Australia’s swimmers will spearhead a bumper opening day of competition at the Paris Olympics, boasting four genuine gold medal chances.
Flag bearers Jessica Fox and Eddie Ockenden will be straight into competition after leading the team in an historic opening ceremony held on the River Seine rather than a traditional stadium showpiece.
Fox will have two qualifying runs in the K1 (slalom kayak) as she opens her bid for a historic gold medal treble.
She’s won two bronze and a silver in the event in her three Games but so far gold has proved elusive.
It’s the same for hockey ace Ockenden, who came closest with silver in Tokyo, and the Kookaburras will look to get off to a positive start in their first pool match against Argentina.
All eyes will be on Australia’s swimmers, whose performances set the tone for the team.
They could potentially capture gold medals in four of the 14 events decided in eight sports on day one.
Ariarne Titmus will open her medal campaign in what’s been dubbed the “race of the century”, defending her 400m Olympic freestyle crown against American legend Katie Ledecky and Canadian teen Summer McIntosh.
Australia will start raging favourites in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay after shattering the world record last year while the men, anchored by Kyle Chalmers, are an outside chance in a race where the US are heavily favoured.
World champion Sam Short and Queenslander Elijah Winnington will fly the flag in the men’s 400m freestyle.
Rio bronze medallists Anabelle Smith and Maddison Keeney could win Australia’s first medal in Paris, with the final of the women’s 3m synchronised diving kicking off at 11am (1900 AEST).
Often shadowed by the Rio gold medal-winning women, the men’s sevens team are in the medal mix, meeting Olympic champions Fiji in the semi-finals at Stade de France at 4pm (0000 AEST Saturday).
Runner-up at the last two world championships, Australian cycling star Grace Brown fancies her chances in Saturday’s 32.4km road time trial.
Other Australians in action include the Boomers taking on world No.2 Spain in their first pool game, men’s gymnast Jesse Moore and beach volleyballers Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar.
Skateboarder Shane O’Neill is in the street discipline while Matt Ebden faces a massive challenge in men’s singles against Novak Djokovic.
Later in the evening, the women’s water polo team – who have had five players contract COVID – take on China.
