Tokyo Olympics 2021: Australia's athletics medallists at this century's Games
Tokyo 2021: Nicola McDermott, high jump
Australia's Nicola McDermott poses with the silver medal for the women's high jump at the Tokyo Olympics. McDermott, 24, jumped an Australian record of 2.02m to trail only ROC's Mariya Lasitskene (2.04m). The Aussie was a vibrant presence in the final, flashing a beaming grin, urging the crowd to clap her into her run-up, and yelling 'come on!' before each race. She also jotted notes on her event in a journal - and then on a shirt - after each jump. The habit intrigued Australian viewers and she later explained.
"I was giving myself a rating out of 10 for every single component of the jump. By the last time, that was my highest, I gave myself 10 out of 10 but I still had work to do," she later explained. "Writing on a T-shirt is another process of my athletics processing. I was writing each time I jumped a bar, it allowed me to zone off and go, 'What do I need to work on?' rather than get carried away by the emotion because after I cleared the 2m it was tempting to back off. But I just kept going and going because I knew I had things to work on."
McDermott, from the NSW Central Coast, also spoke of her Christian faith after her brilliant performance. "As a teenager, I was always an outcast, and I got welcomed into a faith community that loved me," she said. "I thought of myself as a misfit, 2017 was my big moment and I decided to pursue God over sport, and whatever came with sport was a bonus. That's just allowed me to soar over every high jump bar and not be scared."
Tokyo 2021: Kelsey-Lee Barber, javelin
Kelsey-Lee Barber holds the Australian flag aloft in delight after winning bronze in the javelin at the Tokyo Olympics. Barber had a shocking start to the competition, lacking form and confidence in her heat due to the 'yips', before coming good when it mattered. She threw her season-best of 64.56m, trailing only China's Liu Shiying (66.34) and Maria Andrejczyk of Poland (64.61m). Barber later revealed just how low her confidence had sunk before Tokyo.
"There were moments this year where (husband and coach) Mike and I were sitting and I was crying," Barber, the 2019 world champion, said afterwards. "I wasn't sure if I was going to make it here, let alone think I was going to medal … I didn't want to give it up and I didn't want to stop fighting for it. This year has challenged me in so many ways, I worked hard for it and we found a way. Tonight it was about the win, I wanted the gold medal, I wanted to walk away an Olympic champion. It was like every throw was my last throw, because I know I can do something special. I'm just so proud of what I achieved tonight."
A joke was there for the taking after Barber's result and it got a hammering on social media. Barber has appeared in an Australian Beef ad throughout the Games, in which she loses out on the last bit of roast beef to her misfit brother 'Greg' at a family dinner. Thus, tongue-in-cheek Aussies were lamenting the fact that Greg and the lost bit of meat had cost her silver or gold. "Australia now has a beef with Greg," one of many comments read.
Tokyo 2021: Ashley Moloney, decathlon
Cedric Dubler of Australia encourages his teammate Ashley Moloney during the final event of the decathlon, the 1500m, at the Tokyo Olympics. This will forever be an iconic image for Australian athletics. Dubler, injured and out of contention, ran the 1500 purely with the aim of pushing Moloney to the bronze medal. The Aussies succeeded, with Moloney finishing close enough to his key rivals to hold third after Dubler paced and encouraged him throughout. It was a wonderful bit of sportsmanship and mateship, from the veteran mentor to the young superstar.
"He had me worried for a little bit then I just started screaming at him and we got him there," Dubler said after the race. Moloney said: "He was screaming. I can't repeat what he said. I could hear his voice bouncing in my cranium like a bat out of hell. I started hitting a wall at 800m and I was a bit concerned but I was like, 'Just stick to Cedric. Don't let him get to far away'. He screamed … like a nutter. I honestly do not know how to feel, I crossed the line and saw a PB and thought, 'Oh, s--t we're on'. Then I started crying and it all happened."
Moloney, 21, scored 8,649 points to become Australia's first Olympic medallist in the event. He trailed Canada's Damian Warner and France's Kevin Mayer.
Rio 2016: Dane Bird Smith, 20km walk
Australia's Dane Bird-Smith raises the national flag in triumph after winning bronze in the 20km walk at Rio 2016. Bird Smith trailed China's Wang Zhen and Cai Zelin, finishing just 23 seconds behind the gold medal position.
Rio 2016: Jared Tallent, 50km walk
Jared Tallent shows off his silver medal from the 50km walk at the Rio 2016 Olympics. It was the fourth Olympic medal for Tallent, who trailed Slovakian gold medallist Matej Toth by 18 seconds. Japan's Hirooki Arai placed third.
London 2012: Mitchell Watt, long jump
Australia's Mitchell Watt lands in the long jump pit during the London 2012 Olympics. Watt soared to a best leap of 8.16m, trailing only English hero Greg Rutherford (8.31m). USA's Will Claye was third (8.12m).
London 2012: Jared Tallent, 50km walk
Jared Tallent receives his London 2012 Olympic gold medal on June 17, 2016 in Melbourne. Tallent claimed silver at the Games themselves and was finally elevated to gold after Russian race winner Sergey Kirdyapkin was stripped of his medal for testing positive to banned substances. Justice, four years later, for the decorated Aussie.
London 2012: Sally Pearson, 100m hurdles
Sally Pearson shows off her 100m hurdles gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics. Having won silver at Beijing 2008, ran an Olympic record 12.35 to beat American Dawn Harper by just 0.02. USA's Kellie Wells was third. Pearson was overcome with emotion as her legend was cemented.
Beijing 2008: Jared Tallent, 20km walk
Jared Tallent poses with his bronze medal from the 20km walk at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Tallent trailed Russia's Valeriy Borchin and Ecuador's Jefferson Perez in placing third, which gave him a medal in both walk races at that edition of the Games.
Beijing 2008: Jared Tallent, 50km walk
Jared Tallent raises the Australian flag after winning silver in the 50km walk at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Tallent claimed his first Games medal in the event, trailing Italy's Alex Schwazer, who set an Olympic record of 3:37.09. Russia's Denis Nizhegorodov was third.
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