Tasmania has a wealthy Olympic historical past, having despatched athletes to each video games because the London version in 1948.
This yr isn’t any totally different, with 12 Tasmanians to fly the flag in France. Whereas it’s the first video games for a lot of, others are returning for one more try at Olympic glory.
One in all them is Eddie Ockenden, who on Wednesday was unveiled as Australia’s — and Tasmania’s first ever — Olympic flag bearer.
It was simply recognition, and a head-nod to the longevity of essentially the most capped Kookaburra of all time forward of a jaw-dropping fifth Olympic video games.
Ockenden’s place within the Tasmanian sporting pantheon will not be beneath query, with Olympic silver and bronze already gracing his trophy cupboard.
But when he can lead the Kookaburras to their first Olympic victory since Athens 2004, and add an elusive gold to his assortment, his standing as one of many state’s all-time nice sportspeople can be eternally cemented.
By his aspect can be Josh Beltz, one other Hobart native who’s off to his second video games.
He may not share Eddie’s profile, however at 29 years outdated and boasting 112 nationwide caps, Beltz is nicely and really entrenched within the nationwide setup.
Maddison Brooks, who has already represented her nation 32 instances as a 19-year-old, will get an Olympic style as a travelling reserve for the Hockeyroos.
Talking of gold and all-time greats, Ariarne Titmus has developed from rising teenager to box-office celebrity.
For Titmus, the Tokyo Olympics was a coronation of Australia’s swimming queen.
Now, 2024 looms because the glory yr of her reign.
Nonetheless solely 23, Titmus is odds on to bag three gold medals — within the 400 metre freestyle, 200 metre freestyle and 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay — whereas her battle with arch nemesis American Katie Ledecky within the 800 metre freestyle may also be appointment viewing.
And if there’s any doubts about her Tasmanian roots, then take into account this; Titmus revealed in a latest Each day Mail interview she is “kinda-sorta” associated to Taroona born Queen of Denmark, Mary Donaldson.
“One in all dad’s cousins is married to Mary’s cousin, which is definitely fairly humorous contemplating the operating joke that everybody born in Tasmania is by some means associated,” she advised the publication final week.
Royalty certainly.
Titmus will not be the one Tasmanian to grace the pool in Paris.
Max Giuliani will make his Olympic debut having adopted the trail that Titmus carved earlier than him.
Having hit his swimming ceiling in Tasmania, he made the transfer to Queensland to encompass himself with one of the best amenities, coaches, and most significantly, competitors.
Late final yr, he exploded with a 200m relay leg that was amongst the quickest of all time.
On the Australian Swim Trials earlier this yr, he proved that efficiency was no fluke, profitable the 200m last to qualify because the quickest Australian.
The key ingredient to his success?
Mum’s selfmade lasagne, shipped direct from Tasmania to Queensland in 20 kilogram baggage.
“The decision goes out each month or so, ‘anybody going to the Gold Coast? Can we provide you with a bag’?” his father Mick Giuliani advised ABC Sport.
“Max meets them on the different finish and grabs the bag of frozen meals, straight dwelling and into the freezer it goes.”
Nonetheless on the water, the unassuming Sarah Hawe will compete at her second Olympic video games as a part of the ladies’s 8 rowing crew.
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A professional veterinarian, Hawe was a part of the staff that completed fifth in Tokyo, however which most just lately blitzed the opposition on the pre-Olympic regatta in Poznan, Poland.
Again on dry land, Jacob Despard will make his Olympic debut as a member of the glamorous 4 x 100m relay staff.
Two years in the past, Jack Hale might have been the Hobart sprinter finest positioned for a crack at Olympic glory.
However its Stawell present winner Despard who varieties a part of the Australian relay staff that has turned heads since clocking an Olympic qualifier within the Bahamas earlier this yr.
Sharing the athletics monitor would be the ‘Mayor of King Island’, Stewart McSweyn.
His pre-Olympic type has solely been OK, with a thirteenth place end within the 5000m eventually yr’s World Championships.
However he is travelling higher than in 2022, when he was identified with pericarditis, and has put a foot damage from early final yr nicely behind him.
Regardless, the King Island Resort will little question be cooking up ‘Inexperienced and Gold’ parmis and mixing McSweyn impressed cocktails forward of the 29-year-old’s second Olympic video games.
It would not be an Olympics with out a Tasmanian on two wheels, and this yr Georgia Baker is the state’s lone bike owner.
There could also be no higher exemplar of Tassie toughness than Baker too.
A taekwondo black belt, she fought again from a pre-training crash to compete on the Rio Video games in 2016 whereas additionally mourning the lack of her father.
Since then, she’s been a reputation to be reckoned with on the world stage, and the staff pursuit — by which she is a world champion and three-time Commonwealth Video games gold medallist — can be the place she’s probably to strike Olympic gold.
After which there’s the basketballers.
Jack McVeigh and Will Magnay could also be adopted Tasmanians, however would they be competing at a debut Olympics had it not been for his or her growth whereas taking part in for the Jack Jumpers?
Throughout the warm-up video games, Magnay has been the favoured backup to beginning centre Jock Landale and looms as a key piece within the Boomers quest for back-to-back podium finishes.
McVeigh can be used extra sparingly however is in profession finest type.
Look ahead to him to play a key function late in quarters when the Boomers want an enormous 3 pointer.
And there is no doubting Alanna Smith’s Tassie credentials.
She’s the daughter of JackJumpers’ chief working officer and former Hobart Satan Darren Smith.
Smith’s additionally been one of many Opals’ finest within the lead as much as the Olympics, notably on the defensive finish of the ground, and can be an important cog for the Opals of their mission to win a medal.
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