Australia report cards for 2016 Rio Olympics: Sport by sport we rate the Aussies

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This was published 7 years ago

Australia report cards for 2016 Rio Olympics: Sport by sport we rate the Aussies

By Michael Chammas, Daniel Cherny, Chris Barrett, Phil Lutton, Michael Gleeson and Samantha Lane
Updated
Ryan Tyack, Taylor Worth and Alec Potts celebrate beating China.

Ryan Tyack, Taylor Worth and Alec Potts celebrate beating China.Credit: Getty Images

ARCHERY

EXPECTATIONS:
Australia's best chance of a medal at the Sambodromo was always going to be in the team competition on day one, with first-timers Alec Potts and Ryan Tyack joining Taylor Worth, who was ninth in the individual event in London and ninth in last year's world championships. The trio had placed eighth in the 2015 worlds.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"We are all shooting really well. If we are all on song on the right day, then we are capable of potentially finishing on the podium," said Worth.

WHAT HAPPENED:
The Australians defeated China to win bronze in the men's team competition, the country's first ever medal in team archery and first medal of the Games. Worth also reached the quarter-finals in the individual event, bowing out to the eventual gold medallist.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"It's a real milestone for us as a team, we've had some great scores in practice and have come a long way especially in the last year, it's surreal." – Potts.

GRADE: A

Dane Bird-Smith celebrates his bronze medal.

Dane Bird-Smith celebrates his bronze medal.Credit: AP

ATHLETICS*

EXPECTATIONS:
With reigning 100m hurdles champion Sally Pearson absent due to injury, Australia's best chances looked to lie with fellow London gold medallist Jared Tallent in the 50km walk, and long jumper Fabrice Lapierre.

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WHAT THEY SAID:
"I think our base is a lot broader now, we have a lot more athletes who come in there who can push into that top 16, top eight, hopefully we snag more top eights, that would be key." – Athletics Australia head coach Craig Hilliard.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Dane Bird-Smith claimed bronze on the opening dayand Jared Tallent silver in the 50km walk, but while plenty of other Aussies made finals, none was able to replicate the walkers' achievements. Perhaps most disappointing was Lapierre, who bombed badly. Samuels was cruelly edged to fourth.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"It sucks. The long jump is one of those events where the best jumper doesn't always win, you can jump the furthest but it doesn't always mean you are going to win." – Lapierre.

GRADE: C

BADMINTON

EXPECTATIONS:
Very few. Australian sent five athletes to Rio in Badminton and none was considered a real chance of a medal. It's one of the poorer-funded sports so any podium appearance would have been a surprise. Sawan Serasinghe did become an internet hit for his post-competition McDonald's binge.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"I don't think I was really expecting to play badminton for Australia at the Olympics a year and a half ago if I'm totally honest." – Robin Middleton.

WHAT HAPPENED:
The mixed doubles finished ninth, the men's doubles finished equal ninth and singles entrant Hsuan-Yu Wendy Chen finished 17th.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"The Olympics is another level from anything else we've ever done, this far surpasses everything." – doubles player Matthew Chau.

GRADE: C

Penny Taylor says the Opals let themselves down.

Penny Taylor says the Opals let themselves down.Credit: Getty Images

BASKETBALL*

EXPECTATIONS:
The Boomers came into the Olympics as the 11th-ranked team, but given most of their NBA stars made themselves available, they believed they could medal in Rio. The Opals came in as the No.2-ranked side and were expected to take on the United States in the final.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"I know that we have done everything possible and we will always have that [gold] as our goal. It's also important to realise how well we have done to get there each time, and how important it is to just to get the medal games." – Opal Penny Taylor.

WHAT HAPPENED:
The women went through the group stages undefeated, but didn't pay enough attention to Serbia and suffered a shock loss in the quarter finals. The Boomers play for bronze.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"It's pretty upsetting. We expect more from ourselves and everyone expects more from us. It hurts to let people down and let ourselves down." – Taylor.

GRADE: B-

USA's April Ross spikes past Louise Bawden in the quarter final.

