The swimming competition ended on Day Eight with no Australians in finals after Bronte and Cate Campbell fell out of the women's 50m freestyle at the semi-final stage on Day Seven, and Jared Poort missed out on a spot in the men's 1500m freestyle, an event so long dominated by great Australians Kieren Perkins and Grant Hackett. Unfortunately, that means that Australia will fail to score an individual gold medal at an Olympic Games for the first time since 1976. While the Aquatic Centre has been the scene of a gold rush for America and China and others, for Australia it's been a pool of nightmares, and you get the feeling that the team will be very happy to pack up and never see that particular 50m of blue water again. There is, then, plenty of work to do in the next four years before the world meets again in Brazil for Rio 2014. I certainly don't envy Australia's head coach Leigh Nugent his work.
On the final day of competition, the Australian women scored a silver in the 4x100m medley relay and the men, in their version of the same event, came home in the bronze position. Not a surprise to see Team USA win gold in both. They've had a mighty campaign, spearheaded by Franklin, Phelps, Lochte and co. Japan took silver in the men's race and bronze in the women's, ensuring both events had the same podium finishers. A rather fitting end to a silvery campaign for the Australian swim team. So close, yet so far, it seems.
Interesting to see that the divisive Nick D'Arcy and his gun-toting companion Kenrick Monk have been given a reprieve and will now remain in the northern hemisphere for the duration of the competition, despite being told that they would be sent home in disgrace following a photo of the two men posing with some serious weaponry in an American gun shop appeared on Facebook - hasn't social media been an interesting topic these Olympics!! - and attracted no small amount of controversy. Of course, D'Arcy is no stranger to that. Thankfully, the AOC will not permit either athlete to remain in the Olympic Village. Instead, it's rumoured, the pair will use the opportunity to holiday in Europe with friends and family.
Today might've been the last time Australia sees it's rowing ironman, the great Drew Ginn, in competition. The men's fours - better known in previous years as the Oarsome Foursome - finished a valiant second (a silver medal? What else is new there?) behind the all-conquering British, who've had the regatta of their lives and dreams, and after the race, Ginn signalled that this might be the end for him, his fourth Olympics. Three times a gold medallist in the greatest competition on the face of the earth, Ginn will go down in Australian sporting history with the other members of the Oarsome Foursome, famous names like Nick Green and James Tomkins and Mike McKay.
Slowly but surely, and with very little fanfare, the Hockeyroos are putting themselves right in the thick of the medal races. An opening game loss to New Zealand seemed to have put an end to their chances of finishing amongst the medals before the campaign had really begun, but from a slow start seems to be a fast finish. The girls haven't lost since, recording victories over world No. 3 Germany and then the United States. Today, it was a gritty 1-0 win against South Africa, which sees the Hockeyroos now handily sitting atop their pool. A win or a draw against Argentina in the final pool game should keep them there. Impressive effort for a team not expected to figure in the medals at all this Olympics.
Another medal at the Eton Dorney regatta for Kim Crow, who took the bronze in the women's single scull final a day after netting a silver in the women's double scull final with rowing partner Brooke Pratley. For all those who doubted that Crow could achieve success in both the single and double discipline...Humble Pie queue starts right here. Crow's regatta has been one of the bright spots of the Australian Olympic campaign thus far. For a change, the gold medal was won by Miroslav Knapkova from the Czech Republic, rather than a Brit.
Silver to long jumper Mitchell Watt who, in what's becoming a horrid trend, was beaten by an athlete from Great Britain in the men's long jump final. Watt, favourite in some people's eyes, jumped 8.16m, while the winner, Greg Rutherford, managed 8.31m. It was some sort of night for the host nation, who claimed three gold medals in the space of one heady hour at the Olympic Stadium. Breaking news: the locals are having one incredible Olympic campaign. Reminds me of Australia in Sydney 2000.
More breaking news: the velodrome is fast, and the British track cycling team is riding in some sort of superhuman fashion. Another day, another world record for the locals, this time in the women's team pursuit, where the hosts defeated America in world record time after breaking a WR in qualifying yesterday. Australia's team, after narrowly missing out on a chance to ride off for gold, were pipped at the post by Canada, finishing fourth after winning silver in the same event at the World Championships in Melbourne earlier this year.
Finally, an Australian has beaten a their Great British counterpart at the London 2012 Olympic Games! Okay, it's happened a few times, but seldom when the medals are on the line, and when it does happen, it's worthy of a mention. The Boomers have done it for us this time, recording a comfortable 106-75 victory over the hosts. Our men have one final pool game - against Russia - in the race that everyone wants to win: the race to avoid a death-match with Team USA in the quarter finals.
