By Greg Blood

In November 2023, Gracenote predicted that Australia would win 50 medals including 15 gold at the 2024 Olympics. Listed are Australian world champions and medal performance in Olympic, Paralympic and other major sports in 2023 that most likely would have feed into this prediction.

Swimmers led the way topping the medal table at the world championships. Jessica Fox continued her dominance in slalom canoeing. Several new world champions emerged – pole-vaulter Nina Kennedy and diver Cassiel Rousseau. Toyko gold medallist Matt Wearn won his maiden sailing world title. But cycling and rowing failed to win titles in Olympic disciplines.

Male and female cricketers and female netballers won world titles and the Matildas captured the hearts of the nation in finishing fourth in the World Cup.

Para athletes results were on par with recent world championship results. Christopher Davis became Australia’s first para archery world champion. Amanda Reid demonstrated her versatility by winning world championships in snowboarding and cycling.

If Australia is to meet or surpass its Tokyo Olympics medal haul of 46 including 17 gold, our swimmers will need to maintain their current performances and previous multi Olympic gold medal sports – rowing, sailing, canoeing and cycling improve their 2023 results.

My recent research highlights the decline in team sport success at the Olympics – this will need to be rectified to improve the medal haul and the number of athletes that bring home medals.

Table 1 – Australian Team Sport Results at the Olympics 1984-2020

The Australian Sports Commission, Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia no longer publish medal predictions but they will be hoping that our athletes and teams maintain or surpass their Tokyo medal result. In reviewing Australian Sports Commission (ASC) high performance funding to national sports organisations (NSO) since the 1990’s, it is evident that ASC funding to an NSO is linked to medal success. Failure to achieve medal success can lead to a decrease in funding – just ask three time Olympic gold medallists Hockeyroos .

Olympic / Paralympic World Champions & Results

Archery

World Para Archery Championship – 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze

• Christopher Davis – Men’s W1 (Para)

Athletics

World Championships – 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze ; World Para Championships – 3 Gold, 8 Silver , 3 Bronze ; World Cross Country Championship -1 Bronze

• Nina Kennedy – Women’s Pole Vault
• James Turner – Men’s 100m & 400m T6 (Para)
• Maria Strong – Women’s 100m T72 (Para)

Boxing

Women’s World Championship – 2 Silver, 1 Bronze

Canoeing

Word Sprint Championship – 1 Gold, 2 Silver  ; World Para Sprint Championship – 3 Gold, 2 Bronze  ; Word Slalom Championship – 2 Gold, 1 Bronze

• Jessica Fox – Women’s Slalom K1
• Jessica Fox, Naomi Fox, Kate Eckhardt – Women’s Slalom K1 Team
• Alyssa Bill – Women’s Sprint K1 1000m
• Curtis McGrath – Men’s Sprint KL2 (Para)
• Dylan Littlehales-– Men’s Sprint KL3 (Para)
• Ben Sainsbury –  Men’s Sprint VL1 (Para)

Cycling

World Track Championship – 6 Silver, 1 Bronze  ; World Para Track Championship – 4 Gold, 5 Silver, 4 Bronze; World Road Championship – 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze ; World Para Road Championship – 1 Gold, 6 Silver, 2 Bronze ; World BMX Freestyle World Championship – 1 Silver ; World Junior Track Championship – 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze

• Amanda Reid – Women’s Track 500m Time Trial C2, Women’s Track Omnium C3 (Para)
• Emily Petricola – Women’s Track Pursuit C4 (Para)
• Alana Forster – Women’s Track Scratch Race C5 (Para)
• Lauren Parker – Women’s Road Trial Time H3 (Para)
• Oscar Chamberlain – Junior Men’s Track  Time Trial
• Felicity Wilson-Haffenden – Junior Women’s Track  Time Trial

Diving

World Championship – 1 Gold, 1 Silver

• Cassiel Rousseau – Men’s Platform
• Rhiannon Iffland – Women’s High Diving

Rowing

World Championship – 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 3 Bronze

