For some, such as 19-year-old middle distance runner Claudia Hollingsworth or 17-year-old trampoline gymnast Brock Batty, Paris represents the start of what will hopefully be distinguished international sporting careers.
For others, such as Taekwondo athlete Bailey Lewis, who has declared his intention to retire after Paris, it will be the opportunity to finish with a flourish.
The great carnival of sport that is the Olympic Games is compelling. It is also global in a way that no other sporting event is or can be.
It is for every continent, for every country and for almost every form of athletic talent.
Take joy in watching the 450 Australians who will compete in Paris and a particular pleasure in following those from the VIS.
Below is a start to your VIS viewing guide
Athletics:
Jemima Montag: 20km race walker who claimed silver at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Chris Mitrevski: national long jump champion who qualified for Paris with a jump of 8.32m at the 2024 national championships, a distance that would have put him on the podium in Tokyo.
Claudia Hollingsworth: 19-year-old middle distance runner who shot to prominence this year. Will be making her Olympic debut in Paris in the 800m.
Ebony Lane: lead-off member of the women’s 4x100m sprint relay team which is ranked fifth in the world.
Boxing:
Caitlin Parker: Australian boxing team captain who is ranked number two in the world in the women’s 75kg division. Silver medallist at the 2023 Elite World Championships.
Harry Garside: with an Olympic bronze medal from Tokyo and Commonwealth Games gold in his possession, Garside is looking for gold in the men’s 63.5kg division.
Basketball:
Tess Madgen: Opals veteran looking to lead the national women’s basketball team back on to an international podium.
Cycling:
Lucas Plapp: 23-year-old, three-time national road race champion embarking on his second Olympic campaign.
Grace Brown: Paris represents Brown’s second Olympic Road cycling campaign. Finished fourth in the individual time trial in Tokyo and won silver in the same event at the 2022 world championships.
Diving:
Anabelle Smith: four-time Olympian who claimed silver in the 3m synchronized diving with partner Maddie Keeney at the World Aquatic Championships in Doha in February.
Domonic Bedggood: two-time Olympian looking for a medal in the 10m synchronized diving with partner and 10m individual platform world champion Cassiel Rousseau.
Hockey:
Amy Lawton: made her Hockeyroos debut five years ago at 17 years of age, Lawton will be appearing at her second Olympic Games.
Judo:
Katharina Haecker: a three-time Olympian with two top 16 finishes behind her, Haecker is ranked 5 in the world in the women’s judo 63kg division and definite podium potential.
Aoife Coughlan: after a top 16 finish in Tokyo, Coughlan now has a world judo ranking inside the top 10 and string of impressive recent international performances behind her campaign for a medal in Paris.
Rowing:
Men’s Eight: rowers Ben Canham and Angus Widdicombe are looking to turn recent world championship bronze for the men’s eight into gold in Paris.
Women’s Eight: rowers Paige Barr, Lucy Stephan, Hailey Verbunt and Katrina Werry will be chasing a medal in Paris in the women’s eight.
Shooting:
James Willett: a regular medallist in World Cup trap shooting competition, the 28-year-old from Mulwala is ranked number two in the world and a definite medal contender at his third Olympic Games.
Catherine Skinner: gold medallist in the women’s trap at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Skinner is ranked inside the top 10 and looking to replicate her feats of eight years ago.
Soccer:
Steph Catley: captain of the Matildas, who are among the best female football teams in the world.
Skateboarding:
Shane O’Neill: set to skate at his second Olympic Games, O’Neill was world street skating champion in 2016 and runner-up in 2017.
Keefer Wilson: 17-year-old first-time Olympian from Nyora who was in exceptional park skating form in the qualification events.
Sport Climbing:
Oceana Mackenzie: with a 7th place finish at the 2023 World Championships, this 21-year-old, two-time Olympian is poised to make her strongest impression on the international stage.
Swimming:
Sam Williamson: 50m breaststroke world champion who is chasing a medal in the 100m breaststroke and various relays in Paris.
Taekwondo:
Leon Sejranovic: with a bronze medal at the 2023 Taekwondo World Championships – the first won by an Australian male in almost a quarter of a century – and gold in the 2023 Korean Open Sejranovic is a must watch in Paris.
For more Olympic information and to see all VIS athletes competing at the Games, click here.
VIS staff assisting the Australian Olympic campaign
Physiologist:
Avish Sharma
Performance Analyst
Rod Siegel
Peter Browne
Mat Harris
Milli Bilson
Nurse
Manna McLeod
Physiotherapist
Eboni Rio
Steve Hawkins
Kevin Craigie
Jacqui Gurr
Josh Ferguson
Dietitian
Elaine Bo
Sports Physician
Alice McNamara
Psychologist
Dan Dymond
Sports Liaison Officer
Hannah Every-Hall
Where and when to watch
The Nine Network has exclusive broadcast rights to the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
More than 750 hours of Olympics coverage on Channel 9, 9Now and 9Gem will be beamed out of the French capital, with 24-hour-a-day coverage across the three platforms.
Opening ceremony coverage will begin at 3.00am AEST on Saturday, July 27, on Ch9 and 9Now. Replays will follow.
Closing ceremony coverage will be broadcast on Monday, August 12.
Every event featuring an Australian athlete will be available on at least one of the three Nine channels.For a sport-by-sport Olympic schedule click here!