This one from the Pages of Stupid: Kim Collins, sprinter and flag bearer at the London 2012 opening ceremony for St Kitts and Nevis, has been dumped from the heats of the men's 100m sprint by his own country, apparently because he was - shock horror - found in a hotel with his wife/coach. There are some other theories out there, some being purported by the St Kitts and Nevis team, but regardless, it seems a little bit over the top. As Collins noted on the Twitter, even men in prison are allowed visits from their wives. It's been a rough games for the small nation, with one of their female sprinters sent home after a potential drug violation.
Australia's medal tally: 1 gold, 12 silver, 7 bronze. Total: 20. Rank: 19
On the final day of competition, the Australian women scored a silver in the 4x100m medley relay and the men, in their version of the same event, came home in the bronze position. Not a surprise to see Team USA win gold in both. They've had a mighty campaign, spearheaded by Franklin, Phelps, Lochte and co. Japan took silver in the men's race and bronze in the women's, ensuring both events had the same podium finishers. A rather fitting end to a silvery campaign for the Australian swim team. So close, yet so far, it seems.
Interesting to see that the divisive Nick D'Arcy and his gun-toting companion Kenrick Monk have been given a reprieve and will now remain in the northern hemisphere for the duration of the competition, despite being told that they would be sent home in disgrace following a photo of the two men posing with some serious weaponry in an American gun shop appeared on Facebook - hasn't social media been an interesting topic these Olympics!! - and attracted no small amount of controversy. Of course, D'Arcy is no stranger to that. Thankfully, the AOC will not permit either athlete to remain in the Olympic Village. Instead, it's rumoured, the pair will use the opportunity to holiday in Europe with friends and family.
Today might've been the last time Australia sees it's rowing ironman, the great Drew Ginn, in competition. The men's fours - better known in previous years as the Oarsome Foursome - finished a valiant second (a silver medal? What else is new there?) behind the all-conquering British, who've had the regatta of their lives and dreams, and after the race, Ginn signalled that this might be the end for him, his fourth Olympics. Three times a gold medallist in the greatest competition on the face of the earth, Ginn will go down in Australian sporting history with the other members of the Oarsome Foursome, famous names like Nick Green and James Tomkins and Mike McKay.
Slowly but surely, and with very little fanfare, the Hockeyroos are putting themselves right in the thick of the medal races. An opening game loss to New Zealand seemed to have put an end to their chances of finishing amongst the medals before the campaign had really begun, but from a slow start seems to be a fast finish. The girls haven't lost since, recording victories over world No. 3 Germany and then the United States. Today, it was a gritty 1-0 win against South Africa, which sees the Hockeyroos now handily sitting atop their pool. A win or a draw against Argentina in the final pool game should keep them there. Impressive effort for a team not expected to figure in the medals at all this Olympics.
Another medal at the Eton Dorney regatta for Kim Crow, who took the bronze in the women's single scull final a day after netting a silver in the women's double scull final with rowing partner Brooke Pratley. For all those who doubted that Crow could achieve success in both the single and double discipline...Humble Pie queue starts right here. Crow's regatta has been one of the bright spots of the Australian Olympic campaign thus far. For a change, the gold medal was won by Miroslav Knapkova from the Czech Republic, rather than a Brit.
Silver to long jumper Mitchell Watt who, in what's becoming a horrid trend, was beaten by an athlete from Great Britain in the men's long jump final. Watt, favourite in some people's eyes, jumped 8.16m, while the winner, Greg Rutherford, managed 8.31m. It was some sort of night for the host nation, who claimed three gold medals in the space of one heady hour at the Olympic Stadium. Breaking news: the locals are having one incredible Olympic campaign. Reminds me of Australia in Sydney 2000.
More breaking news: the velodrome is fast, and the British track cycling team is riding in some sort of superhuman fashion. Another day, another world record for the locals, this time in the women's team pursuit, where the hosts defeated America in world record time after breaking a WR in qualifying yesterday. Australia's team, after narrowly missing out on a chance to ride off for gold, were pipped at the post by Canada, finishing fourth after winning silver in the same event at the World Championships in Melbourne earlier this year.
Finally, an Australian has beaten a their Great British counterpart at the London 2012 Olympic Games! Okay, it's happened a few times, but seldom when the medals are on the line, and when it does happen, it's worthy of a mention. The Boomers have done it for us this time, recording a comfortable 106-75 victory over the hosts. Our men have one final pool game - against Russia - in the race that everyone wants to win: the race to avoid a death-match with Team USA in the quarter finals.
This one from the Pages of Stupid: Kim Collins, sprinter and flag bearer at the London 2012 opening ceremony for St Kitts and Nevis, has been dumped from the heats of the men's 100m sprint by his own country, apparently because he was - shock horror - found in a hotel with his wife/coach. There are some other theories out there, some being purported by the St Kitts and Nevis team, but regardless, it seems a little bit over the top. As Collins noted on the Twitter, even men in prison are allowed visits from their wives. It's been a rough games for the small nation, with one of their female sprinters sent home after a potential drug violation.
Australia's medal tally: 1 gold, 12 silver, 7 bronze. Total: 20. Rank: 19
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