Keep up to date with your local athletes as they take on the world’s best at the London Olympics.
10 August 2012
Murwillumbah’s Jane Moran has helped the Aussie women’s water polo team win bronze in a thrilling Olympic victory against Hungary.
The Hungarians pushed the game into overtime, but the Stingers managed to secure a spot on the podium, winning 13 points to 11.
10 August 2012
There are no more Hunter Olympians in contention for gold.
Our remaining athletes went down in the women’s basketball and men’s hockey semi finals – and will now aim for bronze.
9 August 2012
Grafton born track-racer Zoe Buckman has bowed out in the 1500 metre Olympic semi-final overnight.
The 23-year-old ran a personal best time of just over four minutes and five seconds, which was faster than any runner in the first heat.
However, Buckman placed 10th in a much faster second semi, and missed out on a qualifying spot.
9 August 2012
Lake Macquarie sailors Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen have won Australia’s fifth gold medal at the London Olympics.
The pair was assured victory in the 49er class on Monday, securing an unassailable lead.
The duo said they were able to enjoy the medal race, having to just finish to secure the gold.
“It was amazing, we’ve sailed brilliantly for four years and this week has been one our best weeks so far,” Outteridge told the BBC.
“It was great for it to happen at the Olympics and today was just about enjoying the race.”
“… I think it’s just great for the sport of sailing in Australia and hopefully that puts us in shape for the next Games. Now the campaign starts again.”
It was Jensen’s first appearance at an Olympic Games.
“Words are hard to find to describe when you realise that it’s actually going to happen,” said Jensen. “It’s been two days since we knew that we were going to win and I don’t think it’s sunk in yet.”
New Zealand pair, and training partners with the Aussies, Blair Tuke and Peter Burling collected the silver medal.
Back at home family and friends gathered at the Wangi Wangi Sailing Club to watch them cinch the gold.
8 August 2012
Newcastle’s Benn Harradine says he needs to improve on his consistency after finishing 9th in the Olympic discus final.
Harradine’s best throw was 63.59 metres, falling short of his personal best of 67.53.
“A little disappointing, I just didn’t mix it with the big boys tonight.” Harradine said.
The 29-year-old says he still needs to find the balance between trying too hard and not trying hard enough.
“I had one throw this year over 67 metres and it’s important to remember that was once only. The guy who won gold threw 70 metres, five times in a row.” he said.
“Finding that happy medium is always a tricky thing.”
Harradine’s performance at London was an improvement on his result in Beijing where he finished 14th.
“I’m an Olympic finalist, it’s the first time for me to do that and I came away with one positive at least and I just wish I’d gotten through to that top 8.”
But he isn’t hanging up the boots just yet.
“I’ve got one Olympic cycle left and then I’ll have a think,” he said.
8 August 2012
Maitland triathlete Brendan Sexton has finished in the middle of the pack in the gruelling Trialthlon event, crossing the line in 35th position.
Courtney Atkinson was the top Australian finisher coming in 18th, with Brad Kahlefeldt just in front of Sexton in 32nd place.
Britain’s Alistair Brownlee took out the gold convincingly, clocking 29:07 on the closing 10km run leg.
7 August 2012
Lake Macquarie’s Nathan Outteridge says he and Slingsby have been dreaming about gold since missing out in Beijing.
Outteridge and his crewmate Iain Jensen just have another day to wait.
At home Australians were cheering for Tom Slingsby – but nowhere more than at Gosford Sailing Club.
Supporters at his Central Coast stomping ground, over the moon for their Olympic champion.
7 August 2012
Gold Coast Olympic champion Ken Wallace, has used plenty of his experience to guide teammate David Smith to the K2 -1000 metre final.
The Beijing Gold Medallist, in the now defunct K1 – 500, and his partner of just two months, had one hour to prepare between the heat and semis.
Wallace says his ironman background helped him to adjust to the frantic schedule.
The pair compete in the finals later tonight Australian time.
7 August 2012
Newcastle’s Benn Harradine has made it through to the discus finals in London.
Harradine threw 64.00m on his first attempt, qualifying ninth for Tuesday’s 12-man final.