USA's April Ross spikes past Louise Bawden in the quarter final.Credit: Getty Images

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

EXPECTATIONS:
Australia qualified two women's beach volleyball teams – but main hopes were placed with Louise Bawden and Taliqua Clancy. The pair had been in reasonable form heading into the Games – winning Australia's first world tour medal since 2007 with a bronze at the event in Croatia in June. A medal in Rio was a chance.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"Seeded seventh is a good position to be in, but we are always wanting more. We are doing everything possible to produce our strongest performances and win an Olympic medal on the beach in Rio." – Louise Bawden.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Nicole Laird went winless in their pool, but the more fancied Bawden and Clancy advanced undefeated. They came from a set down to defeat a Polish pair in the round of 16 before being eliminated in straight sets by the reigning champions from the US in the quarter-finals.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"I know there's things we could have done a bit better, just to give us more of an attacking edge against those guys, which is where you have to be if you want to beat them." – Bawden.

GRADE: B-

BOXING

EXPECTATIONS:
A tougher qualification route through Asia rather than Oceania saw just three fighters step into the ring in Rio: Daniel Lewis, Jason Whateley and Shelley Watts. Of that trio, Watts was considered a medal chance if she had improved from Glasgow 2014 while the Winning Edge benchmark was 0-1.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"I really hope that when I step into the ring at the Olympic Games, people see my journey as someone who has fought for her fairytale." – Watts.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Both Whateley and Watts lost their first-round bouts and were eliminated, while Lewis lost a unanimous decision in his second fight.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"I know I didn't get the decision but I gave it everything," Lewis said after his loss to Uzbekistan's world No.2 champion Bektemir Melikuziev.

GRADE: C

Jessica Fox of Australia holds her bronze medal after the kayak K1 women's final.

Jessica Fox of Australia holds her bronze medal after the kayak K1 women's final.Credit: Kirsty Wigglesworth

CANOE/KAYAK

EXPECTATIONS:
A silver medallist four years ago in London, there were high hopes for Jess Fox, who loomed as a genuine gold medal threat. There were expectations too on men's K1 1000m kayaker Murray Stewart, who had won gold in the K4 in 2012.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"Favouritism? I guess that comes with experience. It comes with getting good results. You've got to be able to deal with that" – Fox.

WHAT HAPPENED:
A two-second penalty – spotted on a video replay – cost Fox her chance of taking gold. Still she ended with bronze, meaning she joins the rare club of Australian dual Olympic medallists. More heartbreaking was Stewart's fate. He led the final with 250m to go only to finish fourth. The news was better for men's K2 1000m pair Ken Wallace and Lachlan Tame, who claimed bronze. It meant Australia just met their medal benchmark of 2-4.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"I think I'd feel a lot less tired if I had a medal round my neck." – Stewart.

GRADE: C+

Elia Viviani of Italy and Glenn O'Shea of Australia crash in the omnium.

Elia Viviani of Italy and Glenn O'Shea of Australia crash in the omnium.Credit: Bryn Lennon

CYCLING*

EXPECTATIONS:
Between five and seven medals were budgeted for across road, track and BMX, with as many as five from the track alone.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"We are on a mission, and we mean business. We are there to get the job done, rather than just take in the experience." – team pursuit and omnium cyclist Annette Edmondson.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong. From losing road rider Simon Gerrans to injury a month before Games, to crashes, illness, injury, bike malfunctions and plain under-performing. From road: 0 medals, from track: silver and bronze.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"We'll look at the good, the bad, the ugly. We've had an average week, and we know it's not a good time to have it." – Cycling Australia high performance boss Kevin Tabotta.

GRADE: E

DIVING

EXPECTATIONS:
Australia's best hope in the diving pool was Melissa Wu in the 10m platform. Wu won silver at the 2008 Beijing games as well as gold in Delhi for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"I haven't put too much pressure on myself in terms of medals or anything. I just want to go and dive really well and be happy with my performance. Hopefully that will mean I'm up there with a chance for a medal." – Melissa Wu.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Wu failed to win a medal, finishing fifth in the final. However Australia didn't leave the green pool empty-handed, with Anabelle Smith and Maddison Keeney winning bronze in the three-metre springboard synchronised diving.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"I was feeling pretty relaxed. We were not really diving on our game. We were out there just enjoying it. I was thinking about fifth place." – Maddison Keeney.

GRADE: C

Chris Burton rides Santano II to clinch a team bronze medal for Australia in the equestrian

Chris Burton rides Santano II to clinch a team bronze medal for Australia in the equestrianCredit: John Locher

EQUESTRIAN

EXPECTATIONS:
Australia have a fine history on horseback and had serious hopes of extending it with an experienced show-jumping contingent led by Edwina Tops-Alexander and the eventing team of world No.2 Chris Burton, Sam Griffiths, Shane Rose and Stuart Tinney.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"There's an experienced feel about the team. With that experience there's also that cutting edge that we need to be able to get that gold medal," said eventing team member Shane Rose. "If three of us can finish in the mid-low 30s then we're a massive chance for that gold medal."

