FOR all the discontent about sub-standard facilities and super-bacteria in Brazil, it could be a truly golden Olympics for the Illawarra.
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Of course the athletes privately hold their concerns about the conditions in Rio de Janeiro, but four years of preparation aren’t easily derailed, even amid predictions of Zika virus epidemics and water quality doom and gloom.
The Australian Olympic Committee can only offer all the guidelines, advice and safeguards available.
Predicting medal success is always difficult, when all the training and extra effort no-one else notices comes down to one minute, one moment in time.
James Magnussen became the face of Australia’s disappointment in London, when he failed to deliver on the all the bravado and promise in the pool. Yet for all the British joy at the colony’s medal failure in 2012, Illawarra talent fared well.
At the time, this columnist wrote a teasing piece on how India, a country of more than a billion people, finished lower on the medal table than the region, thanks to Dave Smith’s life-changing K4 1000m victory and Kieran Govers winning bronze with the Kookaburras. With less than 50 days until the Rio Games starts, Illawarra athletes could smash the London mark – and by some margin.
Emma McKeon, who announced herself to the world at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games two years ago, is the second fastest female 200m freestyle swimmer in the world.
Her time of 1.54.83 in Adelaide in April is four tenths behind American Katie Ledecky, the world championships winner from last year.
McKeon is also in touching distance of the podium in the 100m freestyle and 100 butterfly events. Brother David, who raced in the heats in London, is the seventh fastest 400m swimmer in the past 12 months, behind Victorian gold medal favourite Mack Horton. The time of 3.45.09 is more than three seconds off Horton’s pace, but a final awaits and even if a medal eludes him, the relays could be a gold mine for the McKeon duo.
Former training partner Jarrod Poort was seventh in the 10km open water event in Portugal to qualify, while Wollongong Wizards triathlete Aaron Royle is another medal hope.
The Kookaburras are the world’s No 1 ranked hockey group and while they must toss the perception of falling short on the Olympics stage, they appear to be peaking at the right time, after toppling London conquerors Germany at the Champions Trophy this week. It remains to be seen if Govers and Flynn Ogilvie can make the final squad, though it seems Blake Govers’ and Tristan White’s tickets are booked.
The third-ranked Hockeyroos – with Albion Park’s Casey Sablowski and Gerringong’s Grace Stewart expected in the squad – must topple the Netherlands, raging Olympics favourites, though Argentina’s rise – and geographical and cultural familiarities in Brazil – will make it difficult to reach the gold medal final.
The Matildas, featuring Michelle Heyman, Caitlin Foord and possibly Caitlin Cooper, are the rising force in women’s football at No 5 five in the world.
Emma Tonegato scored 50 tries on Australia’s way to becoming world series rugby sevens champions last month.
And steeplechaser Madeline Hills and Bulli’s London 1500m runner Ryan Gregson are athletics finals dark horses representing the region.