Australia is a country with a thriving sports scene, which makes it no surprise that this year has seen some of our finest athletes take centre stage in international competitions. Australian sportspeople have continued to make their mark on the world stage. Representing Australia, athletes have achieved remarkable feats across a variety of sporting events. So if you’re interested in reliving Australia’s top sporting achievements, read on.
Commonwealth Games Domination
Australia left no doubt that they are the sporting powerhouse of the Commonwealth, as they completely dominated the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. With seven gold medals on the final day, they walked away with 67 golds and 178 overall medals, 10 more than their second-place competitor, England. Australia also broke a record previously set at the 2018 Melbourne Games with a total of 65 medals won in the pool - an impressive feat considering that was only three behind their best-ever Games haul. It's clear that Australia is leading the way among Commonwealth nations when it comes to sports dominance.
Australia's domination of the swimming events at the Commonwealth Games was remarkable. With a total of 25 gold medals, the country had an impressive 19-medal advantage over their next-closest competitor. Emma McKeon might have been the spark plug for this run as she earned six gold medals and set two world records along the way. Coming through with her best performance when it mattered most, McKeon proved that Australians are some of the strongest swimmers in the world and will be a force to be reckoned with in future competitions.
Emma McKeon
Emma McKeon of Swimming Australia has earned a record-breaking number of medals from the Commonwealth Games - twenty in total, with six golds, one silver, and one bronze. The pre-selected athlete has matched records previously set by Susie O'Neill and Ian Thorpe - the most gold medals won at a single Games and most medals won at a single Games, respectively. As part of the mixed 4 × 100-metre freestyle relay - newly introduced for the 2022 edition of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England - McKeon broke a 52.21 split in the final leg, securing gold medal status as well as setting a new Commonwealth Games record with an overall time of 3:21.18. It's this impressive performance that continues to solidify her status as an esteemed contributor to Swimming Australia's proud history.
Australian Teams Win Big
The spirit of teamwork is strong in Australia, with the nation proud to come away from the 2022 Commonwealth Games with an impressive haul of medals. Among the many notable wins were Rugby Sevens for the women, Men’s 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball and The Kookaburra's historic 7th straight Men's Hockey win in a row. It was a great demonstration of Australian strength and resilience which came through as teams pulled together to carry each other towards victory. These performances not only enhanced the prestige of Australia in a sporting sense but have also driven morale and respect further than ever before amongst all its citizens.
Four Medals At The Winter Olympics
At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the Australian team had 43 members consisting of 22 women and 21 men, making it the third-largest Australian Winter Olympic Team ever. This impressive squad went on to secure Australia's most successful Winter Olympic medal haul with four medals - one gold, two silver and one bronze. Jakara Anthony earned the distinction of not only being the first Winter Olympic champion from Australia in 12 years, but also the proud recipient of a gold medal for her extraordinary performance in freestyle skiing moguls. Scotty James followed suit by improving upon his previous performance at PyeongChang 2018 to garner an incredible silver medal in an all-time great snowboard halfpipe final. Equally remarkable was Jackie Narracott's silver medal win for Skeleton as it marked both her and Australia’s first victory from any sliding sport (Bobsleigh, Luge and Skeleton). Finally, Tess Coady went down in history books as Australia’s youngest-ever Winter Olympic medallist after winning a bronze medal Snowboard Slopstyle. We are incredibly proud of our talented Australian athletes who put on stellar performances that made us beam with joy back home!
World Cup Glory From The Socceroos
Australia soccer had its fair share of successes in the World Cup this year. Starting off with a historical moment when Craig Goodwin surprised Hugo Lloris with an early goal. This was the first goal scored from open play for the first time since Tim Cahill’s iconic goal in 2014.
Matthew Leckie and Mitchell Duke each contributed goals that won a match. Mitchell Duke scored against Tunisia and Mathew Leckie scored against Denmark.
In the end, Australia was knocked out by Argentina. As Argentina was ultimately crowned as champion, there is no shame in being knocked out by such a formidable opponent and Australia has every reason to be proud of its accomplishments during this splendid showing at the World Cup.
Rugby League World Cup
Australia has once again been crowned the champions of the Rugby League World Cup, beating a resilient Samoa side in a tightly contested final. Led by captain James Tedesco and centre Latrell Mitchell, who each scored two tries, Australia showcased their class and composure as they outplayed Samoa to secure a historic 30-10 victory and claim their 12th World Cup title. Samoa became the first tier-two nation to make it to the final but was unable to match Australia's infectious energy and strength after falling behind early on. To complete the Australian double victory, the Jillaroos dominated their game against New Zealand with a commanding 54-4 win in the early women’s final. This victory will be remembered for years to come, establishing Australia as one of rugby league's powerhouse nations.
Aussie Cycling Is On The Rise
Jai Hindley is an Australian professional cyclist who has been steadily making a name for himself in the international cycling world. With impressive results in both the Tour Down Under and the Herald Sun Tour, he has really shocked everyone this year with his win of the Giro D’Italia
This incredible triumph marks Hindley’s first major victory, and he becomes the first-ever Australian to clinch the title. His strong performances during the three weeks of competition have been widely praised, highlighting his drive and determination to become one of Australia’s top cyclists on the global stage.
Remembering Shane Warne
When national treasure Shane Warne passed away suddenly this year, cricket lost a true hero. It also seems like Australia's cricket community is still in mourning as they underperformed at the T20 World cup. With the Ashes coming up, Australia needs to buck up its ideas. The Big Bash and the IPL should see our players warm up for that most important of fixtures.
Allrounder Cameron Green has attracted attention as he has become the most expensive player bought in the IPL. At $ 3.15 million he is touted to be the game changer for Mumbai Indians. He is one to watch for the future.