The 29-year-old says it was a confidence boost to get through the qualification rounds, having targeted a 63.50m throw.
“I’m through the first hiccup,” he said.
“I feel great, but more importantly, mentally I feel great. I feel like I’ve got a good plan and a good routine.”
7 August 2012
Newcastle’s Richie Campbell has helped the Australian men’s water polo team keep their Olympic campaign alive with a 13-8 win over Greece.
The team improved their shooting, which has been a problem so far in this tournament, with Rhys Howden scoring a hat-trick, while Richie Campbell, Jamie Beadsworth and Billy Miller had two each.
It’s the first time Australia has made the men’s quarter-finals since the 2000 Games.
7 August 2012
Gosford sailor Tom Slingsy has won gold in the Laser class, securing Australia’s first individual gold medal.
The world number 1 went into the race needing to finish in front of his nearest rival, Cypriot Pavlos Kontides, to cinch the gold.
Slingsby finished just ahead of Kontides to claim top spot on the podium.
The 27-year-old burst into tears as he crossed the line and celebrated by capsizing his boat.
“It’s an amazing feeling, words really can’t describe it,” said Slingsby. “I’ve worked hard for so long now, last time I put in so much hard work and came away with nothing. This time I put in so much more work and finally I’m going home and knowing that all the sacrifice over the years wasn’t for nothing this time, I’ve got a gold medal.”
Slingsby was favoured to win gold four years ago in Beijing, but in a shock defeat finished in 22nd.
“If I didn’t do well at these Olympics I would definitely hang up the shoes,” he said. “Last time I’d won everything, I’d won World Championships, World Cups, European Championships, everything going into China and so the Olympics was the only thing left. Coming out of that knowing that there was a four year wait for redemption was pretty daunting. I’m glad I stuck with it and had another crack.”
Back at home more than 130 people celebrated at Gosford Sailing Club as they watched the local hero claim gold.
Lake Macquarie pair Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen are also set to add to Australia’s gold medal count when they race in the final of the 49er class.
The world champion pair are mathematically assured of a gold medal, sitting 28 points ahead of New Zealand.
All they need to do is complete Wednesday’s medal race.
Kiwi duo Blair Tuke and Peter Burling are in line for the silver.
Local athletes in action on Day 10
All eyes will be on Central Coast sailor Tom Slingsby as he races for a gold medal.
Slingsby has a 14 point lead and must finish seventh or better to claim top spot on the podium.
The race will be held tonight at 11:00 AEST.
Lake Macquarie’s Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen will be looking to extend their 20 point lead in the 49er class as they compete in their final two races before the medal event on Wednesday.
The Hunter’s Benn Harradine will compete for the first time this Olympics in the Men’s Discus.
He’ll be looking to match his performance at a qualifying event three months ago, where he registered the longest throw in the world this year.
Newcastle water polo player Richie Campbell will be fighting for a quarter-final berth when the Australian water polo team take on Greece in the must win game.
The game will start at 8:20pm AEST.
6 August 2012
Central Coast sailor Tom Slingsby will race for gold in the Laser class tonight, heading into the final race with a 14 point lead.
Slingsby will need to finish seventh or better in the 10-boat medal race to claim top spot on the podium.
Local sailors and friends of Slingsby’s will gather to watch his medal race live at the Gosford Sailing Club at 11pm tonight.
Meanwhile, Lake Macquarie sailors Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen are also continuing their hunt for gold, extended their lead in the 49er class.
The world champions now have a 20 point lead over New Zealand’s Peter Burling and Blair Tuke as they head into the final three races.
Outteridge says that while they’re thrilled with their lead, the plan is to remain consistent.
“The Nothe course is very tricky, you have to be on your game there and we could easily lose 20 points tomorrow,” he said. “We’re happy with where we are and we just need one good race tomorrow and then we can assess where the Kiwis are, they’ve got quite a high score so that works in our favour. We just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing all week.”
6 August 2012
Hunter shooter Daniel Repacholi has missed out on the final of the 50m pistol after finishing 19th in the semi final.
It was a disappointing finish to the 30-year-old’s Olympic campaign, having finished in 28th place in the Men’s 10m air pistol last week.
