The Australian cyclists had a great last day in Paris before the Closing ceremony Matt Glaetzer avoided a pile-up and joined Matt Richardson on the podium as Australia recorded its highest medal tally in an overseas race. Olympics. Richardson described the Keirins race as the fastest race of his career that he had competed in as the Australian silver medallist attempted to launch his trademark late attack on the final corner of the race.

It wasn’t enough, however, as favorite Harrie Lavreysen stormed home to take gold. Incredibly, Glaetzer dodged a rider’s fall and raced past a line of bodies on the ground to win his first individual medal in four attempts at the Olympics.

The moment was described as a “Steve Bradbury” graduation for Glaetzer, recalling the famous Australian figure skater’s medal at the Winter Olympics as he skated past a line of bodies on the floor. And the Australian’s hard work and dedication across four Olympic Games has finally paid off.

Glaetzer was thrilled to win alongside Richardson, and the duo celebrated together with their families. After the race, Richardson praised Lavreysen as a phenomenal athlete and admitted he didn’t quite get the gold.

“On the back straight I thought for a moment I could catch him but he was smart with his line on the last corner to keep me wide out,” said Richardson. “It’s just crazy – keirins, anything can happen. It’s a bit of a lottery and Matty came out on top (bronze). The only thing better than being on the podium is being on the podium with a teammate.”

Glaetzer admitted he was lucky to win a medal, but his hard work finally paid off. He even said he pulled a “Bradbury” out of the hat to take bronze.

“I’ve had a lot of bad luck in my career and my goodness, it’s good to finish with a bit of luck,” he said. “I’m just thankful that I stayed upright in the last corner. They bumped into me and then I saw them all completely collapse. Suddenly I saw that I was going to cross the finish line for bronze and I couldn’t believe it.”

“I felt a bit like Steve Bradbury, but oh God, it’s incredible.” Australian fans were happy for Glaetzer and Richardson and couldn’t help but compare his moment to that of the great Bradbury.

Unfortunately, Georgia Baker failed to make the podium in her omnium race, finishing fifth. The Australian had to hold back her tears as she had hoped to win a medal for her country. “I’m pretty disappointed. I’m proud of my performance… I gave it my all. But I’m still disappointed because my goal was to get on the podium,” she said.

Australia won three golds, one silver and one bronze in the velodrome at the Paris Games, and AusCycling’s performance director Jesse Korf said Australian cycling was in a very strong position for the next Olympic Games in four years’ time.

“Now it seems like we’ve been able to rejoin that group of superpowers in cycling, which is incredibly encouraging and exciting,” Korf said. We just need to make sure we get through it. As much as we need to celebrate all the amazing things that have happened here, we remain stoic, remain critical and continue to build.

Opals increase Australian medal count as Lauren Jackson says goodbye

The Opals added to Australia’s medal collection on the final day by winning their bronze medal playoff match against Belgium. And it was a fitting farewell for Australian basketball icon Lauren Jackson. The 43-year-old was taking part in her fifth Olympic season, twelve years after her last.

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Jackson didn’t play in the bronze medal match, but Ezi Magbegor was instrumental in Australia’s four-point victory over Belgium in Paris. Jackson was given a few minutes here and there for the Opals by her old teammate and coach Sandy Brondello in Paris, but never played a major role. And she laughed about the minutes during the Olympics, saying she was thrilled to have been part of the team.

“Lenny always says, ‘Mom, why don’t you go on the court?'” Jackson said of her son’s comments on their playing time. “But it was incredible.”

“I only played a few minutes in the last four Olympics and I can’t remember what it felt like to win a medal. It’s very vague. I took it in every single minute and I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. It’s crazy… when I had them (her two children), I didn’t think I would ever step foot on the court again. It happened and it was special.”

Australia finished the Olympics with 18 gold, 19 silver and 16 bronze medals. Only the USA, China and Japan were ahead of Australia. In terms of total medals, the 53 medals were Australia’s most successful overseas Olympic campaign. Australia won 58 medals at the 2004 Sydney Olympics.