Latest news with #EmmaMcKeon
Perth Now
a day ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Defiant Olympians honoured decades after Moscow boycott
Top sporting stars who competed in the 1980 Olympics in the face of intense pressure to boycott will be honoured in the nation's capital. About 50 members of the 1980 Australian Olympic team will be recognised by the prime minister and opposition leader in Parliament House on Wednesday, more than four decades after defying public pressure and taking part on the controversial Moscow Games. Contemporary athletes including triple Olympic champion Jessica Fox and Australia's most decorated Olympian Emma McKeon will also attend, with the latter supporting her father Ron McKeon, who swam in the Moscow event. The boycott, which was the largest in Olympic history, was a protest against the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in the late 1970s. Though many countries, including the United States, Japan and West Germany took part in a full boycott, Australia opted to support the action but allowed athletes to make the final call over whether they would participate. Many faced intense pressure from the government and commentators to snub the games, and only 121 out of the 204 possible athletes ended up attending. The Australian Olympic team's website states it was a "sad time, with the onus on young athletes to do the dirty work of politicians". Those in attendance did not march behind Australia's national flag in the opening ceremony, with athletics competitor Denise Boyd and swimmer Max Metzker instead carrying the Olympic flag. Australia won nine medals in Moscow: two gold, two silver and five bronze. In total, more than 45 countries boycotted the games while 80 competed.
France 24
5 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
New-look Australia focused on LA 2028 at swimming worlds
The Australians won seven swimming golds at the Paris Olympics but several big names have since retired or are skipping this year's world championships, which begin Sunday. That has opened the door for 10 debutants and Pallister, who made her Olympic bow in Paris, urged them to make the most of the experience. "I think it's important for those on the team this year to really soak in the moment and do their best," said the 23-year-old. "I don't really think it's about the medal table, I think in three years' time is the bigger picture." Australia's most successful Olympian, Emma McKeon, has hung up her goggles as have other stalwarts including Mitch Larkin, Brianna Throssell and Jenna Strauch. Four-time Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus -- who lost her 400m freestyle world record to Canadian Summer McIntosh last month -- is on an extended break. Eleven of Australia's squad in Singapore are aged 20 or under. Veteran Cameron McEvoy, who is appearing at his seventh world championship, said the Australians were a team in transition. "Things come and go, things change, you have to build up from time to time, you can't be constantly at the top and only at the top," said the 31-year-old, the 50m freestyle Olympic champion. "We have the most rookies on our team that I've seen across my whole time, which is exciting too." At just 16, Sienna Toohey came from nowhere to qualify for the 50m and 100m breaststroke. Australia also have high hopes for fellow newcomers Hannah Fredericks (200m backstroke) and Ben Goedemans (800m freestyle), while Ella Ramsay, 21, will contest four events. "A lot of them are very young, they've got a lot of years ahead of them," said McEvoy. "Starting that three years out from the Olympics instead of, say, 2027, one year out, goes a long way too." © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
New-look Australia focused on LA 2028 at swimming worlds
Lani Pallister on Saturday urged her young Australian team-mates to "soak in the moment" at swimming's world championships in Singapore with one eye on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The Australians won seven swimming golds at the Paris Olympics but several big names have since retired or are skipping this year's world championships, which begin Sunday. That has opened the door for 10 debutants and Pallister, who made her Olympic bow in Paris, urged them to make the most of the experience. "I think it's important for those on the team this year to really soak in the moment and do their best," said the 23-year-old. "I don't really think it's about the medal table, I think in three years' time is the bigger picture." Australia's most successful Olympian, Emma McKeon, has hung up her goggles as have other stalwarts including Mitch Larkin, Brianna Throssell and Jenna Strauch. Four-time Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus -- who lost her 400m freestyle world record to Canadian Summer McIntosh last month -- is on an extended break. Eleven of Australia's squad in Singapore are aged 20 or under. Veteran Cameron McEvoy, who is appearing at his seventh world championship, said the Australians were a team in transition. "Things come and go, things change, you have to build up from time to time, you can't be constantly at the top and only at the top," said the 31-year-old, the 50m freestyle Olympic champion. "We have the most rookies on our team that I've seen across my whole time, which is exciting too." At just 16, Sienna Toohey came from nowhere to qualify for the 50m and 100m breaststroke. Australia also have high hopes for fellow newcomers Hannah Fredericks (200m backstroke) and Ben Goedemans (800m freestyle), while Ella Ramsay, 21, will contest four events. "A lot of them are very young, they've got a lot of years ahead of them," said McEvoy. "Starting that three years out from the Olympics instead of, say, 2027, one year out, goes a long way too." amk/pst
