After two weeks of competition against the world’s best athletes in Paris, La Trobe quartet Laura Paeglis (Archery, Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science), Amy Lawton (Hockey, Bachelor of Prosthetics and Orthotics - Honours), Matthew Clarke (Athletics, Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Podiatric Practice, 2019 graduate) and Andy Buchanan (Athletics, Bachelor of Physical and Outdoor Education, 2017 graduate) will return to home shores as the pride of the nation having been part of the most successful Australian Olympic team in history.
For current student Laura Paeglis and alumni Andy Buchanan, the Paris Games was their first Olympic experience, but each showed glimpses of their ability to contend on the world stage.
Paeglis’ debut Olympic campaign got off to an outstanding start when she set the highest score by an Australian woman in Olympic Archery in nearly 30 years.
The 22-year-old scored 640 after 12 ends in the women’s individual ranking round, the highest score by an Australian woman since the current 72 arrow ranking round format began at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
In her 1/32 Elimination Round match following the individual ranking round, Paeglis made a great start to win the first two sets in her match up against France’s Caroline Lopez. However Lopez found her range to win the final three sets, bringing La Trobe Elite Athlete Program member’s inaugural Olympic appearance to an end.
For former Bendigo Campus student Andy Buchanan (feature image, credit: AJ Taylor), simply making it on the plane to Paris was an extraordinary effort.
The 33-year-old made his Olympic debut in the Men’s Marathon after receiving a late call up following the withdrawal of Australian record holder Brett Robinson through injury.
On one of the more challenging marathon courses in Olympic history with its undulating terrain, Buchanan was the second Australian behind Patrick Tiernan to cross the line, finishing in 45th position with a strong time of 2:12:58.
For Amy Lawton and Matthew Clarke, Paris 2024 marked their second Olympic Games campaigns in the green and gold. Unfortunately for both athletes, their Olympic experiences this time around didn’t pan out the way either would have hoped.
For Lawton, the Paris 2024 campaign contained a strikingly similar storyline to her inaugural Olympics appearance in Tokyo 2020, where her and her Hockeyroos teammates made promising starts by going undefeated in the group stage, only to be bundled out in the Quarter Finals.
The Hockeyroos won their first three games against South Africa (2-1), Great Britain (4-0) and United States (3-0), before drawing against Argentina (3-3) and winning their last group stage match up against Spain (3-1). However, their campaign came to an end in heartbreaking circumstances in the Quarter Final against the eventual gold medallists in China (3-2).
While disappointed not to have had the chance to contend for a medal in Paris, at 22-years-old and already two Olympic Games appearances under her belt, Lawton has time on her side and will no doubt be setting herself for a strong tilt at a medal in Los Angeles in 2028.
Clarke on the other hand entered Paris looking to continue the good form that saw him win his second national 3000m steeplechase title at the Australian Athletics Championships in April.
Unfortunately for the 29-year-old, illness struck at precisely the wrong time just before entering the Olympic Village and hindered Clarke’s ability to compete at his full potential. Despite finishing 11th in his heat, Clarke was widely lauded for bravely completing the race despite battling the effects of influenza A virus.
In other Olympics results related to La Trobe University, the Matildas were unfortunately unable to repeat the famous run they embarked on during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup on home soil last year, bowing out in the group stages.
The Matildas finished with one win and two losses in Paris, with the main highlight being a courageous comeback in a 6-5 shootout against Zambia. Despite the disappointment of not progressing through to the finals, the Matildas will reset and go again with the backing of La Trobe and the Home of the Matildas at the La Trobe Sports Park in the lead up to Los Angeles in four years time.
Attention now turns to the Paralympic Games, which will also take place in Paris from 28 August - 8 September. La Trobe has two former alumni competing in the Paralympics in Ahmed Kelly (Para-Swimming, Bachelor of Arts, 2021 graduate) and Bridget Murphy (Para-Equestrian, (Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience - Honours, 2013 graduate).
You can read more about Ahmed’s and Bridget’s respective journeys to Paris in our preview article here and follow their progress throughout the Paralympics on La Trobe Sport’s Facebook and Instagram channels.
For more information on the La Trobe Elite Athlete Program, head to the La Trobe Sport website.
