Teenage skateboard star Chloe Covell fell short in her bid to become Australia’s youngest gold medallist on day two of the Paris Olympics. The 14-year-old reached the final eight at La Concorde on Sunday afternoon, and began strongly with the third best score in the first run, 70.33. But Covell, who won a silver medal at the 2022 World Skateboarding Championship, faded in her second run to earn a score of just 45.46.
Needing to outperform her competitors in the trick runs to climb back up the leaderboard, Covell was not going to die wondering, and she attempted major tricks on consecutive runs, but without success. After chalking off a trick on her third run, the pressure was on Covell to land her fourth (skaters keep their best two trick scores, from five runs). When the Australian failed to stick the landing, her attempt to win a medal was over.
Last year, Covell became the youngest gold medallist in women’s street skateboarding history at the X Games. But in Paris, an Olympic medal would prove elusive – she ultimately finished eighth.
In hockey, Australia’s women will seek to add polish to their defensive grit after avoiding a South African ambush in a 2-1 Olympic opening win. The world No 5 Hockeyroos were caught out early by the world No 18 side and could have easily trailed by more than 1-0 at quarter-time at a sun-drenched Stade Yves-du-Manoir.
But attacking midfielder Stephanie Kershaw’s spark, a touch of fortune and then some final-quarter composure ensured they got their Paris tilt on track.
“I think we got all the nerves out,” Kershaw said. “We didn’t step up as quickly as we wanted to but we got better. We were buzzing to get out there and trying to get rid of that nervous energy. We have a lot more in us, but we did what we needed to do.”
The Hockeyroos are three-time Olympic champions but have not reached the semi-finals since claiming their last title in Sydney, 24 years ago.
Australia’s rugby sevens “cheat code” Maddison Levi is on track to break records after a magnificent seven-try haul in two wins to begin the women’s side’s Paris campaign. Levi scored four times in a 34-5 defeat of South Africa before she was benched after notching a hat-trick in a 36-5 win over Great Britain on Sunday.
The twin wins saw Australia confirm their quarter-final spot ahead of a final pool game against Ireland on Monday.
European champions Spain proved too strong for Australia, beating the Sharks 9-5 in men’s Olympic water polo. Australia made an encouraging start in their opening Group B game on Sunday despite Spain taking the early lead, maintaining pressure and only trailing by one goal late in the first half. But a goal on half-time to Spain, then two more early in the second half, snapped the Australian challenge.
Australia’s dream of another medal in the team eventing competition evaporated after one of the horses went lame during the cross country section on the spectacular Chateau de Versailles course.
Kevin McNab one of the silver medal-winning team from Tokyo three years ago, took the decision to withdraw his mount Don Quidam midway through his round because he felt there was a problem. The horse is expected to make a full recovery, the AOC said.
The withdrawal of one of the team’s three horses meant there was no chance of the Australian trio of McNab, Shane Rose and Chris Burton emulating the performance in Japan as the 200-point penalty for a retirement meant the trio have no chance of a team medal in Monday’s showjumping finale.