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Hard work for Australian swimmers on road to LA 2028 begins in Singapore
Barely an hour after the Australian swim team had completed a successful meet at the Paris Olympics, the Dolphins head coach, Rohan Taylor, was already looking to the future. 'We'll go back to the drawing board,' he said on the pool deck. 'Performance by design' is one of his often-repeated mantras. So relentless is the pursuit of gold that the following morning, the Dolphins held a debriefing session to reflect on improvements ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. In the year that followed, Australia's swim stars have enjoyed time away from the pool. Some retired – the nation's most successful Olympian of all time, Emma McKeon, brought the curtain down on her glittering career, and had a local pool named in her honour. Some tried their hand at other activities – 50m and 100m freestyle star Shayna Jack featured on I'm A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!, while middle-distance titan Ariarne Titmus is still out of the water, recently on commentary duties at the Australian swimming trials. But the week ahead will offer the first glimpses of the Dolphins' work at the drawing board, as the swimming events at the World Aquatics Championships begin in Singapore on Sunday. The world titles in the year following an Olympics are always an unusual meet; some stars are absent, others have their focus elsewhere. But as squads around the world begin to build towards the 2028 Games, the meet will provide an helpful indicator of early progress. Australia's squad is headlined by Olympic stalwarts Kaylee McKeown and Mollie O'Callaghan. Both spoke recently about the challenges they faced navigating post-Paris life, but each will be a favourite in several events following their returns to the pool. McKeown is expected to contest the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke; there is every chance she could win all three, repeating a feat from the 2024 world titles. O'Callaghan, meanwhile, will be favourite in the 200m freestyle and out for redemption in the 100m freestyle after a surprise fourth-place finish in Paris. Elsewhere in the women's field, Lani Pallister has been in scorching form – she broke the Australian record for the 800m freestyle at trials, and also won the 400m and 1500m races. Just 16, Sienna Toohey will be the youngest member of the Dolphins squad – big things have been tipped for the breaststroke prodigy since she broke Leisel Jones's 100m age-group record, which had stood for more than two decades. On the men's side of competition, 50m freestyle Olympic champion Cameron McEvoy will make a record seventh world championship appearance and be the favourite in the one-lap event, while veteran freestyle dynamo Kyle Chalmers has been in resurgent form. Middle distance freestyler Sam Short had a disappointing Paris Olympics, but will be hoping to bounce back in Singapore. Australia is also a perennial powerhouse in the relay disciplines – finishing off the podium in just one of the seven relays in Paris – and that is not expected to change in Singapore. Australia's depth in the women's 100m freestyle relay is particularly impressive; at the recent trials in Adelaide, all eight swimmers in the final went under the qualifying time for the world titles (O'Callaghan and Olivia Wunsch will contest the individual event, as the fastest qualifiers). Australia have lost that world relay crown just once in the past decade, and held the Olympic gold since 2012; an impressive era of dominance that looks set to continue – although not without a fight from the United States. With one eye towards the 2028 Olympics, the world championships will also offer an assessment of competing nations' strength across each stroke's 50m splash and dash event. While the 50m is always contested across freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly at the world titles, until now the Olympics have only featured the freestyle. That will change in Los Angeles, with six additional gold medals up for grabs. The additions bode well for Australia, with a number of potential prospects. McKeown is the world record holder in the women's 50m backstroke, while Isaac Cooper is the defending world champion in the men's backstroke. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion Another noteworthy LA 2028 announcement was made earlier this month, with the preliminary schedule for the Games featuring the swim meet in the second week. This is unusual. For some time, swimming has been one of the first sports off the blocks and typically provides a strong start for Australia on the medal tally. Teams will therefore be required to manage the distraction of a week of Olympic action before the swimming begins. The Dolphins will enter the meet in Singapore buoyed by the success of their open water peers. Moesha Johnson had a remarkable event last week, winning the women's 10km and 5km events – a first for Australia – and earning bronze in the 3km knock-out event, while Kyle Lee was third for Australia in the men's 10km. Johnson will be back in action in the pool, having also qualified for the 800m and 1500m. There are now less than three years until the 2028 Olympics begin. For the Australian Dolphins, the road to Los Angeles may have started only a day after the Paris meet wrapped up. But the hard work begins now – from the drawing board to the pool once more.
