Great Australian Olympians

Australia has established a strong reputation of Olympic success in a variety of sports, particularly in swimming, cycling, rowing, and field hockey.

The Australian team entering the stadium at the Olympic Games

Here is our list of what we think are the greatest Australian Olympic Champions, in no particular order:

Dawn Fraser — Dawn won gold medals in the 100m freestyle at the Games in 1956, 1960, and 1964, and in doing so was also the first swimmer to win the same event in three consecutive Olympics. She won a total of four gold medals.
Shirley Strickland — Shirley won seven Olympic medals, including three gold medals: 80 meter hurdles twice (1952, 1956) and the 4x100 meter relay (1956). She has won the most Olympic medals for any Australian in Athletics, and was the first Australian woman to win an Olympic medal in Athletics.
Betty Cuthbert — The winner of 4 Olympic gold medals in athletics, she is one of our top Olympians. Her medal haul included 3 golds at one Olympics, and she is the only athlete to win gold in the 100m, 200m and 400m.
Emma McKeon — With a total of 11 Olympic medals in swimming, including 5 gold medals, she is Australia's most successful Olympian. Her four gold and three bronze medals in Tokyo was the most by any athlete, and is tied for the most medals won in a single Olympics by a woman.

Cathy Freeman — Cathy was the first Aboriginal Australian to win a gold medal in an individual event (400 meter run).
Shane Gould — she won three gold medals in 1972: in the 200 meter individual medley, 400 meter freestyle, and 200 meter freestyle. She was only 15 years old at the time.
Murray Rose — Rose was a six-time Australian Olympic medalist in swimming
Marjorie Jackson — first Australian woman to win an Olympic gold medal (100 meter dash in 1952).
Jared Tallent — he is our most successful athlete on the track, a four-time Olympic medalist, winning gold in London in the 50km walk to go with 2 silver and a bronze.
Ian Thorpe — Thorpey competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. He won five Olympic gold medals, three silver and one bronze.
Melissa Tapper — she made sporting history when she played table tennis for Australia at the Rio Olympics and Paralympics, and did it again in Tokyo.
Jian Fang Lay - the table tennis player is first Australian woman to compete in six Olympic Games (2000-2021).
Matthew Mitcham: Matthew Mitcham made history at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by scoring a perfect 10 in the men's 10m platform diving final, winning gold and ending Australia’s long drought in diving gold medals.

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