Tasmanian middle distance runner Stewart McSweyn has vowed to bounce back after missing out on automatic qualification in the 1500 metres.
Seeking to improve on his seventh place in the Tokyo Olympic final, which was the best by an Australian in 61 years, the 29-year-old King Islander hit the front early in his heat but started to drop back with a lap to go.
Boxed in at a packed Stade de France, he finished 11th in 3:36.55 - more than a second behind Ethiopian winner Ermias Girma and seven seconds off his personal best.
With the first six in all three heats advancing to semi-finals, all others head to the repechage round which takes place at 3.15am on Sunday.
“Obviously with the repechage we'll see if we can bounce back, but today was disappointing,” McSweyn said.
“I feel like I ran my race. I just didn't close as well as I was hoping. But we live to find another day, so hopefully we can turn it around tomorrow. It's going to be one hell of a story if we can turn it around from the repechage.
“I'm going to be there tomorrow. Anytime I wear the Aussie green and gold, I want to do us proud. I have a lot of family and friends here, so I want to put in a better performance and keep the championship in the 1500m going.”
McSweyn will run the first of two repechage heats from which the first three finishers advance to semi-finals at 5.15am on Monday with the final at 4.50am on Wednesday. The Launceston-born, Melbourne-based runner will have little recovery time before the first round of the 5000m later on Wednesday (7.10pm) plus a possible final on Sunday (4am).
A talented teenage runner at King Island District School and Ballarat Clarendon College, McSweyn is the second fastest Australian in both his Paris Olympic events, sitting behind Oliver Hoare (3:29.41) and childhood idol Craig Mottram (12:55.76) respectively.
Eddie Ockenden said the Kookaburras are not daunted about facing world number three The Netherlands in the hockey quarter-finals after completing their pool games with a tight 2-3 defeat to India.
A second loss to go with three wins saw the Aussies finish third on the Pool B standings and line up a blockbuster with the Dutch at 1.30am on Monday.
"In the quarter-finals we always know we are going to have tough games,” said the five-time Olympian and Paris opening ceremony flag-bearer.
“It doesn't matter where you finish. You're sort of ready for that. We're expecting a tough game no matter what."
Tokyo bronze medallists India got off to an early two-goal lead thanks to Abhishek Abhishek and Harmanpreet Singh. Skipper Singh later bagged a second off a penalty stroke as Tom Craig and Blake Govers hit back for the Aussies.
Ockenden, 37, came close to scoring on his history-making 450th appearance as fellow Hobartian Josh Beltz, 29, also played his part in the Kookaburras’ quest to claim their second Olympic title.
Both Tasmanians were in the team which won a silver medal after a penalty shootout loss to Belgium in Tokyo.
Ockenden was in the Kookaburras’ side which lost 4-0 to The Netherlands at the same stage of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Ariarne Titmus will race for her fourth medal of the Paris Games having qualified for the women's 800m freestyle final.
Drawn alongside reigning champion Katie Ledecky in the heats, the 23-year-old Tasmanian finished third.
Ledecky won in 8:16.62 from fellow American Paige Madden (8:18.48) with Titmus clocking 8:19.87.
Ledecky has won the event at the previous three Olympic Games with Titmus finishing second in Tokyo.
Freestyle specialist Titmus has won gold medals in the 400m and 4x200m relay in Paris plus a silver medal in the 200m.
The 800m final is on Sunday at 5.28am.