Olympics - Joseph Dawson

UWA AND WA ATHLETES SHINE AT GOLDEN OLYMPICS

JosePh daWson

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics captivated the nation in a way that seemingly few Olympics have done before. At a time when over half of the country was in lockdown, our inspirational athletes did us proud by performing on the biggest stage after a gruelling five year cycle just to get to the Olympics. Of course, our swimmers were spectacular as usual, with Ariane Titmus exploding onto the scene and beating none other than Katy Ledecky to take out two gold medals in the 400m freestyle and 200m freestyle. Emma McKeon became Australia’s most decorated Olympian, taking out the title for most medals won by any Australian at all Olympics. 15 of the 17 gold medals Australia won were either in or on the water!

UWA’s very own Tamsin Cook, a current student, competed in the women’s 400m freestyle heats and UWA club members Zac Incerti (swimming), Bronwyn Cox (rowing), and Brianna Throssell (swimming) all competed and did UWA proud as well. The Kookaburras, who took out a silver medal in a heartbreaking loss to Belgium had four UWA-associated members, either club members, students, or staff: Flynn Ogilvie, Tim Howard, Andrew Charter, and Tom Wickham. Despite missing out on gold, any Olympic medal is an achievement worth celebrating, as is competing in any Olympic Games. These athletes have continued the proud Olympic tradition that UWA has. They have done all past and current students proud with their efforts.

A further congratulations is also extended to West Australians Annabelle McIntyre and Jack Cleary, who won a gold and bronze medal respectively in rowing. Annabelle rowed out of the Fremantle Rowing Club and Jack Cleary rowed for West Australian Rowing Club after coming back from the University of California in Berkeley once he graduated from Trinity College.

Hour of power a new high for rowing in Australia

Tokyo 2020 was the most successful Olympics for Australian rowing, with two gold medals and two bronze medals occurring within an hour - creating an hour of power that will be etched into the history of Australian sport and most certainly Australian rowing. The men’s rowing team for Australia has not won a gold medal since 1996 when the ‘oarsome foursome’ defended their gold medal from Barcelona with a thrilling win in Atlanta.

And WA’s very own Kim Brennan won gold in the women’s single scull in 2016, in the only rowing gold medal for that Olympics in Rio. Yet two new oarsome foursomes were created, with both the men’s and women’s fours taking out gold in a gutsy and courageous display, where both crews led from the start and maintained that by holding off fast-finishing crews that looked like they would have won if the race went another 100 metres. With only three more years until Paris 2024, we may see both crews achieve one of the rarest feats in the sporting world, defending an Olympic title once again.

Perth’s very own Peter Bol provides inspirational effort

Before Tokyo 2020, very few people in Australia would have recognised the name Peter Bol, Australia’s premier 800m athlete. In Olympics and years past, being Australia’s premier 800m athlete did not account for much on the world stage, with Bol becoming the first Australian to Make an 800m final at the Olympics since 1960. Bol was born in Sudan and then lived in Egypt, before relocating to Queensland, and then moving to Perth. His journey to the Olympics is an astounding achievement, but successive runs in the heats and semis that broke the Australian record meant that for the first time in seemingly forever, Australia had a gold medal hope in the 800m. Bol ran out hard, leading the pack at the end of the first lap, and his courage and bravery were on full display as he gave all he could to hang on in the last 200 metres, but it wasn’t enough. Bol’s effort will no doubt inspire a new generation of middle-distance athletes, and people across Australia. Bol’s story and the way he unified the nation really proved what the Olympics are all about.

Jess Fox takes home elusive gold

No doubt one of the most heart-warming stories of the Olympics was Jess Fox taking home gold in the canoe slalom. She had won a bronze medal earlier in the Olympics, after she grazed a post, hence getting a time penalty that cost her the gold medal in that event. After London and Rio, where the gold medal eluded her, the whole nation was no doubt reaching for tissues after she achieved her dream, all while her dad was commentating on the Channel 7 team as the event was being broadcast. A story of persistence and perseverance, Jess Fox is an exemplary Australian whose example we can all aspire to.