The five greatest moments in Australian Olympic history

The hype of the Rio Olympics is building. As always Australia will be a contender to win the medal tally.

Through Australia’s illustrious participation in the Olympic Games there are five moments that stand out.

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These moments were selected based on Australia’s history in the event and the competition the team or individual encountered.

5) The Kookaburras break through to win gold
After finishing in the top four for the past four Olympics heading into Athens, the Kookaburras were dubbed the ultimate bridesmaids.

Coming into the 2004 Olympics the Kookaburras cruised through their qualification series with New Zealand however were widely regarded as outsiders behind the Dutch and Germans.

Their group stage contained a lot of drama. After failing to defeat bottom placed Argentina, Australia were in a peculiar position.

A loss or draw to a nation not named Netherlands would result in elimination. Their group match against India almost signified the end of the Kookaburras.

It took a last-minute goal to Michael Brennan to gain all three points and inevitably send the Kookaburras through to the semi-finals where they easily dispatched Spain 6-3.

Awaiting them in the final was the world number one Netherlands. Huge underdogs heading into the game the Australians showed the fighting spirit only Aussies possess coming back from one goal down to send it to extra time where Jamie Dwyer won the game and the medal.

After failing to win for 16 years Australia were finally able to get over the hurdle in a year where Netherlands looked impossible to beat. A true underdog story and a testament to the spirit of Australia.

4) Men’s 4×100 freestyle relay
It wouldn’t be a list without a swimming triumph. Heading into Sydney 2000, the USA males dominated the swimming scene. Realistically only the Australians could dethrone the favourites.

Gary Hall Jr, the anchor of the US team, famously predicted that USA was going to “smash Australia like guitars”. Fortunately the team of Michael Klim, Chris Fydler, Ashley Callus and Ian Thorpe dominated the race, setting a new world record of 3:13.67.

Often considered the greatest relay race of the time, the reception the team got for winning was hysterical.

3) Matthew Mitcham shocks the world to win gold in the ten metre platform
The greatest diving moment of all time was completed by an Australian.

Heading into the final dive of the men’s ten metre Platform, Mitcham trailed Chinese diver Zhou Luxin by 34 points. Mitcham executed a sensational back two and a half somersault with two and a half twists to perfection.

A score of 112.10 flashed across the scoreboard: the highest score in diving history had been broken. As a result the dive clinched gold for Mitcham, the first male diving gold since 1924, placing him in the Australian Olympic history books.

2) Sally Pearson wins silver in Beijing then gold in London
Leading up to the Beijing games Pearson’s only international medal came in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games as a member of the 4x100m relay team.

Stuck between the 100m and the 100m hurdles Pearson decided to drop the 100m to solely focus on the hurdles in Beijing.

Through the qualifying stages she was unimpressive. Qualifying ninth and then sixth for the final she was given next to no chance of winning. However in the race of her life Pearson ran a 12.64 to steal second from Canadian Priscilla Lopes-Schliep and American Damu Cherry.

Astoundingly the spilt time between Pearson and sixth place Delloreen Ennis-London was a mere 0.02 seconds.

Her interview was emotional and inspirational as she became the first Australian to medal in the 100m Hurdles.

The pressure intensified heading in London. She was dominating in the lead up events winning Gold in 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2011 World Championships. Pearson dominated her heat and semi-finals winning comfortably.

In the finals she kicked it up a notch smashing the Olympic Record while defeating 2008 gold medallist Dawn Harper. She became the first Australian since Cathy Freeman to win a track gold and placed her spot in Australian Olympic history.

1) Cathy Freeman captures the 400m gold
Undoubtedly the most significant moment in Australian sporting history, Cathy Freeman won the hearts of all Australians while uniting the country.

Leading up to the race there was two challengers, Cathy Freeman and French phenomenon Marie-Jose Perec. Only days before the Games Perec dropped out of the French team due to continual injuries.

In front of a crowd of 112,524 fans, Freeman in her full green bodysuit won the medal in a season’s best time over Jamaican Lorraine Graham. The most iconic moment came after the race where she carried both Aboriginal and Australian flag during her victory lap.