AUSTRALIA’S London Olympics team is looking like a shadow of its modern predecessors, trailing far behind the medal hauls of recent years and making ambitions of a top five finish look like a case of badly misplaced optimism.
After six days of competition, the 2012 team has won the same number of gold medals as New Zealand – one, and even that seems a distant memory because it was won on opening day by the women’s 100m freestyle relay swimmers.
At the same stage of Sydney’s glorious home Olympics in 2000 the Australian team had eight gold. In Athens in 2004 the Aussies had six and in Beijing in 2008 five.
The picture looks no different in terms of overall medals won. There has been a steady decline from 25 in the first six days in Sydney to 17 in Athens, 16 in Beijing and 11 in London.
Australia languished in 16th place in the London medal table on Thursday night, compared with second in Sydney after day six, fourth in Athens and sixth in Beijing.
“Our number of gold medals has been matched by our number of arrests,” one wag quipped in reference to a drunken escapade in which Australian rower Joshua Booth allegedly smashed windows at two English businesses.
The 21-year-old from Melbourne was arrested for alleged criminal damage in Egham, southwest of London, apparently while drowning sorrows with teammates after they finished last in the eights final.
Australian team boss Nick Green said he was told Booth had fainted and hit his head at Staines police station, then was taken to hospital as a precaution before being released. Booth must front up for questioning on Friday.
While host nation Britain raced up the medal table to fifth by winning three gold medals on day six in London, Australia could muster only one silver and one bronze.
Teenage kayaker Jessica Fox became Australia’s best-performing Olympic kayaker ever with second place in the women’s K1 after scraping into the final.
“It’s the most beautiful piece of metal I’ve ever seen,” said Fox, whose hails from an exotic pedigree.
Her mother and coach Myriam won bronze for France at the 1996 Atlanta Games and father Richard, a five-time world champion for Great Britain, came away with a fourth from Barcelona in 1992.
She said it was “kinda cool” to have bettered both.
Anna Meares and Kaarle McCullough won Australia’s first cycling medal of the Games, a bronze in the women’s team sprint as China was sensationally relegated from the gold medal for an illegal changeover.
Swimmer James Magnussen faced further disappointment when he failed to make the 50m freestyle final. Teammate Eamon Sullivan secured seventh spot.
The swim team looks likely to go home with its leanest haul since Barcelona 20 years ago.
With two days of competition remaining Australia’s one gold medal in the pool looks extremely lonely compared with the six won in Beijing, seven in Athens and five in Sydney.
It seems to be a sign of the times. – AAP
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[ Source: Australian Times ]