All eyes on Team Deakin! A recap of the OIympics action so far and who to watch this week
The rescheduled 2020 Tokyo Olympic are now in full swing (with the Paralympic Games due to begin soon), and what a journey it’s been for the hardworking athletes representing Australia on the world’s biggest sporting stage. We are keeping a keen eye on our Deakin elite-athlete students and alumni who are donning the green and gold to represent both their uni and their country with pride.
Here we recap all the week one action of our elite-athlete students and graduates in Tokyo, and flag who to watch this week as they aim to make their Olympic dreams come true! We’ve listed our elite-athlete students and alumni event schedules on the Deakin website so you don’t miss a minute, and you can tune into all the action from the Games as it is televised live and free exclusively on Seven and 7TWO, and simulcast in HD on 7plus.
Congrats on the gold, Lucy!
In exciting news last week, rower Lucy Stephan, who formerly studied a Bachelor of Arts at Deakin, won a gold medal in the women’s coxless fours alongside her teammates Rosie Popa, Annabelle McIntyre and Jessica Morrison. Congratulations Lucy and team!
Well done, Hana and Jessica
Making her Olympic debut in Tokyo, current Bachelor of Health and Physical Education student Hana Basic finished fifth in her 100m athletics heat late last week and consequently did not progress to the semi-finals. Similarly, swimmer and Deakin alumnus Jessica Hansen finished fifth in her 100m Breaststroke heat earlier in the Games, bringing her first Olympics journey in Tokyo to an end. Well done ladies, and we look forward to following your promising careers in future!
Tune in and support our athletes as they progress!
Monday 2 August
- We’re holding our collective breaths for current Psychology student Ezi Magbegor and alumnus Bec Allen, who as part of the Australian Opals basketball team have had two losses so far (including the contentious late-game loss to China on Friday night). The Opals will return to the court tonight and must defeat Puerto Rico by a solid margin to stand a chance at the quarter-finals.
- We are also keen to see Blake Edwards‘ performance in the water polo preliminary round Group B game against Kazakhstan tonight, given his impressive goal-scoring against Serbia on Thursday night (despite Australia finishing 8-14). While the Sharks have lost three games all up, including the fierce clash against Spain on Saturday, they still have a shot at the quarter-finals on Wednesday if all goes well. Fingers crossed!
Tuesday 3 August
- Turning our attention to former Bachelor of Physical Education student and Aussie Stingers captain Rowie Webster, the Australian women’s water polo team have enjoyed three wins and just one loss, including the whopping 14-1 victory against South Africa yesterday in the preliminary round Group A match. Cheer on Rowie and the ladies as they take on the Russian Olympic Committee on Tuesday night in what is sure to be a nail-biter!
- In the athletics sphere, alumnus Brooke Stratton has progressed to the women’s Long Jump final on Tuesday morning after placing eighth (6.60m) in the qualifying round over the weekend.
Friday 6 August
- Yet to compete in the Games, we are getting ready to cheer on Rhydian Cowley as he gets set to compete in the men’s 50km race walk on Friday morning. Rhydian, who completed his Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Commerce at Deakin, has eight appearances in the green and gold at the highest levels, including Olympics and world championships. He also achieved a new personal best of 1:20.19 in 2019 which elevated him to number seven Australian all-time, and we can’t wait to see him in action as he takes yet another attempt at Olympic glory.
Best of luck to all our Deakin athletes – we’re cheering you from home! The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games are being televised live and free exclusively on Seven and 7TWO, and simulcast in HD on 7plus.
Image credit: Jeff Riseley. Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images.