Australians aim high in track and field
Australians have aimed high and achieved their best but fallen short of placing, in a courageous night of athletics at the Paris Olympics.
Australia charged to third spot in the medal tally behind China and the USA, with 13 gold, 11 silver and three bronze.
Here’s a wrap of overnight.
Pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall looked like he was in contention for a medal as he battled through the pain from the ankle he dislocated earlier this year.
Marschall finished a creditable sixth in the men’s pole vault final at the Paris Olympics.
Marschall’s best moment of Tuesday morning’s competition came with a first-time clearance at 5.85m after he had passed his final two attempts at 5.80m.
But the 2023 world championships bronze medallist was unable to go any higher, bowing out with two unsuccessful attempts at 5.95m.
It was still a massive improvement from Marschall’s performance in the Tokyo Olympics final three years ago, when he failed to register a height.
The Australian badly dislocated his left ankle in a fall at the national championships in April and it has continued to trouble him ever since.
As expected, the gold went to peerless Swedish world record holder Armand Duplantis, who added a second successive Olympic gold to his two world championships, all achieved before the age of 25.
The 24-year-old was flawless throughout, clinching gold with a first-time effort at 6m.
The minor medals went to American Sam Kendricks (5.95m) and Emmanouil Karalis from Greece (5.90m).
On the track, Australia’s fastest woman Torrie Lewis achieved a huge milestone by reaching the semi-finals of the 200m sprint.
The teenager set a new personal best when she initially narrowly missed out on advancing directly to the semis — scoring a spot in the repechage heat.
She won her repechage and secured a spot in the semis.
“Crossed the line first at the Olympics. Pretty cool,” she said of the repechage heat.
“I’m so surprised, I have not been nervous. I thought I’d be nervous, but I’m pretty chill.”
But her impressive campaign came to a close when she was run out in the semis in 22.92 — just three hundredths of a second shy of the PB she set in the opening round.
Lewis will now turn her attention to the 4x100m relay, with the heats on Thursday.
The 200m women’s sprint final will feature huge names including 100m winner Julien Alfred and American superstar Gabby Thomas.
The men’s 200m heats and semi-finals also took place on Tuesday morning (AEDT).
Australia’s Calab Law was seventh in his men’s 200m heat in 20.75 on his Olympic debut.
America’s 100m Olympic champion Noah Lyles is looking for another title in his favoured 200m distance.
With the Olympics still abuzz over his 0.005-second victory in the 100, Lyles didn’t have much time to rest before moving to his next event.
He is a heavy favourite in the 200m, his better race, and a race he has not lost since the Olympic final in Tokyo three years ago, where he finished third.
He said he got about four hours of sleep after the big race, before returning to Stade de France to win the opening heat in the 200m in 20.19 seconds.
Australia’s 5000m hopeful Rose Davies did not finish with a medal but said she was happy with her race.
Kenyan Beatrice Chebet mowed down her superstar teammate Faith Kipyegon with 60m to go to win the women’s 5000m in 14 minutes 28.56 seconds.
Kipeygon was later disqualified and stripped of silver for earlier shoving a rival as they tussled for position.
Australia’s Davies ran on gamely to claim 11th spot in 14:49.67.
Earlier in the day, Australia’s other pole vault star, reigning women’s world champion Nina Kennedy, eased into Wednesday night’s final in equal first place.
Kennedy was only required to vault once each at 4.40m and 4.55m to book her spot in the final.
Australia will have two huge medal chances on Wednesday night, with big Matt Denny powering through the discus qualifying round in second place with a throw of 66.83m.
Steeplechasers Matthew Clarke and Ben Buckingham failed to qualify for the final of the 3000m steeplechase.
Team pursuiters’ hot start
The Australian men’s team pursuiters have taken the first step to redemption at the Olympic velodrome.Unlike the slow Olympic pool, records were smashed repeatedly on day one of the track cycling program at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome outside Paris.
The temperature is deliberately kept warm, which means uncomfortable conditions for spectators that are perfect for the riders.
Australia qualified fastest in the men’s pursuit, lowering the national record by more than a second — a whopping improvement.
Olympic medallists Sam Welsford and Kelland O’Brien combined with debutants Oliver Bleddyn and Conor Leahy to clock four minutes 42.958 seconds.
Wearn in box seat for sailing gold
Australian sailor Matt Wearn is guaranteed a gold or silver medal at the Paris Olympics after the cancellation of men’s dinghy races on Monday.
Wearn is in the box seat to claim consecutive Olympic golds in the event and will protect a big lead in Tuesday’s medal race in Marseille.
Racing on Monday was scrapped due to lack of wind, meaning the dinghy competition heads straight to the medal race, which is worth double points, on Tuesday.
Wearn holds a 14-point lead from Cypriot Pavlos Kontides and a 24-point advantage from Peru’s Stefano Peschiera.
That margin ensures Peschiera can’t overtake Wearn.
For Kontides to prevent Wearn from securing successive Olympic gold medals, the Cypriot will need to finish at least seven places better than the Australian in the medal race.
So if Wearn finishes seventh or higher, or Kontides places fourth or worse, the Australian will collect another gold.
Wearn is seeking to become the first back-to-back Olympic champion in the event and continue Australia’s stretch of gold following Tom Slingsby (2012), Tom Burton (2016) and Wearn in Tokyo three years ago.
