Day 3 of the Rio Olympics saw Australia again get gold, this time in the women’s rugby sevens. There was no such luck in the pool, with hot chances Emily Seebohm and Mitch Larkin not featuring on the podium.
Here’s what I saw, and how I saw it.
Before I get onto the brilliance that is our women’s sevens side, I’ll briefly address a few things from the pool.
Some of the leading questions posed by journos poolside really need to be checked at the boarding gate. Trying to get athletes to resonate with the questioner’s projected disappointment isn’t really the art of journalism you’re taught at uni.
If you’re going to take the leading question approach, at least give them a soft one to start. They’re starting to learn their lesson – after Emily Seebohm was shamelessly positive in response, Mitch Larkin got a much less thorough working over.
But the biggest humdinger was saved for Sun Yang, the subject of much controversy over the past few days (there’s no way this column’s getting as many comments as yesterday!), was asked about Mack Horton straight after his win in the 200m freestyle.
Sun rightly answered that in case Channel Seven’s Chris Reason wasn’t aware, he’d actually just won the 200m and couldn’t care less about Mack Horton right now.
A good answer to a bad question. One aimed at nothing more than executing the same mindgames the two athletes are playing with each other. Probably best left to those two to work it out.
But the disappointment of our swimmers is just that – projected. All of these races are close. Mack Horton won in a close one, and realistically all races we have a good chance in are just that – a very good chance. Not a certainty. Expecting gold only leads to disappointment. Never expect gold.
Now to the sevens, with whom I have a bit of experience.
About a year ago I went down to Narrabeen and checked out their training facility, which the ARU and the AOC had set up to achieve precisely this result.
This woman’s team has a full staff – from communications to diet – looking after them at all times. This was a properly-resourced team. And the result has reflected the work that’s been put in, and was so eloquently described by former Wallaby Chris Roche on The Roar today.
Put simply, both the men’s and women’s sevens program appear to me to be very well run, and have great culture and purpose. This was a victory that started years ago.
In the rowing, Kim Brennan is through to compete tomorrow after a wild day on the water.
The pool is Australia’s best chance for a medal, but if you’re a complete Olympic buff and want to know what event is on at what time I really do recommend our Olympic event schedule or our guide to Day 4 at the Olympics. We put a lot of time and effort into it, and people are reading it, which is great.
We could spring another surprise in the shooting, and there are also finals in the eventing in equestrian, both individual and team.
The Opals and Kookaburras are back, and the Aussie men’s rugby team are up. It should be a good one!
Can Australia get to 12 gold medals without Seebohm and Mitch Larkin winning gold? Well, with the 200m backstroke events coming up they still have a chance to redeem themselves, as they are both also world champions in that distance.
So there’s plenty to be positive about, but it’s a shame to watch Seebohm miss the podium in the event she’s seemed destined to win twice.
If the backstroke doesn’t go the way Australia wanted, it puts a lot of pressure on Cameron McEvoy in the 100m and 50m men’s freestyle, because beyond him and Cate and Bronte Campbell, there aren’t too many medals left in the pool for Australia.
The women and men’s medley relay are a chance, as is Mack Horton in the 1500m.
Cate and Bronte are under a lot of pressure. But the way they carried the team home in the 4x100m gives me plenty of confidence!
What were you watching Roarers that I missed? What are your talking points from Day 3?
LeBron James is going back to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years. Steph Curry is headed to the games for the…
Olyroos coach Tony Vidmar is refusing to put a line through Nestory Irankunda's hopes of playing at the Paris Olympics after claiming he is…
The 2023-24 NBA season promised so much for the Australian contingent - for a few it’s been the ideal runway to the Paris Olympics…
Basketball superstar Lauren Jackson has been included in the extended Opals squad for the Paris Olympics, despite announcing her retirement from the international scene.…
The Brisbane Olympics stadiums fiasco has had wild twists and turns in just the last few days, but we still might not have seen…
Olympic swimming legend and Australian Sports Commission boss Kieren Perkins has warned that "someone will die" if a multi-sport event that allows athletes to…