France 24
22-07-2025
- Sport
- France 24
New-look Australia swim team use worlds to build towards LA 2028
Since Paris, where Australia won seven golds to the eight by the United States, several big names have either retired or are resting. Australia's most successful Olympian, Emma McKeon, has hung up her goggles as have other stalwarts including Mitch Larkin, Brianna Throssell and Jenna Strauch. Four-time Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus -- who lost her 400m freestyle world record to Canadian Summer McIntosh last month -- is on an extended break. That has opened the door for 10 debutants to make the Australia squad for the World Aquatic Championships, where the action in the pool begins on Sunday. Head coach Rohan Taylor characterised Singapore as the beginning of a new cycle building to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and a key learning experience for Australia's next potential superstars. "I am excited by what this team can do over the next four years," said Taylor. "This is the beginning of the third Olympic campaign I have been the head coach for, and this team has a strong nucleus in place. "The end goal is LA, but to be great in LA this very young team, which boasts 10 rookies, is going to learn what is needed on the global stage in Singapore." Eleven of the squad are aged 20 or under. At just 16, Sienna Toohey has Australian fans most excited after she came from nowhere to qualify for the 50m and 100m breaststroke. Australia also have high hopes for fellow newcomers such as Hannah Fredericks (200m backstroke) and Ben Goedemans (800m freestyle), while Ella Ramsay, 21, will contest four events. The experienced core of the squad is led by Paris Olympics 50m freestyle champion Cameron McEvoy, who will be at his seventh world championships. His close friend Chalmers -- who has won medals in the 100m free at three consecutive Olympics including gold on debut in Rio 2016 -- toyed with packing up swimming after Paris, but a new coach has rejuvenated him. Scintillating form He was in scintillating form at the trials, qualifying in speedy times for the 50m and 100m freestyle, and the 50m butterfly. "I'm just trusting what I have been doing in training, listening to what my coaches are telling me, trusting that we've done the work," said Chalmers, who has won 12 world championship medals, including five golds. The women are headlined by McKeown, who successfully defended her 100m and 200m backstroke titles in Paris. She will also swim the 50m in Singapore -- an event added to the Olympic programme in 2028 -- looking to emulate the treble she won at the 2023 world championships. Like McKeown, Olympic 200m champion Mollie O'Callaghan has been open about her struggles mentally after the high of Paris, where she achieved her dreams with three golds, a silver and a bronze. She has refocused and is a gold-medal prospect in both the 100m and 200m freestyle. Fast-rising teenager Olivia Wunsch is Australia's other women's 100m freestyle entrant, also qualifying for the 50m free alongside Olympic silver medallist Meg Harris. Lani Pallister has taken giant strides since the Olympics and had a breakthrough trials. She became only the third woman to swim under 15min 40sec in the 1500m freestyle behind American great Katie Ledecky and the retired Dane Lottie Friis. Pallister also shattered Titmus's 800m national record and went under four minutes for the first time in the 400m. "I think I've shown what I can do and I'm excited to build on it -- I don't think this is my limit," she said. © 2025 AFP
