Paris Olympic Games Moreton Bay coverage - August 5

Published 8:00pm 5 August 2024

Paris Olympic Games Moreton Bay coverage - August 5
Words by Nick Crockford

The Olympic dream is over for ex-Redcliffe junior Renee Taylor and the Hockeyroos, who have bowed out in the quarter-finals.

Australia, world ranked four, went down 3-2 to an inspired China, who entered the competition ranked eighth, in Paris tonight.

There were tears on both sides at the end – China of perhaps unexpected joy, the Hockeyroos of disbelief and despair.

Australia entered the game confident and favourites after topping Pool B. China secured the final qualifying spot from fourth in Pool A.

But as former Kookaburra and Olympic gold medallist Jamie Dwyer warned in our preview "anything can happen in the quarter-finals" and it did.

Paris Olympic Games Moreton Bay coverage - August 5

Alice Arnott opening the scoring after 10 minutes, but China hit back immediately and led 2-1 at half-time.

The message from Australia’s coaches was to “move the ball faster”, but China’s hard-working, hard-running approach proved difficult to break down.

There was controversy when the third China goal was allowed to stand by the video referee despite many saying the ball hit a Chinese player's thigh in the build-up.

Comments on the Hockey Australia Instagram page were quick to praise the Hockeyroos but vent frustration at some umpiring decisions.

Tatum Stewart pulled it back to 2-3 in the final seconds of the third quarter and the Hockeyroos pushed hard for an equaliser, but it never arrived.

China is the first team into the semi-finals. Australia is staring at the start of another four-year Olympic cycle.

Paris Olympic Games Moreton Bay coverage - August 5

Above: Kaylee McKeown. Picture Delly Carr/Swimming Australia

Kaylee McKeown, born and raised in Moreton Bay, has finished her Olympic program with another medal - and a collection of remarkable records.

McKeown helped Australian 4x100m women’s medley relay team to silver this morning, in the final event of the Olympic swimming program.

It was the 23-year-old’s fifth medal in Paris following gold in the 100m/200m backstroke and bronze in the 200m individual medley and 4x100m mixed medley relay.

Redcliffe-born, Caboolture raised, Burpengary-trained McKeown and Mollie O’Callaghan have become the first Australian swimmers to win five medals at one Olympic Games.

And the former St Paul’s Lutheran Primary School student in Caboolture has maintained her record of medalling in all nine Olympic events she entered!

Today adds to the her gold in the 100m/200m backstroke and 4x100m medley relay, plus bronze in the 4x100m mixed medley relay at Tokyo 2020.

“Congratulations to our Australian women,” Channel Nine commentator Giaan Rooney said “a sensational swim to get that silver medal.”

Paris Olympic Games Moreton Bay coverage - August 5

McKeown put Australia in the top three after the backstroke leg. Jenna Strauch (breaststroke) and Emma McKeon (butterfly) handed over in fourth.

O’Callaghan then stormed home in the freestyle, pulling Australia up into second, stopping the clock at 3 minutes 53.11 seconds.

Gold went to the US in 3:49.63 which broke their own world record, which is now under 3 minutes 50 seconds for the first time! China was third in 3:53.23.

Three-time Olympic gold medallist Ian Thorpe put a wider perspective on the Australian swimming team’s achievements over the last 10 days.

“It’s incredible,” he said on Channel Nine, “there are a lot of stats for us to make a comparison in what we’ve won.

“We’ve won seven gold medals at these Olympic games - that is the same as the total for the entire Australian Olympic team in Barcelona (1992).

“It’s one shy of the entire Australia Olympic team in London (2012) and Rio (2016). That’s how well we’ve done in the pool here.”

Tomorrow ...

Calab Law, the former Morayfield State High School student, starts his 200m campaign in heat one at 3.55am AEST.

Law, who was born and grew up in Caboolture, is also in the Australian 4x100m men's relay team which will be in round one on Thursday evening AEST.

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