Australia’s final Olympic Games medals revealed as table position is confirmed

Australian track cyclists Matt Richardson and Matt Glaetzer secured the last national medals at the Olympic Games in Paris: silver and bronze respectively.

Richardson was unable to pass Dutch rider Harrie Lavreysen on the final straight after Glaetzer was the first to retire in the final, with the other three riders crashing on the final lap.

It is Richardson’s third medal at the Olympic Games in Paris, after previously finishing second behind Lavreysen in the sprint.

After finishing fourth at his last three Olympics, Glaetzer won his first individual medal at his farewell Games.

Glaetzer and Richardson also won bronze in the team sprint.

Lavreysen won the men’s sprint events, while the Netherlands also dominated the team sprint.

Also on the last day of the Olympic Games, the Australian Opals won bronze in women’s basketball.

As the Olympic Games draw to a close, Australia’s national coach is enjoying a record-breaking French party in Paris.

But chef de mission Anna Meares warns that similar success is not guaranteed in the future.

The Paris Olympics are Australia’s most successful Games in the 128-year history of the sporting event.

Australia’s reputation as a sporting giant, proverbially performing above its station, is confirmed.

The country finished fourth on the medal table with 18 gold, 19 silver and 16 bronze medals.

The stunning 18 gold medals surpassed Australia’s previous best results of 17 at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and in Tokyo three years ago.

Paris’ total of 53 medals is a record for an away match and is only surpassed by the home performance at Sydney 2000, when the team won 58 medals.

Australia won medals in 14 sports in the French capital.

Five Australians – sailor Matt Wearn, paddler Jessica Fox, skateboarder Keegan Palmer and swimmers Kaylee McKeown (twice) and Ariarne Titmus – defended their Olympic titles.

Swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan was the country’s most successful athlete with three gold medals, plus a silver and a bronze.

Swimmers McKeown, Titmus and Shayna Jack – who are putting in fantastic performances after a two-year nightmare of a doping ban – and the unrivalled paddler Fox leave Paris as winners of two gold medals.

Australian dolphin Emma McKeon has further expanded her unrivalled medal collection: the swimming star retires with six gold medals and a total of 14 medals, both national highlights.

The Australian team of 467 athletes included skateboarder Arisa Trew: she won the women’s park event at 14 years and 86 days old, becoming the country’s youngest ever Olympic gold medalist.

The stunning success came at a price: $25 million to be exact.

Meares warns that if that funding cannot at least be maintained, tougher times could come in Los Angeles in 2028 before Australia hosts the Olympic Games for a third time, in Brisbane in 2032.

“This campaign cost about $25 million,” Meares said.

‘Take time to celebrate… this is a great achievement.

‘It obviously creates higher expectations for the future.

‘We know it is very important that the Games lead to home games for Brisbane.

‘What I really like here is the diversity of sports that have proven to be successful.

‘The support we need, the funding for the sport, is crucial in the next eight-year cycle.

“But there is no guarantee.”

Australia’s achievements were enhanced by a golden, silver and bronze era of female athletes.

About 57 Australian women have a medal from the Paris Olympics, either as an individual or as a team, in their luggage.

“The simple visibility of women in sport has an impact and we are seeing that impact now,” said Meares, a four-time Olympic cyclist and mother of two, four-year-old Evelyn and two-year-old Bill.

“My daughter asked me, ‘Mom, can I do this sport?’ And how nice is it as a parent to be able to sit there and say, ‘Yes honey, you can.’

‘That hasn’t always been the case for women who have come through in the decades before and the years before that. ‘As a female athlete and a woman, we know what it’s like to feel left out… there’s no denying that our women have been exceptionally good at these Games.’

Meares also praised the men’s performances: 32 Australian men won medals, individually or as part of a team, in Paris.

And she praised the wisdom of the Australian coaches, calling them the best in the world.

And that brings us to another concern: how can Australia keep its core of coaches at home when other countries with big money are showing up?

In Paris, a number of Australians trained their rivals, including the legendary Dennis Cotterell (swimming, China), Alyson Annan and Ric Charlesworth (both hockey, China), Gary Sutton (cycling, USA) and Cameron Meyer (cycling, Great Britain).

“It’s one thing to have talent. And we have some incredibly talented athletes,” Meares said.

“Then you have to be able to support the staff around them. We need the right coaches, we need the right support staff.

‘And we often lose them to jobs in other countries, where they are paid better and have better working conditions.

“So we need to look after the staff that supports the athletes. It’s not just about providing infrastructure, it’s not just about funding the athletes and the sport.

“The world is particularly interested in retaining our Australian coaches and staff because we are capable of delivering stunning performances.”

Australia’s campaign, and for Meares in her first Games as chef de mission, has not always been smooth.

There were early transport problems, with Australian athletes sitting on the floor of overcrowded sports buses.

Australian swimming team assistant coach Michael Palfrey was lucky not to be sent home after criticising Korean swimmers in an interview with Korean media.

Hockey player Tom Craig was arrested for attempting to buy cocaine on a Paris street. The Kookaburra spent a night in custody before being released without charge.

Nineteen Australian Olympians tested positive for COVID-19 during the Games. Some participated anyway.

The highlights did not detract from the glorious Australian Games.

“I knew that if Paris could deliver this, it would be a postcard-perfect event, it would be a spectacular Games – and they haven’t been spectacular,” Meares said.