Both of Australia’s 4×100 relay teams have missed out on a spot in the final, although the men’s team set a national record in a historic moment on Thursday evening.
Attempting to make the Olympic final for the first time since 2012, the men’s team was up against it in a stacked heat which was won by the USA with a time of 37.47.
The Australian team, which consisted of Lachlan Kennedy, Jacob Despard, Calab Law and Joshua Azzopardi, did all they could do though after running an incredible 38.12 — beating the previous national record of 38.17.
“The lads ran amazing then. The four men were just brilliant,” Tamsyn Manou said in commentary.
So amazing that it would have been good enough to win the second heat.
Azzopardi recorded the best time of the quartet with 9.14 seconds for his final leg.
The USA topped the heat with South Africa and Great Britain automatically qualifying, while Australia finished just 0.08 seconds behind the Brits.
“It’s pretty good,” Kennedy told Channel Nine.
“Shame we didn’t make the final. Can’t do better than national record.”
“We’ve been chatting for a few months now to get that national record and the boys were flying,” Azzopardi added.
“Shame to miss out on the time. As Lachie said we can’t do better than national record.”
Despard, meanwhile, said the quartert have been around each other on the track for around four years by this point and had a lot of relay training and knew the record was in reach.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the fastest times ever to miss the Olympic finals,” he said.
“I think we’ll walk away with our head held high. We’re proud of what we did there today.”
Elsewhere, the women were also in a star-studded heat and initially came in fifth but were later promoted to fourth after Cote d’Ivoire was disqualified.
Still it was not enough, with six of the eight countries in heat two finishing with a faster time than Australia’s 42.75, which ranked 10th overall.
It was 0.4 seconds slower than what they rast last month, where the Australian quartet finished with a time of 42.48 at the London Diamond League.
USA was the quickest overall with a time of 41.94 ahead of Great Britain (42.03) and France (42.13).
The changeovers were smooth across the board, although in a tough heat our fastest runner Torrie Lewis was the second-slowest on her leg.
“The changes were good, a little bit safe,” Manou said in commentary.
“Could have a stretched a couple of those out a little bit more.”
The Aussie women’s team was back for the first time since Sydney 2000, after running fifth-fastest in the world at the World Athletics Relay Championships in May. They broke the Australian record back in March and then again at the champs.
However Ebony Lane was surprisingly not selected for the four-woman team, after running third at nationals, second at the Oceania champs and being part of the qualifying foursome.
“Not many answers as to why. I am fit, healthy and ready to go,” she said in a social media post.
Lewis was joined by Ella Connolly, Bree Masters plus Lane’s replacement Kristie Edwards.
However it’s worth noting that foursome, including Edwards, ran another record time of 42.48 in London late last month to finish fourth behind Great Britain, France and Great Britain’s second team.
“It gives me heaps of confidence. I was nervous out there because I hadn’t run with the actual team for a little while but it was a great hit out and so good to know we can run fast in that environment and that order,” Edwards said after the race.
The top three in each heat plus the next two fastest overall make the final.
It’ll be mighty difficult for Australia’s athletes in action on day 13 to match the greatest day in our Olympic history, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be missing the medals.
And things got off to a brilliant start as Olympic debutant Moesha Johnson claimed silver in the women’s 10km marathon swim for Australia’s 42nd medal of the Paris Games.
The 26-year-old, who also swam in the 1500m in the pool, proved her open-water bona fides with an incredible swim in the Seine.
The podium finishers of Johnson, the Netherlands’ Sharon van Rouwendaal and Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci pulled away just over halfway through the race.
But after Johnson set the pace for most of the race, 2016 gold medallist and 2020 silver medallist van Rouwendall pulled away in the final stages (2:03:34.2), with Johnson claiming a brilliant silver (2:03:39.7).
Australia’s Chelsea Gubecka was up amongst the top three before the medallists swam away from the rest, and went on to finish in a photo for 13th.
Australia now has two medals in the category after a bronze from Kareena Lee at Tokyo 2020.
There were more medal chances later in the night after both the men’s and women’s teams qualified for the final of the Kayak Four 500m event.
The men’s team, featuring Riley Fitzsimmons, Pierre van der Westhuyzen, Jackson Collins and Noah Harvard, came heartbreakingly close to gold — finishing 0.04 seconds behind Germany.
The Australians were third at the halfway point and, led by Fitzsimmons, pushed the Germans until the very end in a photo finish.
It was Australia’s first medal in the men’s K4 event since 2012 and just the third in history.
“They’ll be stoked about their race,” Australian rower and three-time Olympic gold medallist James Tomkins said in commentary.
“Four hundreds of a second it doesn’t get closer… you can see the happiness and release of pressure. The tears of the Aussies and the joy of the Germans. It’s tough.”
But speaking to Channel Nine after the final, Collins said it was “incredible” to win silver.
“It still feels a bit surreal,” he said.
“It’s been an incredible journey we’ve been an incredible journey we’ve been on. It’s been a really tough three years for this K4. To get that result with these boys, incredible.”
