Triumph, heartbreak and unforgettable experiences for UQ's Paris Olympians
By Nicole Jeffery
Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) '90
As the Olympic cauldron is extinguished in Paris, to be reignited in Los Angeles in 4 years, the magic carpet ride of 19 UQ athletes comes to an end, after 16 days of triumph, heartbreak and unforgettable experiences.
Four of those athletes will return to Brisbane with medals to show for their exceptional performances, and all will bring back memories to last a lifetime.
The 2022 and 2024 UQ Athlete of the Year, Tom Neill, was the first medal-winner, anchoring the Australian 4x200 metres freestyle team to the bronze medal for the second consecutive Games after making his debut in Tokyo.
“I grew up playing team sports [he had ambitions to be a rugby player] and this really is the closest thing we can get to a team sport,’’ the Bachelor of Advanced Business (Honours) student said.
“I think the common theme across all of us is that we fought and we fought tough in the way that Aussies do in all sports here at the Olympics. We fought tough, we hung in there, and we got the bronze.’’
UQ alum Maddison Keeney (28) overcame an early disappointment, when an error by her partner Anabelle Smith on the last dive in the women’s 3-metre synchronised springboard, took them out of medal contention. But she bounced back beautifully to win the silver medal in the individual 3-metre springboard.
Maddison Keeney in action during the women's 3-metre springboard final. Image: Harry Langer/DeFodi Images/Getty Images
Maddison Keeney in action during the women's 3-metre springboard final. Image: Harry Langer/DeFodi Images/Getty Images
Keeney (Bachelor of Science '17) is the first Australian to win a medal in this event.
She was positioned second throughout the 3 phases of the competition and produced the most difficult dive in the competition (a forward 2.5 somersaults with 2 twists) to clinch her second Olympic medal, after a bronze in the 3-metre synchro in 2016.
Of that final dive she said:
“It’s just something so thrilling – anything can go wrong. You’re standing up there and you’ve got this voice in the back of your head saying, 'just fall forward and you will probably be alright for a medal' and you’re physically shaking and your heart is pounding and it’s a different beast, but this is living. It’s what you live for – exhilarating is a great word for it.”
The 28-year-old diver reflected on her “huge journey’’ to overcome early inconsistency as an international competitor and become one of the best in the world.
“My legs have buckled from under me [at key moments in the past], but those moments really kind of made me, just going through that,’’ she said.
“A lot of those experiences – baulking, falling off the board – it’s made me who I am today. I’ve been forged in fire and I know, deep in me, I’m not unshakeable, but I’m pretty solid now.’’
Equally solid was the Australian Stingers water polo team, who reached the gold medal match, eventually going down to Spain 11-9, but securing the silver medal.
Goalkeeper and UQ alum Gabi Palm and key goal-scorer and UQ student Abby Andrews were critical members of the team that won Australia’s first medal in the sport since 2004.
UQ alum Gabi Palm saves a goal against Spain in the women's water polo final in Paris. Image: Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images
UQ alum Gabi Palm saves a goal against Spain in the women's water polo final in Paris. Image: Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images
Palm (Bachelor of Behavioural Science ‘22) saved the goal in the semi-final shootout against the USA which put the Stingers through to the final, guaranteeing them a medal, and Bachelor of Advanced Finance and Economics (Honours) student Andrews scored 13 goals in 7 games.
The gold medal-winning goalkeeper from the Sydney Olympics, Liz Weekes, singled out the 2 UQ players for praise after the tournament.
“We have an incredible goalkeeper in Gabi Palm (69 saves during the tournament),” Weekes said.
“She is a calm brick wall. She has been incredible all week and has kept Australia in it.”
Weekes also commended top-scorer Alice Williams and Andrews for terrorising opposition defences in Paris.
“Alice and Abby know how to put the ball in the back of the net. They are weapons. I am glad I do not have to face them,” Weekes said.
Images: Adam Pretty/Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Image: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
On the roller-coaster of the Olympic Games, there were near-misses for swimmer and UQ Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) student Lizzy Dekkers and the Australian women’s rugby 7s team, who had to endure the heartache of falling one place short of the medals.
Dekkers, the silver medallist at last year’s world championships, finished fourth in the 200 metres butterfly final but showed grace and poise in handling her fate.
The disappointment was keener for the women's rugby 7s team, which included UQ student and Olympic debutant Isabella Nasser (Bachelor of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences) and UQ Rugby Club players Kaitlin Shave and Sidney Taylor.
The Australians stormed through their pool games and were regarded as gold-medal contenders, but fell at the penultimate hurdle, going down to Canada in their semi-final before the USA snatched the bronze medal 14-12 in their final play-off match.
The Australian men's rugby sevens team – captained by Rugby Club player Nick Malouf – also fell short of its first Olympic medal, going down fighting to South Africa 26-19 in the bronze medal play-off match.
There was similar disappointment for the Hockeyroos team, which included UQ Hockey Club player Claire Colwill and student Tatum Stewart (Bachelor of Health, Sport and Physical Education (Honours) and alum Rebecca Greiner (Bachelor of Behavioural Science '22).
The Hockeyroos were undefeated during their pool matches but were upset by eventual silver medallist China 3-2 in their quarter-final, which left them out of the medal race, but ranked 5th at the end of the tournament.
Alice Arnott, Amy Lawton, UQ alum Rebecca Greiner and UQ student Tatum Stewart after Australia's loss to China in the women's hockey quarter-finals. Image: Luke Hales/Getty Images
Alice Arnott, Amy Lawton, UQ alum Rebecca Greiner and UQ student Tatum Stewart after Australia's loss to China in the women's hockey quarter-finals. Image: Luke Hales/Getty Images
Stewart scored 3 goals (2 penalty corners and 1 penalty stroke) in 4 games, despite an injury keeping her out of part of the tournament, while Greiner scored one penalty corner in 6 games.
Tokyo Olympic bronze medallists Ria Thompson (Bachelor of Science ’19 and current Master of Philosophy student) and Caitlin Cronin (Bachelor of Chemical Engineering '19) also made up half of the Australian quad sculls combination in Paris, which finished second in the B final (eighth overall).
University of Queensland Boat Club rower Lily Triggs was a member of the Australian women's 4s team which finished fifth in the Repechage during the first week of the Games.
On the athletics track, UQ Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) student Cara Feain-Ryan finished 11th in heat 2 of the women's 3000 metres steeplechase, setting a new personal best time of 9:28.72. But it wasn't enough to progress through to the final.
UQ Athletics Club member Tori West finished 20th overall in the women's heptathlon, while former rugby player and UQ Bachelor of Engineering / Bachelor of Commerce student Lachlan Kennedy was a member Australia's 4x100 metres relay team that finished sixth in their heat and set a national record of 38.12 seconds.
UQ alum Liam Adcock (Bachelor of Commerce / Bachelor of Economics '19) recorded a jump of 7.56 metres in the qualification round of the men's long jump, but it wasn't enough to reach the final.
UQ athletes can be proud of their dedication and achievements at the biggest sporting event in the world.
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