Olympic Day - A time to reflect and also look to the future
Published Sat 23 Jun 2018
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The Olympic Games is the global multi-sport event that captures the world’s attention every four years and is what drives athletes at training every day.
Remarkably Australians have represented at every edition of the summer Games thanks to trailblazer Edwin Flack making the journey to Athens in 1896 to start the unbroken tradition. He won the 800m and 1500m double, and bronze in tennis doubles.
Athletics is considered the pinnacle Olympic sport as it is generally held in the stadium where the ceremonies are held and
Why is this relevant today? Well, the 23rd of June is Olympic Day and on this 70th
Athletics at every level in Australia could not happen without the people who give up their time at their clubs and competitions every week.
Australian Olympians often do school visits and speak at their clubs and events throughout the year, with the Australian Olympic Committee coordinating additional events on the week around Olympic Day. Rio Olympics 400m semi-finalist and 4x400m finalist Anneliese Rubie was one of the Olympians from summer and winter sports that this week visited kids in
Australian Olympians and high-performance athletes inspire future generations all year round through their actions on and off the track. For some it motivates them to stay active and for
As the Australian junior team prepare to take on the world’s best at the IAAF World U20 Championships in Finland next month we remember the Aussies who starred at the Olympic Games when just teenagers.
The late Betty Cuthbert was just 18 when she won three gold at the Melbourne 1956 Games. She would forever be known as the ‘Golden Girl’ and is still the youngest Olympic champion over 200m (18y 224d).
Maureen Caird won the 80m hurdles gold, just 19 days after her 17th birthday to become the youngest track and field Olympic champion ever at the time and still the fourth youngest ever gold medallist across all athletics events. Pam Ryan would win the silver for Australia behind her teenage teammate.
Also 17 in Mexico, Raelene Boyle won silver in the 200m and remains the youngest ever
medallist (17y 116d) over 200m. The first of her three individual silvers across three Olympics. Jenny
Lamy aged just 19 finished just behind Boyle to win bronze in her only Games.
Tim Forsyth was just 18 when he won Olympic high jump bronze at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Two years earlier he won the silver medal at the World Juniors.
At the London
Over the 400m
The athletes from the Australian U20 Team for Tampere 2018 commonly cite the Tokyo 2020 Olympics or Paris 2024 as their ultimate goal in athletics. You can read more about each of those athletes when their biographies are published next week.
We wish the Tampere athletes every success in Finland and
On the 70th anniversary of Olympic Day, Athletics Australia also wants to pay tribute to every athlete who has gone on to represent Australia at the Olympic Games. Happy Olympic Day to you all and may the wonderful tradition of Australian athletes displaying the Olympic Values of Friendship, Respect and Excellence
Andrew Reid for Athletics Australia
Superlatives and statistics David Tarbotton