Long distance open water swimming saw a new dawn at the Rio Olympics.
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A 21-year-old from Wollongong decided to put himself on centre stage and perhaps change forever the way his sport is contested.
Previously, open water swimming events at the elite level have been pack events with a sprint to the line.
Jarrod Poort deliberately decided to shake his sport up.
Planned well in advance with his coach Ron McKeon - the father of Australian swim team members Emma and David – Poort decided to take off from the start and hope never to be caught like a breakaway cyclist in the Tour de France.
The tactic earned immediate international attention and better still it almost worked.
His finish will be officially in the record books as 20th but he was so close to the gold medal, just fading in the last moments of the race.
Just 1.5 kilometres out from the finish line he still had the lead and international swimming coaches were starting to panic.
Then came the interviews after the race where he really stamped his new cult hero status – albeit working a little “blue”.
"It's a bummer you know, I used a lot of heart and a lot of balls. Just everything. I was hurting at the end," Poort said.
It was a frank, but perfectly correct assessment.
While well-known locally, Jarrod Poort would not be considered to have a large profile nationally but on Tuesday night “Jarrod Poort” was trending nationally on the social media Twitter.
Congratulations Jarrod.
HAWKS ARE SOARING
The sense of anticipation around the Illawarra Hawks and the oncoming National Basketball League season is already looming.
The Hawks put the icing on top of their pre-season cake by announcing US college star and NBA draft prospect Marvelle Harris as their final import for the 2016-17 season.
The squad which has been built looks to be a formidable one on paper and quickly fans have forgotten the Sydney Kings poached last season’s MVP Kevin Lisch and Kirk Penney returned home to New Zealand. For now.
Congratulations to the Illawarra Hawks for what appears to be a first-class off-season and hopefully that means Hawkheads are in for yet another fascinating rollercoaster ride this season.
