NSWIS Athletes Bring Home Five Gold Medals

Just eight years out from the home Games in Brisbane in 2032, Australia’s best ever Olympic result saw the Australian team of 467 athletes finish fourth on the medal tally in Paris, with a record 18 gold, as well as 19 silver and 16 bronze. 

The NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) supported 83 of these athletes in their Olympic campaign with 19 NSWIS athletes bringing home a medal.  

NSWIS athlete Jessica Fox won her first gold medal in the Canoe Slalom K1 and her second gold medal, defending her Olympic title in the Canoe-Slalom C1 and in the process became the most successful individual medallist in Australian Olympic history.  

Gold medals were also won by NSWIS athletes Noemie Fox in the Kayak Cross, Saya Sakakibara in the BMX and Bronte Campbell and Olivia Wunsch (one medal) as heat swimmers in the 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay.  

“History would tell us that the NSW Institute of Sport is a major contributor to the Australian Olympic medal tally,” CEO Kevin Thompson said.  

“I am incredibly proud of the history making performances of our athletes at these Games – the likes of the Fox sisters, Saya Sakakibara and Jess Hull – along with NSWIS high performance staff whose expertise provided invaluable support to the Team both in the lead up to and during the Games.” 

The Institute contributed 12 medals to the national tally, including five gold, six silver and one bronze medal along with twelve top eight performances.  

“To see Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson win silver and bronze in the women’s high jump was brilliant. Then there was the outstanding performance by Grae Morris to win silver in the Windsurfing and the dramatic finish in the Men’s K4 which saw three time Olympian Riley Fitzsimmons win his first Olympic medal. 

“And to watch NSWIS alumni Bec Rippon coach the Stingers, in which there are eight NSWIS athletes, to a silver medal was phenomenal,” Thompson said. 

If NSWIS were its own country, it would have finished 16^th on the International Olympic Committee medal table, beating countries such as Sweden, Kenya, Norway and Ireland. 

“It’s a credit to the excellent planning and delivery of the high performance experts in our daily training environments that has provided the foundation for our athlete’s success. 

“As we look towards LA28 and Brisbane32, I am confident the pipeline of talent will only grow stronger and many of these top 8 performances will convert to medals.” 

NSWIS