Jin Jong-oh of South Korea took out the gold medal in the 50m pistol.
The Hunter has its first medal of the games, with Angie Bainbridge picking up silver as part of the 4 by 200 relay team.
But the Merewether swimmer didn’t contest the decider.
A controversial decision has robbed Wattanobi boxer Jai Opetaia of progressing through to the next round of the Olympic heavyweight division.
This is despite the 17-year-old looking the goods throughout his bout with Azerbaijan’s Teymur Mammodov.
2 August 2012
It was a nail biting finish to one of the most highly anticipated events in Australia’s Olympic campaign.
James Magnussen came away with silver in the 100 metre freestyle final, after American Nathan Adrian out-touched him by one hundredth of a second.
With 10 metres to go, it looked like Magnussen had it won, but the American finished strong, on 47.52 seconds.
Magnussen’s hometown of Port Macquarie was with him all the way – with more than 1000 people braving the cold to to cheer him on.
He’ll now focus on the remainder of his Olympic program – with the 50 metre freestyle heats tomorrow.
2 August 2012 Port Macquarie’s James Magnussen has taken out the silver medal in the Olympic 100m freestyle final.
The world champion was just one one-hundredth of a second behind American Nathan Adrian, who won while Canada’s Brent Hayden was third.
MAGNUSSEN LIVE IN PORT MACQUARIE CBD
It’s not quite London, but it’s the next best thing for Port Macquarie residents keen to see James Magnussen in action early tomorrow.
The men’s 100 metre freestyle final will be broadcast on the big-screen, set up in the Hay Street forecourt.
After a lacklustre result in the relay, the Missile is back on track, qualifying fastest for the event.
Former coach, Michael Mullens believes James has shaken out the cobwebs and looks in form to claim his first Olympic medal.
All the live action gets underway in town from 4:30 tomorrow morning.
1 August 2012 Tamworth’s Kate Jenner, has helped the Hockeyroos defeat Germany and remain in women’s hockey medal contention at the London Olympics.
Germany led one-nil in the ninth minute, but by half time the Hockeyroos had evened the score.
The Australian’s overpowered the Germans after the break, with brilliant attack, the final score three points to one.
The Hockeyroos will play the United States tomorrow.
Lake Macquarie sailors Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen are in gold medal contention for the 49er class after day three, despite capsizing in their second race.
Outteridge and Jensen went into the day third overall, but finished with a nine point lead over second place New Zealand.
They were leading the fleet in race two, but ended up with a fourth position after the boat capsized.
“It shouldn’t have happened,” said Outteridge.
” We had a massive lead and that’s part of what saved us, I almost thought we were going to get it up and still be first at one point…we did a great job of getting the kite down and getting the boat up and going again and almost got third.”
Gosford sailor Tom Slingsby continues to lead the Laser fleet after the opening four races.
” If you told me a couple of days ago that I would be leading after two days with a four point lead I would have been over the moon…”
James Magnussen has rebounded from his disappointing swim in the 4x100m freestyle final, qualifying fastest for the 100m freestyle final.
He clocked 47.63, the same time he swum to win the world championships last year.
“It was a relief more than anything just to remember what it feels like to go fast,” Magnussen said.
He said he has learnt more about himself in the last two days than he has in the past 20 years.
Magnussen will race for gold in the final at 5:20 on Thursday morning AEST.
Meanwhile, Queensland’s Brenton Rickard will also race for a medal in the 200m breaststroke after scrapping through the semi-finals.
The final will be held at 4:30am AEST on Thursday.
Local athletes in action on Day 4
Port Macquarie’s James Magnussen will try to get his Olympic campaign back on track in the men’s 100m freestyle.
The heats will be held at 7:00pm AEST with finals taking place at 4:30 tomorrow morning AEST.
Thomas Fraser-Holmes will be back in action tonight in his last Olympic event, alongside the Gold Coast’s Cam McEvoy, in the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle heats tonight.
The final will be held tomorrow morning just before 6:00 AEST.
Merewether’s Richie Campbell will be hoping for a win when the Australian water polo team faces Kazakhstan, after their opening round loss to Italy on Monday.
