49 Fun Facts About Australian Sports

Which Australian speed skater won 2002 Olympic gold after every rival ahead of him crashed in a last-corner pile-up?

Steven Bradbury admitted he 'wasn't as strong as the other guys', and he had been trailing in his semi-final too before luck sent him through.

Which jockey became the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup, riding 100-1 shot Prince of Penzance?

Michelle Payne told everyone who thought women weren't strong enough to 'get stuffed', revealing some owners had wanted her off the horse. Her brother Stevie was its strapper.

Which team did the Socceroos beat 31-0 in a 2001 World Cup qualifier?

American Samoa drafted in youth players, three of them 15, after FIFA's passport ruling left goalkeeper Nicky Salapu the only eligible member of its original squad.

On captain Greg Chappell's orders, how did brother Trevor bowl the last ball to New Zealand at the MCG in 1981?

Underarm was still legal then: New Zealand needed six from the final ball to tie, and batsman Brian McKechnie threw his bat away in disgust after blocking it.

Which swimmer, the first woman under a minute for 100 m freestyle, was banned for ten years after the 1964 Olympics?

Dawn Fraser was arrested in Tokyo over a flag taken from the Emperor's palace, but police released her without charge and later gave her the flag.

Which 16-year-old sailed solo and non-stop around the world, returning to Sydney Harbour in Ella's Pink Lady in 2010?

Jessica Watson's yacht had collided with a bulk carrier on a solo trial run before she set off, and investigators found neither she nor the ship's crew kept a proper lookout.

Which former Olympic mountain biker became the first Australian to win the Tour de France, in 2011?

Cadel Evans took the yellow jersey only on the penultimate day, beating Andy Schleck by 2 minutes 31 seconds in the Grenoble time trial.

Patty Mills scored 42 points as the Boomers beat which nation for Australia's first Olympic men's basketball medal?

Slovenia, led by Luka Doncic, lost the Tokyo 2020 bronze-medal game 107-93 after the Boomers had lost every previous Olympic bronze match they played.

Former schoolteacher Jeff Horn upset which Filipino great in the 2017 'Battle of Brisbane' at Suncorp Stadium?

Manny Pacquiao lost a disputed decision, and a WBO review by five judges who watched with the sound off still backed Horn.

Which mare, named from the first two letters of five tuna-company employees, won three straight Melbourne Cups?

Makybe Diva's three straight Cups for Port Lincoln tuna boss Tony Santic earned her a bronze statue at Flemington.

Which Chris Waller-trained mare retired in 2019 on a 33-race winning streak that included four Cox Plates?

Winx had opened two straight spring campaigns by winning the Warwick Stakes, so the Australian Turf Club renamed the race the Winx Stakes in 2018.

Which golfer holed a playoff putt against Angel Cabrera in 2013 to become the first Australian to win the Masters?

Adam Scott had squandered a four-shot lead with four holes to play at the 2012 Open, losing to Ernie Els nine months before his Augusta win.

Which golfer, world number one for 331 weeks, blew a six-shot final-round lead to Nick Faldo at the 1996 Masters?

Greg Norman found the water at the 12th and 16th on his way to a 78.

Which left-hander is the only man to complete tennis's calendar-year Grand Slam twice, seven years apart?

Rod Laver swept all four majors in 1962 and again in 1969, and was barred from them for five years in between because he had turned professional.

Australia's Kookaburras, who won their first Olympic gold at Athens 2004, compete in which sport?

Hockey's Kookaburras beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the Athens final, with Jamie Dwyer scoring the winner in extra time.

Which striker was named captain of the Matildas' squad for the 2023 home World Cup?

Sam Kerr injured her calf before the tournament and missed Australia's opening matches.

Which Australian won the Athens 2004 200 m freestyle 'Race of the Century' ahead of van den Hoogenband and Phelps?

Ian Thorpe edged the Dutchman in the last 50 metres for his second gold of the Games, while Phelps took bronze in an American record.

Which Australian swimmer beat Katie Ledecky to win the 400 m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics?

Ariarne Titmus overhauled the American over the final laps, and her coach Dean Boxall's wild celebration in the stands went viral.

Which swimmer's seven medals at Tokyo 2020 equalled the most by any woman at a single Olympics?

Emma McKeon had narrowly missed selection for London 2012 and took a break from swimming, before her Tokyo haul of four golds and three bronzes.

At which Brisbane ground did India end Australia's 32-year unbeaten Test record in January 2021?

Australia had not lost a Test at the Gabba since 1988, until India chased down 328 on the final day to win the series 2-1.

Whose 1,000th AFL goal in 2022 brought fans pouring onto the SCG mid-match?

Lance Franklin kicked it in the final season of the nine-year, $10 million deal that lured him from Hawthorn to Sydney.

Which Holden driver won the Bathurst 1000 a record nine times before dying in a 2006 rally crash?

Peter Brock was farewelled with a state funeral, and the Bathurst 1000 has awarded the Peter Brock Trophy to its winners since 2006.

Which Perth-born Formula One driver turned the 'shoey', champagne drunk from his own race boot, into a podium ritual?

Daniel Ricciardo took his first win at the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix, passing Sergio Perez and Nico Rosberg in the final four laps.

Which swimmer scraped into the Atlanta 1996 1500 m final as the slowest qualifier, then won gold from lane eight?

Kieren Perkins, hampered by illness and a loss of form, had almost failed to make the Australian team for Atlanta.

Which 15-year-old won three Munich 1972 golds, each in world-record time, after holding every freestyle world record?

Shane Gould held every freestyle world record from 100 m to 1500 m at once in the months before Munich, then retired at 16.

Which sprinter won three golds at Melbourne 1956 and is the only Olympian with 100, 200 and 400 m titles?

Betty Cuthbert, the 'Golden Girl', came back from injury to win the 400 m at Tokyo 1964, eight years after her home-Games treble.

Which miler stopped to check on a fallen Ron Clarke at the 1956 Australian championships?

John Landy, the second man to run a sub-four-minute mile, is shown helping Clarke to his feet in a sculpture of the moment.

Which Australian won the 1966 Formula One title in a car bearing his own name, a feat no other driver has matched?

Jack Brabham won his first title in 1959 after running out of fuel on the last lap at Sebring and pushing his car to the line.

Which rider won MotoGP world titles in 2007 and 2011, then retired a year later saying he had lost his passion?

Casey Stoner won his home Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island six years running, and turn three there was named Stoner Corner in his honour.

Which track cyclist broke her neck in 2008, won Beijing silver seven months later, and carried the flag at Rio 2016?

Anna Meares beat Victoria Pendleton in the London 2012 sprint final after Pendleton was relegated in the first race, then won keirin bronze in Rio.

Which Wiradjuri player from Barellan won Wimbledon in 1980, the first mother to take the title since 1914?

Evonne Goolagong was spotted peering through the fence at Barellan's tennis club by Bill Kurtzman, who invited her in to play.

Which serve-volleyer won back-to-back US Opens in 1997 and 1998 and lost Wimbledon finals in 2000 and 2001?

Pat Rafter defended his US Open title in 1998 after John McEnroe had called him a 'one-slam wonder'.

Which golfer from Ayr, Queensland, won seven majors and is the only player to complete the 'Super Career Grand Slam'?

Karrie Webb completed the 'Super Career Grand Slam' at the 2002 Women's British Open, which had only become a major the year before.

Which club won the 2016 AFL premiership from seventh on the ladder, ending a drought stretching back to 1954?

The Western Bulldogs' coach, Luke Beveridge, handed his premiership medal to injured captain Bob Murphy on the podium.

Which media tycoon's World Series Cricket, launched in 1977, brought coloured clothing and matches under lights?

Kerry Packer set up World Series Cricket after failing to win exclusive rights to televise Test matches for his Nine Network.

Which all-rounder debuted for Australia's cricket team at 16 and has played at both ICC and FIFA World Cups?

Ellyse Perry scored Australia's only goal in their 3-1 loss to Sweden in the 2011 football World Cup quarter-final.

Australia's Steelers won Paralympic gold in 2012 and 2016 in which sport, developed in Canada by athletes with quadriplegia?

Wheelchair rugby's Steelers beat the United States 59-58 in double overtime in the Rio final.

Which Paralympic champion wheelchair racer lit the cauldron at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics opening ceremony?

Louise Sauvage won the 800 m wheelchair exhibition race at the Sydney Olympics, but in the Paralympic 800 m she had to settle for silver.

Heather McKay lost only two matches in her career and won sixteen straight British Opens in which racquet sport?

Squash great Heather McKay only took up the game at 18 to keep fit for another sport.

Which Aboriginal runner won the 400 m on home soil at the Sydney 2000 Olympics?

Cathy Freeman had lit the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony ten days before her 400 m win.

Australia's failure to win a single gold at which Olympics prompted the founding of the Australian Institute of Sport?

Montreal 1976 was branded a national embarrassment, and the institute opened in 1981 on a 66-hectare campus in the Canberra suburb of Bruce.

Which bantamweight beat Fighting Harada in Tokyo in 1968 to become the first Aboriginal world boxing champion?

Lionel Rose, just 19, came home to a hero's welcome as huge crowds packed central Melbourne.

Which race walker received his London 2012 gold medal four years late after Russian Sergey Kirdyapkin's doping ban?

Jared Tallent was upgraded from silver in March 2016 when the Court of Arbitration for Sport voided Kirdyapkin's results, and the medal was finally hung on him in Melbourne.

Which swimmer, with 13 golds and 23 medals, is Australia's most successful Paralympian and later a state MP?

Matthew Cowdrey held his seat of Colton in 2022 even though the Liberal government lost the election.

Which sprinter won the 100 and 200 m at Helsinki 1952 and later served as Governor of South Australia?

Marjorie Jackson later helped carry the Olympic flag into the stadium at the opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

At which Sydney beach did Hawaiian swimmer Duke Kahanamoku demonstrate surfboard riding on Christmas Eve 1914?

Freshwater keeps the board Kahanamoku shaped from timber bought from a Sydney firm on display in its surf club, and a statue of him stands on the headland.

Which Gold Coast hurdler won the London 2012 100 m hurdles in an Olympic record 12.35 seconds?

Sally Pearson also won world titles in 2011 and 2017, the latter after two seasons lost to a shattered wrist and hamstring injuries.

Which Peter Moody-trained sprinter retired unbeaten in 25 starts after winning at Royal Ascot in 2012?

Black Caviar won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes by a head from Moonlight Cloud after jockey Luke Nolen eased up too early.

Which Australian beat Serena Williams in the 2011 US Open final?

Samantha Stosur won 6-2, 6-3 in a final remembered for Williams berating the umpire over a hindrance call.