Australia

Day 13 highlights: Australia equals best Olympic performance with two more gold, while Wu gets diving bronze


Australia has equalled its best-ever performance at an Olympics with another two gold medals on day 13 of the Games.

Keegan Palmer, an 18-year-old originally from California, won the men’s park skateboard final to deliver Australia its 17th gold — equal to the Athens haul of 2004.

Palmer was one of two Aussies in the eight-person final and scored a 94.04 on his first run.

No other skater was able to match that score, except for Keegan himself when he posted a 95.83 on his third run. 

Silver went to Brazil’s Pedro Barros, who was nearly 10 points behind, and bronze went to American Cory Juneau.

Australian Kieran Woolley was also in the final and finished fifth, with his best score at 82.04.

Kayakers break 85-year drought

Jean van der Westhuyzen and Thomas Green won gold in the 1,000 metres men’s double kayak.(

Getty Images: Laurence Griffiths

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Australia has won gold for the first time in the 85-year history of the 1,000 metres men’s double kayak.

Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen qualified fastest for the final and got away to a strong start.

They were challenged late by the German pairing but held on for gold, with the Cezch Republic team in third.

“We had a chat last night and we said, ‘hey, let’s just go and have fun, we know what we’re capable of so let’s go and enjoy this experience’,” van der Westhuyzen said.

Melissa Wu wins bronze in 10m platform

Australian diver Melissa Wu holds a pike position mid-air during a 10-metre platform dive. Water is flicking off her hair.
Melissa Wu won her first individual Olympic medal in the women’s 10-metre platform.(

Sportsfile via Getty Images: Ramsey Cardy

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Veteran Olympian (at 29 years old) Melissa Wu has won her first individual medal at a Games with bronze in the women’s 10-metre platform.

The Sydneysider was fourth after her first dive then moved into third with her next dive where she stayed for the remainder of the competition.

Her final attempt secured her best score of the final — an 81.60 — and delivered her the bronze, behind Chinese pair Hongchan Quan and Yuxi Chen.

Tokyo is Wu’s fourth Olympic Games. She won a silver in Beijing in the women’s 10m synchronised platform. 

Australia into beach volleyball decider

Two women wearing green and yellow bikinis raise their arms in the air
Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy are going for Australia’s first gold in the women’s beach volleyball since Sydney 2000.(

Getty Images: Sean M. Haffey

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The pairing of Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy have taken Australia to the women’s beach volleyball gold medal match for the first time in 21 years.

They beat the Lativian team of Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka 23-21 and 21-13 in just 43 minutes.

They’re aiming to win Australia’s first gold in the event since the 2000 Sydney Games.

“Gold baby! We’ve played some good games but we’re ready for it,” Artacho del Solar told Channel Seven.

Team USA downs Boomers in semi-final

The powerhouse Americans might have had their hiccups at this tournament, including falling 15 points behind Australia in the second quarter, but have booked themselves a spot in the men’s basketball gold medal match for a 17th time.

Team USA started slow against the Boomers, struggling at the defensive end and missing open shots on offence.

Meanwhile, Joe Ingles and Chris Goulding made multiple threes in the first half, while Dante Exum was also hitting shots and creating play.

Australian basketballer patty mills sits on a chair with a towel looking like he is about to cry
A dejected Patty Mills will be trying to get Australia up in the bronze medal match on Saturday.(

Getty Images: Kevin C. Cox

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But a poor finish to the second quarter and a rejuvenated Team USA after half time, led by the unstoppable Kevin Durrant, combined to see Australia down by 19 at the last break.

The margin remained the same at the final siren, with the US winning 97-78.

Durrant finished with 23 points, and Devin Booker 20, while Patty Mills had 15 and Exum 14 to lead the scoring for Australia.

The winner of the France versus Slovenia match will face the US for gold while Australia will take on the loser for bronze.

Ashley Moloney wins historic decathlon bronze

Ashley Moloney on his knees pumping both fists.
Ashley Moloney sits second in the Olympics decathlon with javelin and the 1,500m to come.(

AP: Matthias Schrader

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Australian Ashley Moloney took out the bronze medal in the men’s decathlon, Australia’s first ever medal in the event.

Moloney finished 8,649 points, an Australian record, but only 62 points head of American Garrett Scantling.

Moloney’s was Australia’s first athletics medal in Tokyo. His teammate Cedric Dubler finished in 21st place with 7,008.

Confused about how the scoring works? This story has all the answers for you.

Meanwhile, there were three gold medals up for grabs in the first session on day 7 of the athletics.

Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo won gold in the men’s triple jump, America’s Ryan Crouser took out the men’s shot put and Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment saluted in the men’s 100m hurdles. 



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