Results from Day Eleven & Day Twelve Preview
The Australian women’s team pursuit quartet including Tasmanian Georgia Baker will still have a shot at a bronze medal after finishing 6th fastest in the qualifying round at the Saint Quentin En Yvelines velodrome, south-west of Paris.
The Australian team, also featuring Sophie Edwards, Chloe Moran and Maeve Plouffe recorded a time of 4:08.612 at an average speed of 57.922km/h over 4km and will race against France in the first of four heats at 9.52pm on Wednesday.
The winners of New Zealand (4:04.679) v Italy (4:07.579) and USA (4:05.238) v Great Britain (4:06.710) will go on to contest for gold and silver medals. With the two teams who post the fastest times in the first round then racing for bronze, remaining teams will race for 5th-8th placings.
Baker will also race the madison with Alex Manly on Saturday and the four elements of the omnium on the final night of the Games in a bid to end Australian track cycling's 12-year Olympic gold medal drought.
Stewart McSweyn will resume his second Olympic campaign in the 5000m.
Disappointed to exit the 1500m in the repechage having finished seventh in the Tokyo Olympic final, the 29-year-old King Islander hopes to bounce back over the longer distance in which he is ranked 19th in the world.
The second fastest Australian over both distances, Launceston-born, Melbourne-based McSweyn has been drawn in the first of two heats at the Stade de France at 7.10pm on Wednesday.
The first eight in each heat advance to the final at 4am on Sunday.
Jacob Despard is ready for Olympic Debut
Jacob Despard is hoping to use Commonwealth Games disappointment as motivation for Olympic success.
The Tasmanian was in the Australian 4x100-metre relay team which recorded a Did Not Finish in Birmingham in 2022 when teammate Rohan Browning stumbled and fell on the final leg.
Two years later Hobart’s 27-year-old Stawell Gift champion is making his Olympic debut across the English Channel with the memory still fresh.
“I just learned to accept that things are going to happen that are out of your control,” Despard said.
“You cannot change the past. So you control the controllables and see what happens next.
“I had high expectations in Birmingham. I thought we were going to win a medal so to come back without that, I was quite disappointed. But I got to travel the world and represent my country - that’s what I dreamed of doing and I got to do it.”
Despard joined the Australian relay team in 2019 and nailed down his place a couple of years later.
He combined with Queenslander Calab Law and NSW duo Sebastian Sultana and Josh Azzopardi to secure Olympic qualification on the final night of the World Athletics Relay Championships in The Bahamas earlier this year.
With an individual 100m personal best of 10.15, Despard has become a second-leg specialist, usually receiving the baton from young starter Sultana and handing on to Law with Azzopardi on the anchor.
“Leg two is the longest,” he explained. “It’s one of two that has to receive and pass and you have to think about both and you are actually running the furthest so the element of fatigue comes in.
“You run 100m with the baton but there is a 30m acceleration zone and a passing zone at the end so you end up doing about 140m in total.
“It is said that two and three are the hardest legs because you’ve got to navigate both changes. But I love the thrill of receiving the baton and having to pass it on. I’ve run the last leg a few times and it feels a bit boring just running to the line.”
Born in Hobart, Despard started athletics aged 13, predominantly to improve his running to help him bowl fast in cricket with North Hobart.
He joined OVA Southern Saints, swiftly developed into a sprinter and never imagined running would eventually take priority over cricket.
“I would have laughed about that to be honest. I did not think athletics would be my sport, especially not 100m. I used to win cross-countries, but that’s a long way from 100m.
“I knew I wanted to represent Australia in sport and felt I was destined to but athletics snuck up on me and that’s where I am now. It’s been a hell of a journey."
“It was hard to give up cricket and Dad was not happy when I did. I will go back to it because I do miss that team environment and celebrating success together but I think that’s why I love relay. I grew up playing team sport and it’s why we do things like this.”
As opposed to some Olympians whose involvement can last up to eight hours, Despard is well aware his Paris schedule could be limited to just 10 seconds.
But he will be relishing that pressure when the 4x100m relay heats begin at 7.35pm on Thursday.
“You don’t get any forgiveness if you muck up. If a ball sport person makes a mistake, they can make up for it and everyone forgets it. If I make a mistake, it’s all over and there’s nothing you can do about it.
“We train our whole lives to go and perform for 10 seconds, but I love it … and it’s the golden event for a reason.
“Everyone loves the 100m, it’s the blue riband event. When I was younger everyone wanted to be Usain Bolt, me included.”