Australia’s finished top of the medal table 3 times yesterday!, After one silver and one gold, then another gold, and then a silver in the pool on day one. We were fifth with one gold from cycling, until our swimmers hit the pool. Please see update of performances for all three Hancock Prospecting funded sports that are competing to which Executive Chairman Mrs Gina Rinehart AO is proud patron. Artistic swimming, the fourth sport, has not commenced yet.
Swimming:
Ariarne Titmus won her second 400m freestyle Olympic title. She claimed victory over Canada’s Summer McIntosh and Team USA’s Katie Ledecky, and received huge media excitement and coverage.
All Aussie medal winners, almost all of whom train in Queensland, and most with the renowned coach, Dean Boxall, headlined a superb opening night for the Dolphins that yielded two gold medals and two silver medals from four finals.
The women’s 4x100m freestyle relay topped the podium again, with Shayna Jack, Meg Harris, Australia’s greatest ever medal winner Emma McKeon, and Mollie O’Callaghan, famous for her medals and occasionally beating Ariane Titmus.
Elijah Winnington (400m freestyle) and the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay won silvers to add to the medal tally after a truly spectacular swim by Kyle Chalmers, who brought the relay team from a no medal in fifth, to silver, a stunning swim and result.
Beach Volleyball:
Beach volleyballers Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar have opened their Paris 2024 campaign with a 2-1 win (22-20, 14-21, 16-14) against China, surviving a scare in the second set. Despite the dreary skies and soggy sands at the Eiffel Tower Stadium, the Australian duo started strong in front of the loud and vibrant crowd, before the Australians found themselves in a tough battle.
They dropped their first set point before using their experience to swing the set in their favour and take the match. Meanwhile Mark Nicolaidis and Izac Carracher faced world number one pair from Sweden David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig, falling in straight sets 21-14, 21-19 despite a strong opening.
Rowing:
Single sculler Tara Rigney gave the Rowsellas the ideal start to their Olympic regatta at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, winning her heat in style to safely progress to the next round. Tara is a two-time World Rowing Championships bronze medal winner and has her sights set on a podium appearance in her second Games. She rows in her quarter-final on Wednesday, 29 July.
The Women’s Double Scull of Harriet Hudson and Amanda Bateman finished second behind France in their heat and safely progress to the semi-finals, while the Women’s Quad Scull finished fifth and will have one more chance to advance via the repechage.