WHAT HAPPENED:
Australia ended up 13th in teams jumping but in a dramatic finish in three-day eventing Burton, Griffiths, Rose and Tinney took bronze when the final rider Burton and his horse Santano II left two rails down. Griffiths and Burton were fourth and fifth, respectively, in individual eventing.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"I'm disappointed. But the horse has just been outstanding... He is a little superstar. There's plenty more to come." – Burton.

GRADE: B

SOCCER

EXPECTATIONS:
Having made the quarter-finals yet again at last year's World Cup in Canada, the Matildas entered the Games as the world No. 5 and were viewed as a genuine medal shot. A pre-Games injury cloud for star defender Steph Catley was a concern.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"We've achieved our best ranking now but a ranking's just on paper. We want some hard medals now to back up that we're one of the best teams in the world." – Matildas coach Alen Stajcic.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Disappointed after a 2-0 loss to Canada to start their campaign, the Matildas were denied a win next-up as Germany scored a late equaliser. A thumping win over Zimbabwe wasn't enough to avoid Brazil in the quarter-finals. Katrina Gorry had a chance to seal it for the Matildas in a penalty shootout, only to have her shot saved. Alanna Kennedy suffered the same fate and Australia were eliminated in heartbreaking fashion.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"In our pre-tournament meeting with the referees they highlighted that they would be searching and looking and keeping an eye out for goalkeepers moving off the line. It's just disappointing they didn't see that during the penalty shootout. I'm not sure of the exact ruling but it was an unfair advantage." – Midfielder Elise Kellond-Knight.

GRADE: C+

GOLF

EXPECTATIONS:
When Adam Scott and Jason Day pulled out of the Olympics, Australia's hopes of a medal in the men's draw went with it. Australia's best hope in the women's draw was world No.17 Minjee Lee.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"To play in the Olympics is a dream come true. Obviously with golf being back for the first time in over 100 years it is pretty amazing and it's going to be a great week and I can't wait to represent our great country." – Marcus Fraser.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Marcus Fraser led the field after the opening day, shooting 63. However the Australian was unable to keep up with the pacesetters for the remainder of the tournament, finishing in fifth and eight shots behind gold medallist Justin Rose. Lee finished eighth.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"There was a lot of self-doubt there. Coming out this week and doing it on this stage was pretty pleasing. To finish fifth is a big plus for me. It is just so different [to a major]." – Fraser.

GRADE: C

GYMNASTICS

EXPECTATIONS:
Australia failed to qualify a gymnastics team for these Games, forcing them to make do with three individual gymnasts: Larissa Miller (artistic), Blake Gaudry (trampoline) and Danielle Prince (rhythmic). Given trampoliner Ji Wallace won Australia's sole gymnastics medal 16 years ago - expectations were low.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"Gymnastics is refreshing its talent. We've got a great depth of young athletes there ready for the Commonwealth Games in 2018 on the Gold Coast and the 2020 Olympics," - Gymnastics Australia president Jacqui Briggs-Weatherill.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Miller failed to make a final, with her best performance a 30th-placed finish in the uneven bars. Gaudry also missed out, finishing 13th in qualifying.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"Even though it's 13th place [again] I feel like I have improved since London and I'm very much a better competitor." – Blake Gaudry.

Grade: D

The Hockeyroos had a disappointing quarter-final exit.

The Hockeyroos had a disappointing quarter-final exit.Credit: Getty Images

HOCKEY

EXPECTATIONS:
It was hoped both the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos would medal at the Rio Olympics. The men came into the tournament as the No.1 team in the world, while the women were also in the hunt for a medal, ranked No.3.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"When we go to the Olympic Games as the Australian men's hockey team we want to win, we don't want to get bronze, just make the semis or play off for fifth." – Kookaburras captain Mark Knowles.

