Olympic Games

Aussie Olympic Trivia

Australian Sports Fan Following is a list of fascinating Australian Olympic trivia

Australia and Greece are the only two nations to have participated at every Olympic Games of the modern era.
In 1900 in Paris Australian Frederick Lane won the obstacle swimming race [more about the Obstacle Race]
In 1900 in Paris Australian Donald MacIntosh came third in the live pigeon shooting event, the first and only time animals were killed on purpose in an Olympic event [more about the Pigeon SHooting Event]
In 1904 in St Louis there was only one competitor from Australia.

Australia’s First Ever Gold Medallist was Edwin Flack (athletics) – 2 gold (800m, 1500m), in Athens 1896.
The first women's Olympic gold medal was won by the Australian Sarah 'Fanny' Durack, who won the 100m freestyle in 1912 in Stockholm.
On the day the 1948 Olympic games began at Wembley Stadium in London, June 29, the famed Australian 'Invincibles' cricket side was finishing off England in a test at nearby Lord's, winning by 409 runs.

The Olympic torchbearer for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Ron Clarke, was a virtually unknown 19 year old at the time. He went on to become the world's finest distance runner in the 1960s.
The 1956 Games in Melbourne, Australia, were the first games to be held in the southern hemisphere.
The song that ended the closing ceremony at the 1956 Melbourne games was 'Will Ye No Come Back Again?'
James Wolffeson, who competed at the Olympics in fencing, was an accomplished cellist and went on to become head of the World Bank.
The three Sydney 2000 Olympics' mascots were Olly the kookaburra, Syd the platypus, Millie the echidna.
Olympic sprinter Shirley Strickland was also a nuclear physicist.
The most times at the Olympic Games for an athlete is six. Two athletes have done this: Colin Beashel (sailing) – 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 (Opening Flag Bearer) and Andrew Hoy (equestrian) – 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996 (Opening Flag Bearer), 2000, 2004. Colin Coastes also represented Australia six times at the Winter Olympics in speed skating - 1968, 1972, 1976 (Opening Flag Bearer), 1980, 1984 (Opening Flag Bearer), 1988.

The record for the most medals in total is by Ian Thorpe (swimming) : 9 Olympic medals: 5 gold (2000 x 3, 2004 x 2), 3 silver (2000 x 2, 2004 x 1), 1 bronze (2004 x 1)
The record for the most gold medals is Ian Thorpe (swimming) - 5 gold medals: 200m, 400m Freestyle (Athens 2004) 400m, 4x100m, 4x200m Freestyle Relay (Sydney 2000)
The record for the most medals at a single Games is held by two people: Ian Thorpe (swimming) 5 medals - 3 gold, 2 silver - Sydney 2000 and Shane Gould (swimming) 5 medals - 3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze - Munich 1972.
The oldest gold medallist is Bill Northam (yachting, 5.5m) – 59 years 26 days, in Tokyo 1964.
The youngest Gold Medallist was Sandra Morgan (swimming) – 14 years 6 months 4x100m freestyle relay, in Melbourne 1956.
Australia’s Best Ever Medal Tally was at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games: 58 Olympic medals (16 gold, 25 silver, 17 bronze).

The following athletes have competed in two sports at the Olympic Games:

Only one athlete has competed in three sports at the Olympic Games: