Home

Tokyo Paralympics 2021: Aussie swimmers add more medals in the pool

Julian LindenNews Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
Swimmer Tim Hodge was just 15 when he competed in Rio. He’s now won silver in Tokyo. Supplied
Camera IconSwimmer Tim Hodge was just 15 when he competed in Rio. He’s now won silver in Tokyo. Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia

Australia’s swimmers have won four medals at the Tokyo Olympics to lift the team’s total to an unfathomable 29 with two days of competition to go.

One of the rising stars of the Dolphins para swim team, Tim Hodge won silver in the 200m individual medley classification.

Born with just three fingers on his right hand and had his right leg amputated below the knee when he was a toddler, the 20-year-old from Sydney collected his second medal in Japan with a powerful swim.

Australia also won three bronze medals in the pool, courtesy of Blake Cochrane, Tiffany Thomas Kane and Tom Gallagher.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

New dad Cochrane came third in the men’s 100m breaststroke, giving him a full set of medals after he won gold in London in 2012 and silver in Beijing (2008) and Rio (2016).

He also won a relay gold in London and with his bronze from Tokyo he joins a select band of Aussie swimmers to win medals at four successive Games.

The Game AFL 2024

“That is what we’re here to do, isn’t it? We spend all those hours in the pool training and

working so hard towards what we want to do and what we want to achieve,” he said.

“I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it and I wouldn’t be able to do it if I didn’t have the people supporting me.”

Cochrane, who has a congenital limb deficiency affecting his hands and feet, had been planning to retire after Tokyo but the 12-month postponement, coupled with becoming father for the first time, gave him a change of heart.

“If you had asked me that same question 18 months ago I would have said no way. I would have said I’m calling it quits after Tokyo,” he said.

Rio Paralympian Timothy Hodge
Camera IconSwimmer Tim Hodge was just 15 when he competed in Rio. He’s now won silver in Tokyo. Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia

“After having a bit of a spell out of the pool throughout Covid lockdowns and taking a slightly different approach, not training twice a day, being able to train in the mornings and work in the afternoons and be able to spend time with family and friends.

“It has been the best mental health space I have been in for a very long time.”

Thomas Kane won bronze in 100m breaststroke to claim her second medal in Japan after also coming third in the medley.

The reigning world champion, she won a gold in Rio when she was in her teens but said just getting on the podium this time was a major achievement.

“I was going into that race wanting more. But after the year I‘ve had, it’s paid off. I’m coming home with another medal, it’s better than nothing,” she said.

“There’s been Covid, and there‘s been every other sort of thing. I ruptured my liver at the beginning of the year so it’s really shown that a lot of that time out of the water has hit. But I’m happy with what I got.”

Born with hypochondroplasia, which gives a shorter stature, Tiffany Thomas Kane rewarded herself after Rio by getting a tattoo on her wrist of the Agitos, the Paralympic symbol, but says she’s unsure how she will commemorate her success in Japan.

“I got it in 2017. I was still underage, but I went and got it. I snuck in and got it,” she said.

“I had to bring my mum of course. I was like, ‘I’ve got to get it.’ “I went to Rio, I’m a Paralympian, why not? I’ll think of something if my mother allows me.”

Gallagher, a former lifesaver who only took up swimming seriously last year, won bronze in the men’s 400m freestyle.

Tom Gallagher, who only took up competitive swimming last year, won bronze. Wade Brennan, Swimming Australia.
Camera IconTom Gallagher, who only took up competitive swimming last year, won bronze. Wade Brennan, Swimming Australia. Credit: Supplied

“I came from surf lifesaving. In December, November last year I got the opportunity to try para swimming. I found out the pool swimming side of things,” he said.

“It‘s been a very short journey for me, but it’s amazing. I’ve met so many amazing people, travelled the world, came here and the opportunities that arise from para-swimming are just amazing.“

Gallagher, who has cerebral palsy, did not attend his medal ceremony after needing medical treatment following his race. Team officials said he was fine and would receive his medal later on Tuesday.

AUSSIE PING PONG POWER

The naturalised Aussie table tennis star whose arm was eaten by a bear when he was just a kid is through to his second gold medal match at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Ma Lin, whose story of survival after he was attacked by a brown bear when he was growing up in China has gone global, has guided his adopted homeland into the table tennis team final with a 2-0 win over Nigeria in the semis.

A silver medallist in his individual event over the weekend, Ma Lin teamed up with Joel Coughlin to win their doubles match then he won his solo match to give the Aussies an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the best of three finals before the other team member Nathan Pellissier got to play.

Australia will play China in Friday’s gold medal match and will be joined by the Australian women’s team, which features two more naturalised Aussies.

Lina Lei and Yang Qian – who both won gold for Australia in their singles events – have been an unbeatable force since teaming up with Melissa Tapper and pulled off another upset by beating China in the semis to set up a gold medal showdown with Poland.

Even the Chinese admitted the Aussies were too good.

“We played OK, we were the underdogs,” China’s Xiong Guiyan said.

“Their chemistry and ability to hit weak points are good. They are superior so our mentality was just to fight.”

Dan Michel has won a bronze medal for Australia in boccia at the Tokyo Paralympics.

The 25-year-old beat Britain’s Scott McCowan 6-1 in the bronze medal playoff to make up for the frustration of missing a place in the final by a single point.

Michel became just the second Aussie, and the first since Atlanta 1996 to win a Paralympic medal in boccia, a sport that is similar to bowls and usually played by athletes with high levels of impairment, competing in wheelchairs.

Michel, who has spinal muscular atrophy, took up the sport in 2015 and has quickly risen through the ranks.

“I’m excited with it. The first medal for Australia in 25 years. First ever individual medal, so it’s a massive achievement,” Michel said.

“I’m super happy to respond from the adversity yesterday with the tough game. To come through in that fashion was really important to me. I’m happy I was able to pull it out.”

Australia now has 60 medals in Tokyo to be eighth on the medals table.

Dylan Alcott and Heath Davidson won a silver in wheelchair tennis after going down to the Dutch pairing of Sam Schroder and Niels Vink in the doubles quads final.

The Aussie pair won the gold in Rio in 2016 but were outplayed 6-4, 6-3 by the Dutch this time.

Alcott will play Schrider in the singles final on Thursday.

Australia was knocked out of the men’s wheelchair basketball tournament after going down 61-55 to the host-nation Japan in the quarter-finals.

“They were clearly the better team,” Australia’s Tristan Knowles said.

“They didn’t allow us to play the way we wanted to play. Every point we scored it felt like we had to work our behind off to get it.

“Credit to the Japanese, they just dug in and didn’t allow us to do what we wanted.

“When we’d gotten through the pool play and took a step back, we were comfortable with the quarterfinal match-up that we’d got.

“We were really locked in on trying to have a big game tonight.”

Originally published as Tokyo Paralympics 2021: Aussie swimmers add more medals in the pool

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails