Paris Olympics 2024: Australia is celebrating its greatest-ever medal haul at an Olympics Games

Australia is celebrating its greatest-ever medal haul at an Olympic Games. A remarkable four triumphs on a glittering day in France has taken the nation to 18 gold medals, beating the historic mark set in Athens in 2004 and matched in Tokyo three years ago. Day 12 in Paris is the country’s most successful day ever at an Olympics. Australia has not missed an Olympic Games since 1896. There are still four days of competition remaining in Paris. Australia matched the mark by beating Great Britain in the track cycling team pursuit gold medal face-off before West Australian Nina Kennedy’s dominant pole vault triumph made history. Kennedy’s emotional victory, holding off long-time American rival Katie Moon to become the first Australian woman to win a field event at an Olympics, also rounded out the nation’s most decorated day at any Games. WA’s Matt Wearn sealed the defence of his gold medal in the men’s dinghy sailing classification after a chaotic morning where his gold medal race was abandoned with the finish line in sight and later re-run. Australian skater Keegan Palmer also defended a title, winning back-to-back golds in the men’s park skateboard final. The 21-year-old, who is now based in San Diego, chose to skate in the green-and-gold because he felt he owed it to the country he grew up in. He said it was “beautiful” to share a record-breaking day with his compatriots. “I can’t believe it. To be able to stand there with such a group of athletes in the village and to be able to talk to them for the whole week,” Palmer said. “Then we just completed one of the biggest milestones in Australian sports history; it’s beautiful to be a part of it, it’s absolutely beautiful.” Matt Denny broke a cruel streak of fourth-placed finishes to claim bronze in the men’s final, and Jemima Montag won her second bronze in Paris, this time finishing third in the mixed walking marathon relay with Rhydian Crowley. The country’s 460 athletes is the third-largest contingent at a Games overseas. Our dominant swimmers captured seven of those medals, while Jess Fox and sister Noemie combined for three in the whitewater events. Saya Sakakibara and 14-year-old Arisa Trew both claimed the prize out of the action sports, while tennis pair Matt Ebden and John Peers and road cyclist Grace Brown also saluted. The Athens success included gold medals for this year’s chef de mission Anna Meares, swimming legends Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett, the Kookaburras and rowing’s famous oarsome foursome. Pool stars Ariarne Titmus, Kaylee McKeown, Emma McKeon and Zac Stubblety-Cook brought home golds from Tokyo in 2021. McKeon, Titmus, McKeown, Mollie O’Callaghan, Jess Fox and Wearn have already doubled up from those Games. Australia’s women’s water polo and basketball teams are still alive in their tournaments, and track athlete Jess Hull, who last month became the world record holder in the non-Olympic women’s 2000m, is considered an outside medal chance in the 1500m. WA track cyclist briefly held a world record in the men’s sprint during his heat match-ups on Wednesday night (AWST) and is also a strong medal hopeful. EVERY AUSTRALIAN GOLD MEDAL WINNER AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS … SO FAR Day 1 - Grace Brown - Cycling: women’s time trial Day 1 - Ariarne Titmus - Swimming: women’s 400m freestyle Day 1 - Australia (Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon and Meg Harris) - Swimming: women’s 4x100m freestyle relay Day 2 - Jessica Fox - Canoe Slalom: women’s kayak single Day 3 - Mollie O’Callaghan - Swimming: women’s 200m freestyle Day 4 - Kaylee McKeown - Swimming: women’s 100m backstroke Day 5 - Jessica Fox - Canoe Slalom: women’s canoe single Day 6 - Australia (Mollie O’Callaghan, Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell and Ariarne Titmus) - Swimming: women’s 4x200m freestyle relay Day 7 - Kaylee McKeown - Swimming: women’s 200m backstroke Day 7 - Cam McEvoy - Swimming: men’s 50m freestyle Day 7 - Saya Sakakibara - Cycling: women’s BMX racing Day 8 - Matt Ebden and John Peers - Tennis: men’s doubles Day 10 - Noemie Fox - Canoe Slalom: Women’s kayak cross Day 11 - Arisa Trew - Skateboarding: Women’s park Day 12 - Keegan Palmer - Skateboarding: Men’s park Day 12 - Matt Wearn - Sailing: men’s dinghy Day 12 - Australia (Sam Welsford, Kelland O’Brien, Oliver Bleddyn and Conor Leahy) - Cycling: men’s team pursuit Day 12 - Nina Kennedy - Athletics: women’s pole vault