Gosford sailor Tom Slingsby will be looking to increase his 8 point lead in the Men’s Laser race, while gold medal favourites Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen will contest their third and fourth races in the 49er class.
Gold Coast basketballers Adam Gibson and Mark Worthington will take to the court with the Boomers for their match with Spain after an opening round loss to Brazil.
31 July 2012
Tamworth skeet shooter Clive Barton’s olympic dream is over after missing out on a place in the finals at the London Olympics.
Barton came out of the qualifying round in 29th place, scoring a total 67 out of 75.
After a slow start, he finished the third round with a perfect score of 25.
31 July 2012
Newcastle’s Suzy Batkovic was one of Australia’s best in the Opals’ disappointing overtime loss to France.
An astonishing three-pointer from Opals guard Belinda Snell, well inside her half, in the final second helped take the game into overtime.
But France stunned the Aussies in the extra period, winning 74 points to 70.
With Lauren Jackson and Liz Cambage on the bench, Batkovic was left to carry the duties inside and top scored for Australia with 17 points.
The Opals can still make the medal rounds, with the top four qualifiers in each six-team group going through to the quarter-finals.
31 July 2012 Murillumbah’s Matthew Butturini has helped the Kookaburras to a win in their opening game at the London Olympics, scoring the second goal of the game.
Maitland’s Simon Orchard also played a big part in the 6-0 win over South Africa.
Jamie Dwyer showed why the team is one to watch, scoring a hat-trick and equalling the national team’s goalscoring record.
The Kookaburras will now face world number five, Spain, on Wednesday.
Our local sailors have made a successful start to their Olympic campaigns with Tom Slingsby in the lead after the Laser races last night.
The Gosford sailor holds an eight point buffer after finishing first and second in Weymouth.
“I had good starts and I knew I was going to be pretty quick. My coach and I had a pretty good feel for what the wind and current were doing and I kept it pretty conservative and it seemed to work.”
Lake Macquarie duo Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen are sitting in third position in the 49er class after their first two races.
They made a shaky start to their first race, deciding to re-cross the line after thinking they had gone over before the gun.
They made a better start to their second race, eventually claiming the win.
“It wasn’t an ideal start but we did a great job to get back,” Outteridge said. “There were a few tense moments but we kept our composure and chipped away.”
All three will return to the water today.
31 July 2012 Swimmer Thomas Fraser-Holmes says his experiences at London will only help him improve after coming 7th in the 200m freestyle final.
Fraser-Holmes was up against superstars Ryan Lochte and China’s Sun Yang in the race, which was won by Frenchman Yannick Agnel.
“I was in a field with champions tonight, and I had to get out there and race and I thought I did really well tonight.”
Olympic debutante Fraser-Holmes, who also raced in the men’s 400m individual medley final, said he was just happy to be competing in the games.
“It’s only going to come in years to come I’m going to get stronger, I’m going to be older and I’m going to be wiser so good things ahead I think.”
He also thanked his fans at home.
” To everyone back in Newcastle thanks for your support and I love you guys.”
Fraser-Holmes will race in the heats for his final event, the 4x200m Relay tonight.
WATCH THE POST SWIM INTERVIEW HERE
Local athletes in action on Day 3
Newcastle swimmer Thomas Fraser-Holmes will be racing for gold in the final of the 200m freestyle.
The medal race will be held tomorrow (Tuesday) at 4:43am AEST.
Lake Macquarie 49er sailors Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen will be out to create history and win Australia’s first 49er medal when they begin racing in Weymouth tonight.
Gosford sailor Tom Slingsby will also begin his quest for Olympic Gold.
The five-times World Champion will race twice; at 9pm and again at 11.30, in the opening rounds of the Laser competition.
Former Maitland hockey player Simon Orchard will hit the field with the Kookaburras when they take on South Africa in their opening game.
Suzy Batkovic and Jennifer Smith will be looking to help the The Opals to another win when they take on France.
And Tamworth shooter Clive Barton will head into the qualification round of the Men’s Skeet.
30 July 2012 One of Australia’s best medal chances, Gosford sailor Tom Slingsby, begins his quest for Olympic Gold tonight.
The five-times World Champion will race twice; at 9pm and again at 11.30, in the opening rounds of the Laser competition.