“I think it just shows at the end of that race how close it is,” added van der Westhuyzen.
“It’s really tough racing. We left it out there, all the way to the line, can’t be upset with what we put down there.”
The women’s team of Ella Beere, Aly Bull, Alexandra Clarke and Yale Steinepreis finished eighth, with New Zealand taking gold ahead of Germany and Hungary.
It was a sixth career gold for New Zealand’s Lisa Carrington, making her the country’s most successful Olympian.
Elsewhere, Michelle Jenneke (100m hurdles) was unable to revive her campaign in the Repechage round as she finished last with a time of 13.86.
Jenneke later revealed to Channel Nine that she ruptured a hamstring tendon in her heat on Wednesday, which explained the fall she had on the third hurdle.
“It’s disappointing because I know I’m in the best shape of my life,” Jenneke said, adding she was “just grateful” to be at the Olympics.
Meanwhile, Peter Bol and Joseph Deng (800m) also came up short in the Repechage.
“Obviously I missed a bit of training but I’m happy with the way I ran,” Bol told Channel Nine.
“The last few years have been hard but I’m here and racing in Paris. I’ll give myself a bit of a break now and look foward to next year.”
At least two medals are guaranteed on Friday morning when boxers Charlie Senior (57kg) and Caitlin Parker (75kg) have their semi-finals. Losses will earn them bronze medals while wins would guarantee them silver or gold.
The Stingers are also looking to lock in Australia’s first water polo medal since London 2012. They face the USA in the women’s semifinals at 3:35am AEST with both the bronze and gold finals held on Saturday night AEST.
Robinson returns after Olympic Silver | 00:56
Elsewhere in the pool, Maddison Keeney is through to the Women’s 3m Springboard final after qualifying with the second-best overall score (334.70) of her semi-final.
Keeney has a history of success in the event, having won it at the 2022 Commonwealth Games while she finished fifth at Rio.
Unfortunately, Alysha Koloi missed out after finishing 14th, just outside of the top-12.
Tokyo silver medallists Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy can also clinch a medal, as they have their women’s beach volleyball semi-final against Team Brazil at 5am AEST.
The second round of the women’s golf sees Minjee Lee resuming in the top 10 after a charge in the back half of her opening round, though at -1 she begins six back of runaway leader Celine Boutier of France.
In other news, Stacey Hymer is out of contention in the women’s 57kg taekwondo after losing to Brazillian Maria Clara Pacheco in the round of 16.
Plus, Oceania Mackenize is into the final of the lead in the women’s climbing, who told Channel Nine she was “so excited and overwhelmed” to be in contention for a medal.
AUSSIES IN ACTION – Day 13 highlights (All times AEST)
3:30pm – Marathon Swimming: Women’s 10km (Moesha Johnson, Chelsea Gubecka)
5pm – Golf: Women’s Individual Stroke Play Round 2 (Minjee Lee, Hannah Green)
5:58pm – Taekwondo: Women’s -57kg Round of 16 (Australia’s Stacey Hymer vs Brazil)
6pm – Diving: Women’s 3m Springboard Semifinal (Alysha Koloi, Maddison Keeney)
6pm – Sport Climbing: Women’s Bounder & Lead, Semifinal Lead (Oceania Mackenzie)
6:35pm – Athletics: Women’s 100m Hurdles Repechage Round (Michelle Jenneke, Liz Clay, Celeste Mucci)
7:10pm – Athletics: Women’s 4x100m Relay Round 1 (Australia)
7:35pm – Athletics: Men’s 4x100m Relay Round 1 (Australia)
7:40pm – Canoe Sprint: Women’s Kayak Four 500m Semifinal 1 (Australia)
7:50pm – Canoe Sprint: Men’s Kayak Four 500m Semifinal 1 (Australia)
8pm – Athletics: Men’s 800m Repechage Round (Peter Bol, Joseph Deng)
Later tonight, 10th on Mat C – Wrestling: Men’s Freestyle 86kg 1/8 Final (Australia’s Jayden Alexander Lawrence vs Iran)
9:40pm – Canoe Sprint: Women’s Kayak Four 500m Final (Australia?)
9:50pm – Canoe Sprint: Men’s Kayak Four 500m Final (Australia?)
11pm – Diving: Men’s 3m Springboard Final (Kurtis Mathews)
1:18am – Cycling Track: Women’s Keirin Quarterfinals (Kristina Clonan)
3:35am – Athletics: Women’s 1500m Semifinal (Jessica Hull, Georgia Griffith)
3:35am – Water Polo: Women’s Semifinal (Australia vs USA)
5am – Beach Volleyball: Women’s Semifinal (Australia’s Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy vs Brazil)
5:30am – Boxing: Men’s 57kg Semifinal (Australia’s Charlie Senior vs Uzbekistan’s Abdumalik Khalokov)
6:02am – Boxing: Women’s 75kg Semifinal (Australia’s Caitlin Parker vs China’s Li Qian)