stages, Pratt finished 10th in a time of 25 hours 27 minutes and 49 seconds, 10 minutes behind Tour winner Demi Vollering of the Netherlands.
The Tour’s penultimate stage featured a mountain-top finish at the iconic Col du Tourmalet in the French Pyrenees, with riders pushed to their limits through the crowded mountain climb in a heavy mist.
Fellow Australian Grace Brown finished strongly, coming in fourth in the final individual time trial stage, to sit in 31st overall.
Spratt, Brown and fellow Australian Tour de France Femmes competitors Lauretta Hanson, Alexandra Manly, Georgie Howe and Sarah Roy now head to Glasgow for the UCI Cycling World Championships from 3-12 August.
Beach Volleyball – 9th in Montreal for Tokyo 2020 silver medallists
Tokyo Silver medallists Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy finished 9th at the Volleyball Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 event in Montreal. The pair missed out on quarter-finals after going down in a narrow defeat to eventual silver medallists Julia Scoles and Betsi Flint of the USA.
On the men's side, Mark Nicolaidis & Izac Carracher were eliminated in the Main Draw after going down 2-1 in their final match against USA’s Miles Partain and Andy Benesh. The next stop on the Volleyball Beach Pro Tour is in Hamburg, Germany from 16-20 August.
Golf – Aussies tie 16th in France
Australian golfers Steph Kyriacou and Minjee Lee have tied for 16th at The Amundi Evian Championship over the weekend. For Kyriacou, the result was a career best finish in Europe’s major championships.
Fellow Australian Sarah Kemp tied for 28th, while Karis Davidson was equal 61st.
Triathlon – Jackson top Aussie at Sunderland World Championship Series stop
Six Australians took to the course in Sunderland, UK for the sixth stop of the World Triathlon Championship Series.
In a tough weekend for the Australians, Emma Jackson was the top finisher in 18th, with Charlotte McShane 40th and Jaz Hedgeland a DNF.
On the men’s side, Brandon Copeland led the charge in 35th, with Luke Willian close behind in 39th and Tokyo Olympian Jake Birtwhistle also a DNF.
The Australians now turn to the Paris Olympic Test event, starting in three weeks’ time.