Moree welterweight Cameron Hammond has progressed into the second round, despite claiming nerves affected his performance.
Hammond beat Niger’s Moustapha Abdoulaye Hima 13-6, forcing him into a standing eight count in the second round and following with a clean shot to the head in the third.
Australian coach Don Abnett expects Hammond to improve on his jittery first performance when he takes on Canada’s Custio Clayton on Thursday.
22-year-old Hammond says he can do better.
“I thought I was feeling good before the fight but nerves took the energy out of me and I didn’t fight my best.”
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FIGHT HERE
30 July 2012 The Australian Water Polo team have taken to the water for the first time this Olympics, in a disappointing 8-5 loss to Italy.
Newcastle’s Richie Campbell helped put points on the board but it wasn’t enough, with Italy streaking to a 3-0 break by quarter-time.
Coach John Fox says the three-goal loss was the result of Olympic jitters.
“You can talk about anxiety and nerves and the pressure of playing at the Olympics – hopefully it is out of our system.”
Fox remains confident the team can advance to the quarter-finals, playing Kazakhstan on Tuesday.
30 July 2012
Newcastle swimmer Thomas Fraser-Holmes has earned a place in his second final at the London Games, scraping into the men’s 200m freestyle decider.
The Olympic debutante led for the first half of the race, but finished 4th in his semi, securing the eighth place in the final with a time of 1:46.80.
“I am so happy right now I have made two finals in my first Olympics, so I can’t get better than that.” Fraser-Holmes said in his post race interview.
WATCH THE INTERVIEW AND RACE HERE
The medal race will be held on Tuesday at 4:43am AEST.
Fraser-Holmes competed in the final of the 400m individual medley on Saturday, finishing seventh.
July 29 2012 Newcastle’s Suzy Batkovic and Jennifer Screen have successfully kicked off their Olympic campaign, with the Opals defeating hosts Great Britain 74-58.
Batkovic scored 12 points and tweeted after the game “Game 1 done… Good win.. Thanks for all the support and early starts people did in Aust for us. #thankful #awesome #goOpals”
The Opals play their next game against France on Monday.
Queensland swimmer Melanie Schlanger has helped claim Australia’s first gold medal at the London Olympic Games, in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
The Australian quartet of Alicia Coutts, Cate Campbell, Brittany Elmslie and Schlanger beat favourites the Netherlands, and broke an Olympic record with a time on three minutes and 33.15 seconds.
The Dutch team claimed silver with a time of 3:33.79, with bronze going to the United States who clocked 3:34.24.
The girls say they have set the bar for the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, featuring Port Macquarie’s James Magnussen.
“I think that we’ve just given them something to reach for, don’t you think?” joked Campbell.
July 29 2012
Cessnock shooter Daniel Repacholi has described his performance, on the opening day of competition at the London Olympics, as disappointing.
The 30-year-old had a slow start in the Men’s 10m air pistol, finishing in 28th place.
Repacholi, competing in his third Olympics, said his performance in the final round was “just not good enough.”
“Every shot I made a mistake. I am a little disappointed in that.”
Despite his performance Repacholi says he is feeling confident heading into the 50m pistol event on August 5.
July 29 2012 Newcastle swimmer Thomas Fraser-Holmes is looking towards his next events after finishing 7th in the 400-metre individual medley final on Saturday.
American Ryan Lochte claimed the gold medal in 4:05.18, beating Michael Phelps, who has won the same event at three successive Olympics.
It was Fraser-Holmes’ first Olympic final and finished with a time of 4:13.49.
Fraser-Holmes has another chance to win a medal when he competes in the 200m freestyle and 4x200m Freestyle relay in the next few days.
July 27 2012 He slashed five seconds off his personal best to qualify for London.
But Newcastle’s Thomas Fraser-Holmes will need to improve even further to earn a place on the podium – he’s up against two heavyweights.
23 JULY 2012 A Hunter sportsman is packing his bags for the London Olympics – but not in pursuit of a medal.
Diving coach Eric Brooker will be poolside with a select few judges from across the globe, to help decide who delivers a gold medal performance.