• Nikki Ayers & Jed Altschwager – PR3Mi2X (Para)

Sailing

World Championships – 1 Gold, 2 Bronze

• Matt Wearn – Men’s Laser

Shooting

World Championship – 1 Silver

Snow Sports

World Skiing and Snowboarding Championships – 4 Silver, 2 Bronze ; World Para Snowboarding Championship – 2 Gold, 1 Bronze

• Amanda Reid – Women’s Snowboard Cross SB-LL1  (Para)
• Ben Tudehope – Men’s Snowboard Cross SB-LL2 (Para)

Softball

• U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup  

Swimming

World Championship – 13 Gold, 7 Silver, 5 Bronze ; World Open Water Championship – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze ; World Junior Swimming Championship – 9 Gold, 7 Silver, 8 Bronze

• Cameron McEvoy – Men’s 50m Freestyle
• Kyle Chalmers – Men’s 100m Freestyle
• Sam Short – Men’s 400m Freestyle
• Jack Cartwright, Flynn Southam, Kai Taylor, Kyle Chalmers, Matt Temple (heat) – Men’s 4 x 100m Freestyle
• Mollie O’Callaghan – Women’s 100m & 200m Freestyle
• Ariane Titmus -Women’s 400m Freestyle
• Kaylee McKeown – 50m Breaststroke, 100m Breaststroke,  200m Breaststroke, 
• Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Meg Harris, Emma McKeon, Brianna Throssell (heat), Madison Wilson (heat) – Women’s 4 x 100m Freestyle
• Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Brianna Throssell, Ariarne Titmus, Madison Wilson (heat), Lani Pallister (heat), Kiah Melverton (heat) – Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle
• Jack Cartwright, Kyle Chalmers, Shayna Jack, Nollie O’Callaghan, Flynn Southam (heat), Madison Wilson (heat), Meg Harris (heat) – Mixed 4 x 100m Freestyle
• Rowan Crothers – Men’s 50m Freestyle S10, 100m Freestyle S10 (Para)
• Benjamin Hance – Men’s 100m Backstroke S14 (Para)
• Ahmed Kelly – Men’s 150m Medley SM3 (Para)
• Timothy Hodge – Men’s 200 Medley SM9 (Para)
• Katja Dedekind – Women’s 50m Freestyle S13 (Para)
• Alexa Leary – Women’s 100m Freestyle S9 (Para)
• Lakeisha Patterson – Women’s 400m Freestyle S9 (Para)
• Benjamin Hance, Jake Michel, Paige Leonhardt, Madeleine McTernan – Mixed 4 x 100m Medley S14 (Para)
• Flynn Southam – Junior Men’s 200m Freestyle
• Jacyln Perkins – Junior Women’s 100m Backstroke
• Olivia Wunsch – Junior Women’s 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle
• Jamie Perkins – Junior Women’s 400m Freestyle
• Iona Anderson – Junior Women’s 50m Backstroke
• Flynn Southam, Edward Somerville, Olivia Wunsch, Mila Jansen – Junior Mixed 4 x 100m Medley     
• Jacyln Barclay, Hayley Mackinder, Isabella Boyd, Olivia Wunsch – Junior Women’s 4 x 100m Medley

Taekwondo

World Championships – 1 Bronze

Non Olympic Sports

Bowls

World Championships – 5 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze

• Corey Wedlock, Aron Sherriff, Carl Healey – Men’s Triples
• Corey Wedlock, Aron Sherriff, Carl Healey, Aaron Teys – Men’s Fours
• Men’s Team
• Dawn Hayman, Lynsey Clarke , Kelsey Cottrell – Women’s Triples
• Damien Delgado, James Reynolds – Men’s Para Pairs (Para)

Cricket

• Women’s T20 World Cup
• Men’s Word Test Championship
• Men’s One Day World Cup

Croquet

• Jamie Gumbrell – Women’s Word Champion

Netball

• Women’s World Championship