Australia’s campaign at the Paris 2024 Olympics Games was nothing short of extraordinary, with a record gold medal haul proving our Aussie athletes’ remarkable prowess. From the pool to the skate park, our nation’s Olympic journey has been marked by both individual excellence and team success across various disciplines, with a fourth-place finish and final medal tally of 53 — 18 gold, 19 silver, and 16 bronze. With so many laudable moments of grit, determination, and sheer brilliance, here are some of the highlights from Team Australia’s standout Olympic campaign that have captivated us all.

Swimming

With a total of 18 medals won in swimming alone, it’s clear that Australians sure know how to make a splash. World record holder and reigning Olympic champion in the Women’s 400m Freestyle, Ariarne Titmus successfully defended her title in what was dubbed ‘The Race of the Century’ against American heavyweight Katie Ledecky, while also bagging gold in the Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay. Winning silver in the Women’s 800m Freestyle and 200m Freestyle, she only lost out in the latter event to teammate Mollie O'Callaghan. Swimming legend Emma McKeon ended her career on a high, with a gold in the Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay, silver in the 4x100m Medley Relay, and a bronze in the Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay. Her teammate, Kaylee McKeown, not only secured medals in the Mixed and Women’s Medley Relay, but also dominated in the Backstroke category, striking gold in both the 100m and 200m event and claiming bronze in the 200m Individual Medley.

Canoe Slalom

Hailed the best individual paddler of all time, and with four Olympic medals already under her belt, fan-favourite Jess Fox conquered with back-to-back golds in her fourth Olympic Games, defending her title in the C1 Canoe Slalom event, as well as claiming her win in the K1 event. Knocked out early in the Kayak Cross event, her younger sister, Noemie Fox, advanced in her place, and went on to secure gold for the inaugural event after winning four consecutive races. With only three kayak gold medals up for grabs in the women’s category, the sisters have clinched them all, continuing an already incredible legacy for the Fox family.

Skateboarding

Image credit: Australian Olympic Team

Australian Olympic history was made at the Women’s Park Final, by none other than 14-year-old Arisa Trew. Despite crashing in the first round of the finals, she went on to score a sensational 93.18 in her third run, securing gold and her new title of Australia’s youngest-ever Olympic medallist. Just 24 hours later, defending champion Keegan Palmer followed up with a dazzling gold run of his own on his first try, cementing his place as the undefeated winner in the Men’s Park Skateboarding category.

Track Cycling

Image credit: Australian Cycling Team

After a 20-year drought fraught with near-misses, Australia has finally captured gold in the Men’s Team Pursuit at the Olympic Velodrome. Following a devastating crash at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Aussie team came back stronger than ever this year, breaking the world record just the day before and emerging victorious over arch-rival team Great Britain in the blistering final with a time of 3:42.067. Matthew Richardson and Matthew Glaetzer also delivered a top-notch performance in the Men’s Keirin final, sprinting to silver and bronze and adding two more medals to Australia’s burgeoning tally.

BMX

Leading the race from start to exhilarating finish, Saya Sakakibara reigned supreme in the Women’s BMX Racing final, lapping the track in just 34.231 seconds and claiming her hard-won gold. After her brother and training partner, Kai, suffered a life-threatening accident in 2020, and Saya experienced her own horrific crash in the semifinals of the Tokyo Games, her hard-earned victory feels especially triumphant. In the Freestyle BMX event, Natalya Diehm produced the performance of her career and made history as the first Australian woman to claim a medal in any international event of the category, clinching a rare bronze medal with an impressive first-run score of 88.80.

Pole Vault

Image credit: Nina Kennedy

Clearing 4.90m effortlessly in a vault that would ultimately take home the gold, Nina Kennedy’s phenomenal triumph has made history in more ways than one. Having shared the gold medal with fellow competitor Katie Moon at the World Athletic Championships the year prior, this time her victory was hers alone. Not only did her win mark a record-breaking 18th Olympic Gold medal for Australia, but it was also the very first Olympic gold for any Aussie female in field events — taking Australian sport to incredible new heights.

Water Polo

After defeating reigning Olympic triple-champions, Team USA, in a dramatic penalty shootout, the Stingers advanced to the finals against Spain — a first since the class of 2000 won the inaugural event in Sydney. With high hopes to secure gold again, the Stingers fought valiantly during the highly anticipated finals match, but ultimately lost 11-9 to their powerhouse opponent, taking home silver at the end of the day.

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Westfield centres around Australia and New Zealand are getting ready to stream all the action from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games direct from Paris at our Live Sites! The Paralympic Live Sites will commence on 29 August until 9 September. Until then, don’t miss all the Olympic and Paralympic-themed activities, live music and more at Westfield.