Who isn’t enthusiastic about the Olympics, after all, it is that time of the year when we cheer for our country’s sportspeople from the comfort of our homes.Australia remains among the top countries on the medal tally for the Olympic games. Australian athletes are known to win gold medals regularly in these popular games.Who are these star athletes? How does Australia support these stars? Let us find it out.Among the countries competing in the Olympic Games is Australia. The country is renowned for its continued, except in 1924–32 and 1948, participation in the Olympics.Not just the athletes and coaches; even the Australian government is committed to providing for its sportspeople. So, who was the first to represent Australia at the Olympics? Let us find out more. During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the Olympic flame was carried by many Australians who had an inspirational story to share. At the Sochi Winter Olympic games, Australia sent its largest team of 60 members.When it comes to the most popular Olympian from Australia, then Ian Thorpe must feature at top of the list. He won a total of five gold medals, three silver medals, and one bronze medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and 2004 Athens Olympics. His achievements made him one of the greatest swimmers of the modern era.Read on to know more about the importance of the opening and closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Games for Australia. Afterward, also check 2012 Olympics facts and 2016 Olympic facts.History Of Australian OlympicWhere did it all start? It started with the formation of the Australian Olympic Committee, founded in 1895.The first athlete to have represented Australia at the Olympics was Edwin Flack at the 1896 Athens Olympics. He competed in the 2,640 ft (800 m) and the 4,950 ft (1500 m) run and bagged the first position in both. Also, in the tennis doubles, he came third and won the bronze medal.The country has organized the Olympics twice, once in Melbourne, 1956, where Australia was ranked 3rd in the medals count, and second in Sydney, 2000, Australia’s rank in medals count was 4th.Australia is expected to host the 2023 Olympics in Brisbane.The nation’s return to performance and ranking among the top ten has been widely applauded. Here is the country’s order since the 2000 Summer Olympic Games: 4th, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th, respectively. Note that Australia, in 2012, was initially at 10th rank. Still, the race walking medals were reallocated, and Australia’s Jared Tallent bagged the Olympic gold medal, taking Australia’s tally up and upgrading its rank to 8th.Australia embodies a culture where playing sports is encouraged at the school level. The government takes good care of its sportspersons. Australia’s government funds the sports industry for its growth and development; clearly, it has not let down the country, either.Swimming is that one sport almost every Australian loves, and it shows! The most Olympic medals Australia has been awarded are in swimming, and among its top swimmers are Dawn Fraser and Emma McKeon. They are regarded as two of the best in Australia and around the globe.Australia has shown a noteworthy performance in several other sports too. The women’s team of field hockey has won three gold medals between the years 1988-2000. As for the men’s team, it came out victorious in 2004.From a historical perspective, the most eminent of the track and field athletes in Australia have been Betty Cuthbert, a four-time gold medal winner. Since its backlog at the 1994 Olympics, where the country did not bag any Olympic medals, Australia has seen a perpetual upward trend in its medal tally. This shows that with the proper support, anything is possible. Ian Thorpe, the Australian swimmer, was the flag bearer at the 2000 summer Olympics for the opening and closing ceremony, so was Dawn Fraser in 1964. They both represented Australia in the same games. Ian Thorpe has won the most medals for Australia at Olympic events (five gold, three silver, and one bronze).Athletics: Australian OlympicThe first time Australia participated in the Athletic Olympics was in 1896. The first person to represent Australia at the Olympics was Edwin Flack at the 1896 Athens Olympics. Learn more about Australian athletics here!He competed in the 800 and the 4,950 ft (1,500 m) run and bagged the first position in both. Also, in the tennis doubles, he came third, and Australia won one bronze medal. He became so popular that the crowd started cheering him on as “The Lion of Athens.”Marjorie Jackson bagged first position in both 330 ft (100 m) and 660 ft (200 m) at Helsinki, 1952.In 1952, the Australian team dropped their baton, but learning from their mistakes, at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Australia’s women’s team broke several records. Australia’s team won all the track events that year. Among these participants were Strickland, Betty Cuthbert, Fleur Mellor, and Norma Croker. Cuthbert won the 330 ft (100 m) and 660 ft (200 m); Strickland won the 264 ft (80 m) hurdles, and while her career was on the urge of an end, Strickland had received several Olympic medals (three gold, one silver, three bronze), and this number remained at the top and an unbroken record for many years.In the Tokyo Olympics, 1964, Cuthbert succeeded in winning the 1,320 ft (400 m). Two Australian women, Maureen Caird and Pam Kilborn, at Mexico City, 1968, achieved the first and second positions in the 264 ft (80 m) hurdles.Medals: Australian OlympicAustralia has a proud history of breaking multiple records. Today, it is among the best-performing countries in the world in terms of sports, be it swimming or hockey and even track and field.In the 1972 Olympics, Raelene Boyle was awarded three silver medals for his sprint performance at Mexico City and Munich.At the 2000 Olympics, among Australia’s most successful Olympic years, Cathay Freeman won 1,320 ft (400 m). Next, in the same year, Tatiana Grigorieva and Jai Taurima won silver in the pole vault and long jump, respectively.Steve Hooker, who won gold in the pole vault, was celebrated widely for breaking the record with a jump of 19.6 ft (5.96 m).In Beijing, the silver medal for women’s hurdles went to Sally Mclellan (Pearson), and at the London Olympics of 2012, she broke the all-time high record in 100m hurdles and won the gold medal.Talking about its all-time medal tally at the Olympics, Australia has won 547 Olympic medals, 164 gold, 173 silver, and 210 bronze.Australia’s Swimming Team And Its AchievementsAustralia’s swimming team has many achievements, discover some of them here!The first and second gold medals in swimming at an Olympic game were the first won by Fred Lane at the Paris Games, 1900, in the 660 ft (200 m) freestyle and 660 ft (200 m) obstacle race, respectively.The first female from Australia to represent the country was Fanny Durack, who won the gold medal in the 330 ft (100 m) freestyle at the Stockholm games, 1912. Fanny Durack inspired a generation of Australian athletes to give their best.As for the first Olympic freestyle relay gold medal, it was brought home in 1912.The 1956 Olympics held in Melbourne remain the Australian Swimming team’s most successful Olympics where the team won eight gold, four silver, and two bronze medals.During the inaugural 1896 Olympic games Australia won the gold medal in tennis. It was a mixed team event but this medal is not credited to Australia.Cycling: Australian OlympicEvents centered around cycling have been part of the modern Olympics since Athens 1896. Australia has been participating in cycling competitions at the Olympics for a long time. It hasn’t just been competing but also coming out victorious. Let us go deeper and find out more.The first cyclist to win a medal in cycling was Edgar “Dunc” Gray in the year 1928 in Los Angeles. While in his time trials held at Amsterdam, he came third.Russell Mockridge, known as the greatest cyclist, finished first in tandem at Helsinki in 1952.The first-ever person to win the gold medal with the first position on the road was Kathy Watt, in Barcelona, 1992. She also won another award in individual cycling, making her the first Australian to have won two such medals.In 2004, in Athens, the Australian cyclist won six gold medals.Anna Meares’ performance was a memorable one. At the London 2012 games, she won the gold medal in the women’s sprint.Australia has not won a single medal in the mountain bike events. Two notable cyclists for this category are Rebecca Henderson and Daniel McConnell.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Australian Olympic facts then why not take a look at Sydney Olympics facts, or Beijing Olympics facts.
Who isn’t enthusiastic about the Olympics, after all, it is that time of the year when we cheer for our country’s sportspeople from the comfort of our homes.
