Australians bagged a national record 18 gold medals at the Olympics in Paris as the sports-crazed nation moved into third place in the medals tally behind China and America, sparking celebrations in offices, pubs, and schools down under.
Local TV networks and papers have splashed out news of the wins, with Australians exhilarated by top-spot achievements in athletics, water sports, cycling, and tennis, amongst others. No one is immune to the excitement, it seems.
We are a country of 27 million people compared with the hundreds of millions in the United States and the billions in China, or more than a billion in China and India. It is quite an extraordinary achievement,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Channel Seven on Wednesday.
When asked why the country did so well, Albanese said: “We are a sporting nation, whether individual or team sports. As we grow up, most of us have a crack at swimming, athletics, and team sports Australians love their sport, participate in it, and revel in it.
Australia’s gold medal haul includes one from earlier this week by Arisa Trew, a 14-year-old teen prodigy who took gold in women’s skateboarding, making her Australia’s youngest-ever gold medallist.
“Amazing to see so many sports that we didn’t expect Australia to be doing so well in actually bringing home the gold,” said Mark Dietz, a wine importer in Sydney.
Australia sent 470 athletes to Paris, its second-largest delegation since it hosted the 2000 Games in Sydney.
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