WHAT HAPPENED:
The Kookaburras struggled in the group stage, finishing third. It set up a quarter final showdown with the world No.2 Netherlands, who knocked the Aussies out of the tournament with a 4-0 win. The Hockeyroos were equally uninspiring in the group stage, suffering the same fate as the men in the quarter finals, bowing out to New Zealand.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"We spoke after Beijing eight years ago, we spoke after London four years ago ... about how we need to do it on the big stage when it really matters. That was an unacceptable performance from the players and myself as an individual and as a leader of the team I take responsibility for how we played." – Mark Knowles.

GRADE: D

JUDO

EXPECTATIONS:
Australia brought seven judoka to Rio in a bid to add to the country's only two medals in the sport, and this was their youngest ever team with all on Olympic debut. Miranda Giambelli and Katharina Haecker qualified with top-14 rankings while Jake Bensted was another of the hopefuls after reaching the podium at the Commonwealth Games.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"Going into an Olympics you have to plan to win. There is no point going there to be second best. We're going to do whatever we can to be on top of the podium," said Bensted, 22.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Bensted, who lost in the round of 16 of the men's 73kg division to the eventual silver medallist, and Haecker, who went out at the same stage in the women's 63kg class, were the only Australians to win matches. Josh Katz, at 18 Australia's youngest-ever male Olympic judoka, lost narrowly to the eventual bronze medallist in the 60kg class.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"I think that this is what I needed though for four years' time so I can make sure that never happens again." – Josh Katz.

GRADE: C

Chloe Esposito of Australia competes during the Combined Running/Shooting.

Chloe Esposito of Australia competes during the Combined Running/Shooting.

MODERN PENTATHLON

EXPECTATIONS:
Brother and sister Max and Chloe Esposito were the first two Australian athletes to qualify for the Rio Games, but expectations were low given the country had never won a medal in the sport – perhaps best known in Australia for being the breeding ground of Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller.

WHAT THEY SAID: "I was thinking, 'it's another training session, with a bit more light and cameras. I've done this 1000 times in training before. I've just got to do it one more time'." - Chloe Esposito.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Chloe Esposito blitzed the field in the final leg - cross country and shooting - to win gold. Max, at his first Olympics, finished seventh - exactly where Chloe was four years ago.

GRADE: A+

Kim Brennan (centre) in her gold medal-winning race in Rio.

Kim Brennan (centre) in her gold medal-winning race in Rio. Credit: Getty Images

ROWING

EXPECTATIONS:
Winning Edge projections had Australia winning three to six medals on Lake Lagoa. Kim Brennan and the men's quad sculls were expected to be right amongs the gold medal fight.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"It's quite a compliment to be branded the favourites, it is something that we have taken in our stride and it's not something that has affected the training that we've been doing, or our preparation as such." – quad sculls member Sasha Belonogoff.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Brennan delivered gold in the women's single sculls, while the men's four and quad sculls claimed silver.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"It's one of those things that your do so much visualisation and you imagine that moment so many times, but just crossing the line, I couldn't work out whether that was actually it or whether that was my imagination. Again, I can't really believe it." – Brennan.

GRADE: A

Tom Burton won gold in the men's laser for Australia.

Tom Burton won gold in the men's laser for Australia.Credit: AP

SAILING

EXPECTATIONS:
Our sailors have been given a major dose of funding and were expected to fire in Rio, with between three and five medals the benchmark.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"We feel really ready," said Nathan Outteridge, who sails with Iain Jensen in the 49ers. "It's been a big change for us. At the start of July we left all our commitments with the America's Cup behind and headed to Rio to focus on the Olympics. It's made a massive difference."

WHAT HAPPENED:
Tom Burton won gold in the men's laser, Outteridge and Jensen collected silver while Matt Belcher and Will Ryan did the same in the 470s.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"The amount of hours I have put into this, the sacrifices I have made; not going to my sister's wedding, skipping the Opening Ceremony to try and get a good result and it's all perfect now." – Tom Burton.

GRADE: A

RUGBY SEVENS

EXPECTATIONS:
The men were always expected to struggle to medal, but the women were gold medal favourites.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"Obviously my next ambition is to win the Olympics but I have plans for the World Cup, the Commonwealth Games and back-to-back World Series." – women's sevens coach Tim Walsh.

WHAT HAPPENED:
The women went through the tournament undefeated, overcoming New Zealand 24-17 in the final to win the first rugby sevens gold medal. A sledge from the Kiwi coach, who said Australians couldn't handle pressure before the final, served as motivation. The men lost to France in the battle for seventh, settling for eighth position after losing their quarter final to South Africa.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"Everything is definitely worthwhile, I've got a heavy gold medal hanging around my neck." – Sharni Williams.

GRADE: B+

TABLE TENNIS

EXPECTATIONS:
A fringe nation in table tennis, hopes were limited for Australia, with the main focus on Melissa Tapper, who was set to become the first Australian athlete to compete at both the Olympics and Paralympics.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"This is going to be a very tough match, but one hell of a memory, so please cross your fingers for me." – Tapper.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Veteran Jian Fang Lay made it the furthest of any Australian, upsetting a higher-ranked Austrian opponent to advance to the third round of the women's singles competition. Australia's men failed to win a match.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"I played the best that I could in that moment, and given the circumstances and everything that's happening around, I'm quite happy with the 4-2 loss. Obviously you always want to win, but I think I put up a good fight." – Tapper.

GRADE: C-

SHOOTING

EXPECTATIONS:
After a tumultuous lead-up that led to Michael Diamond being ineligible for the squad Australia's marksmen and women came with high hopes of breaking an eight-year medal drought despite some inexperienced shooters, most notably in the men's double trap in which James Willett arrived as the world No.1.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"The goal for Rio is to medal and that is what I have been working towards," men's trap hopeful Adam Vella said. "What colour medal I'm not sure but I'll take any colour."

WHAT HAPPENED:
Vella wound up 12th, and Willett finished fifth. However, Catherine Skinner, the daughter of a Victorian cattle farmer, pulled off a stunning win in the women's trap, the country's first shooting old since Athens.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"It shows we're certainly on the right path and trajectory towards Tokyo," Shooting Australia's CEO Damien Marangon said after Skinner's victory. "If you look at the age of our athletes and their performances, we certainly believe we're capable of more than one medal in Tokyo."

GRADE: B

Mack Horton with his gold for the men's 400m Freestyle.

Mack Horton with his gold for the men's 400m Freestyle.Credit: Getty Images

SWIMMING

EXPECTATIONS:
Lofty indeed, and before you say it; no, it wasn't just media "hype". Eight swimmers with world-leading times and a swag of 2015 world champions suggested an excellent week in the Rio pool. Official Winning Edge target was 9-11 medals.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"It's definitely a special group, all you see here is world champions. But this is the Olympics, everybody starts at zero again." – head coach Jacco Verhaeren.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Some of them got it together on the day, plenty of others didn't. Australia finished with three golds, four silver and three bronze for a total of 10, second to the might of the USA. Mack Horton and Kyle Chalmers were the big stars but the Campbell sisters, Cam McEvoy and Emily Seebohm returned without an individual medal.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"Obviously their bodies were in shape and ready to swim. Maybe it was a mental thing, I don't know. But I think when you come into a Games like this, a major international competition, I think you should be ready both physically and mentally because these meets take a lot out of you both ways and emotionally." – US legend Michael Phelps.

GRADE: B-

SYNCHRONISED SWIMMING

EXPECTATIONS:
Australia has never claimed an Olympic medal in synchronised swimming, but its origin is distinctly Australian. At the turn of the 20th century, Annette Kellerman, an Australian swimmer, toured the United States performing water acrobatics. Her shows proved very popular and a sport was born. Unfortunately, it wasn't expected to transfer into medals in Rio.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"We are confident that we can deal with anything thrown at us in Rio." – Danielle Kettlewell.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Australia finished in last position for the technical routine of the women's team event. Unfortunately they also finished last (24th) in the women's duet event featuring NIkita Pablo and Rose Stackpole.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"We had prepared ourselves for every 'what if' moment but we never expected an Olympic pool to go green. We had to train with our goggles on." – Nikita Pablo.

GRADE: D

TAEKWONDO

EXPECTATIONS:
The four-member team was a family affair, including Carmen Marton and fiance Safwan Khalil, who both narrowly missed medals in London, and Marton's sister Caroline. Carmen Marton, a world champion in 2013, and Khalil arrived as medal chances.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"I know that now if I don't take any shortcuts heading into Rio I'm definitely a shot at a medal." – Khalil.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Two of Australia's four athletes had completed competition before Friday. Khalil went out in the quarter-finals to the teenage Thai athlete who won silver, while debutant Marton lost narrowly in the round of 16.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"I'm done, I'm 30-years-old and I want to start a family. Carmen and I spoke before this campaign and said no matter what happens we have to be happy with what we have done and just move on." – Khalil.