8 June 2012 Tamworth shooter Clive Barton will fly the flag for the north west when he heads to the London Olympics.
Barton hopes his experience at the top level will help him reach gold medal glory.
16 JULY 2012 Lake Macquarie 49er sailors Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen believe Spain and New Zealand will be their main rivals for gold in London.
Dear NBN,
Please tell your Olympic commentators that England Great Britain. They’ve been talking about TeamGB and England as the same thing. Expected better from an Aussie broadcaster, but it seems you’re just as bad as the yanks
i think that channel nine should show us people who haven’t got foxtell the equestrian events! the swimming has gone too long!
I am disappointed in NBN’s free to air coverage of the olympics London 2012.
It is only day one and already I have seen at least 10 swimming heats, 5 rowing heats and some of the cycling. However, I am left wondering about the other sporting events, and especially the ones my family and I enjoy watching, such as equestrian, fencing, table tennis and others. Its a shame that we do not get to watch more of a variety of sports.
In America, it has been advertised that people can watch the sporting events they choose, live online. It is unfair that Australia has to miss out on many sporting events, due to their broadcasters short sightings.
Even as I am writing this…yet another swimming heat. YUCK!
your opening anchor Stan whatever, come on get someone how knows something about sport.
Rabbits, Micheal Phelps is a swimmer not an athlete, athletes do athletics. swimmers do boring. I can see by the end of this it will be another stop start olympic coverage where you never get a feel of everything but some glossy cover story, bring back the ABC, they did it proper.
Day one and already over super slo mo’s, coles advertising and weak presenters from morning shows.
Me and my family are very horsey people and we, as well as many Australians believe that it is unfair to a lot of your viewers in Australia that we do not get to see the equestrians events. I’m sure we are liking the cycling and swimming but we never see stuff like horses and field events and other stuff. Every Olympics it swimming, rowing or cycling. That’s what the tour de France is for. It would be a whole lot better if you showed some equestrian events as we are ranking highly at the moment.
I am disappointed with NBN’s coverage of the olympics. Namely, how hard would it be to put a title at the top of the screen telling us what event we are watching? And what about showing us on the screen which country is in which lane during the race? The uniforms are no help at all, so surely the telecast could tell us who we were watching.
The coverage I am watching at present delivered by Cameron Williams and Leila McKinnon is as dull as watching wet newspaper. They both look and sound so bored – a bingo game at an RSL club would be more inspiring.
What is going on !!! Replays of various things, interviews etc but hardly any live coverage of the opals and the Beach Volleyball second set !!!!!
I’d like to complain about the lack of coverage of sports other than swimming, rowing and cycling. You are now replaying Stephanie Rices’ loss and the female relay team now for at least the second time, I suspect a third. Why not cover some equestrian, gymnastics, volleyball or any other sport instead of infinite replays? I cannot be the only Australian who is interested in sports other than swimming and cycling, a greater variety would interest more people who would watch your station, instead of turning it off after 15 minutes or switching to other stations.
Where is the coverage of equestrian events? It seems the riders are not entitled to tv coverage. We always rate highly with our Aussie team – why cant we have an option to watch them…..
Sick of watching replays and having the coverage switch midway through something good. Why do we have Ellen, Days of our lives showing?.Put the bloody Olympics on.
When are the equestrian events on…Havent seen any so far?
I am disgusted with the coverage of the Olympics. Swimming has been replayed and replayed all night long, every night since coverage started. Meanwhile many other sports have been going on: equestrian, archery, badminton, gymnastics… the list goes on.
As the only free-to-air Australian channel with rights to the Olympics, I think I wasn’t the only one who expected better coverage… even Days of Our Lives was still screening. This is the OLYMPICS – once every 4 years, a worldwide effort of cooperation and sportsmanship… and all Channel Nine can do is replay swimming heats of Australian athletes…
More faith should be placed in other athletes, not just swimmers. Even worse, replaying the swimmers’ losses and the terrible interviews of them crying and whatnot? We don’t need more media coverage pressuring the swimmers, making them feel dreadful… I’m sure not many people have qualified for the Olympics, so just let them be,.
Channel Nine, you have done a despicable job of covering the Olympics, I hope the rights to go another channel for Rio 2016.