GRADE: B

TENNIS

EXPECTATIONS:
The withdrawal of Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic all but ended Australia's chances of a medal in the men's tournament, with John Millman, Sam Groth and Thanasi Kokkinakis expected to make up the numbers. Daria Gavrilova and Sam Stosur were capable of going deep into the tournament.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"I wouldn't have played if it was any other tournament. I would have given myself more time (to get over a shoulder injury). Even a slam I would have waited a little bit longer ... I know it's not huge for tennis players with no points and no money involved but for me to be a part of this is pretty surreal." – Thanasi Kokkinakis.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Kokkinakis went out in the first round. So too did Sam Groth and Daria Gavrilova, who drew Serena Williams. John Millman created history with the first Olympics double bagel, but was unable to overcome Kei Nishikori in the second round. Sam Stosur lost in the third round to eventual runner up Angelique Kerber.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"In the second I started to get myself into the match and that 5-4 game was huge but you can't have a game like that and then let them off again by losing serve especially when they're a quality player like she is." – Stosur after her loss to Kerber.

GRADE: C

TRIATHLON

EXPECTATIONS:
Official benchmarking was 0-1 medals as Australia sent three out in each of the men's and women's races.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"I would love to get on the podium again. I am just going to go out there to give it my best": Beijing bronze medallist Emma Moffatt.

WHAT HAPPENED:
In the men's event, Aaron Royle finished ninth, Ryan Bailie 10th and Ryan Fisher 24th. Emma Moffatt was sixth in the women's event.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"Tenth in my first Olympic Games; you've got to be pretty happy with that." – Bailie.

GRADE: C-

A shot by Stinger Bronwen Knox against goalkeeper Orsolya Kaso of Hungary hits the post during the shootout in their quarterfinal.

A shot by Stinger Bronwen Knox against goalkeeper Orsolya Kaso of Hungary hits the post during the shootout in their quarterfinal.Credit: Getty Images

WATER POLO

EXPECTATIONS:
Fourth at the world championships last year, Australia's women's team – the Stingers – were considered a strong chance for a third consecutive Olympic medal, while their male counterparts the Sharks were striving for at least a quarter-final berth.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"Losing that semi-final both previous times is absolutely heartbreaking. I'm going for this third one and I'm just looking forward to just leaving everything in the pool. – Stingers captain Bronwen Knox.

WHAT HAPPENED:
The Sharks finished fifth in their group to narrowly miss qualifying for the last eight, but the pain was much more acute for the Stingers who were edged in a quarter-final penalty shootout by Hungary, having led the match 5-1. Captain Knox's missed penalty will burn.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"Consistency wasn't our closest friend this Olympic campaign. When we looked good, we were the best team in this competition." – Stingers vice-captain Rowie Webster.

GRADE: C-

WEIGHTLIFTING

EXPECTATIONS:
It's been a long time since Dean Lukin fired a shot for Australia on the international stage. Our weightlifting duo in Rio of Simplice Ribouem and Tia Toomey had nice stories but weren't expected to trouble the scorers.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"Crossfit drew me to weightlifting. But I need both of them to be able to perform at high levels." – Toomey.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Ribouem produced a PB to finish fifth in the men's 94kg Group B event (the tier below the medal contenders) while Toomey would also finish fifth in Group B in her Olympic debut.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"I'm very proud to lift for Australia and give back to the country that gave me this opportunity." – Ribouem, who used to compete for his native Cameroon.

GRADE: C

WRESTLING*

EXPECTATIONS:
The contingent in Rio was reduced to three last month when Vinod Kumar was handed a four-year doping ban. There was not any realistic chance of a first medal in wrestling for 68 years.

WHAT THEY SAID:
"These guys have put in so much hard work, they definitely deserve the rewards they've got." – Wrestling Australia president John Saul.

WHAT HAPPENED:
Freestyle wrestlers Talgat Ilyasov and Sahit Prizreni were due to wrestle late in the schedule. Earlier, Popov went out in the first round of the men's 130kg Greco-Roman category against the bronze medallist from London.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW:
"Ivan had a tough first up fight against the London bronze medallist from Sweden. He'd had a good preparation but was unable to get the better of his opponent and will no doubt be better for the experience." – Andrew Logan, team leader Rio 2016 combat sports

GRADE: C

* Australia still had athletes to compete in these sports.

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