Five Great WA Olympic and Paralympic Moments

John Winter:

Before all the stars and heroes, before all the athletes we’ve come to know and love, there was John Winter. The high jumper was the first West Australian to ever win a gold medal at an Olympic game, to be crowned a champion of the world. But Winter was a champion beyond the track and the high jump mat. At the age of 18, he served as a pilot in Europe during the Second World War. Returning home in 1946 as a distinguished service member, Winter picked up where he left off in the high jump scene, breaking records. Winter was selected to attend the 1948 Olympics and after fundraising with fellow athletes, he arrived at the games to give his best. The event was down to five athletes and Winter cleared a height that tweaked his back, leaving him unsure if he could jump again. Fortunately, the height was unreachable for Winter’s fellow competitors, winning him the gold medal and enshrining himself in WA Olympic lore.

Priya Cooper:

Priya Cooper was a Paralympian for whom everything she touched seemingly turned to gold. By the end of her games resume, she had plenty of it. Swimming was originally a form of physical therapy for Cooper, but it quickly turned into something far more competitive, burst onto the scene at the 1992 Barcelona games aged just 17 and determined to swim with the best. It didn’t take Cooper long to prove she certainly was one of the best, collecting three gold and two silver medals by the end of the games, along with carrying the Australian flag during the closing ceremony (something she would do twice). These accolades made her the most successful Australian athlete at the games. However, Cooper’s best games came in Atlanta in 1996, earning seven total medals (including five gold), with three world records to boot, again finishing as the most successful Australian athlete. After recovering from major surgery with little preparation time in the pool, she then added one gold and three bronze at the Sydney games, cementing her legacy as one of WA’s best Paralympic exports and an inspiration for years to come.

Maddison Keeney:

Springboard diver Maddison Keeney has been at the forefront of ushering in a new era of elite diving for the last decade, particularly increased difficulty. Known for her pure power and grace, Keeney has formed some dynamic diving partnerships to help propel her to be WA's most successful springboard diver. She first medalled at the 2016 Rio games, agonisingly holding on by a solitary point to claim a bronze medal for herself and her diving partner, Annabelle Smith. Due to COVID 19, Keeney was unable to qualify for the Tokyo games, but this setback didn’t stop Keeney from diving for further glory. Keeney would only raise her game and her results, clenching a double gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, as well as a full set at the 2024 Diving World Championships in Doha, making her a must watch athlete in Paris this year.?

Peter Bol:

From Sudan, to Egypt, to Perth, to the world stage; Peter Bol’s journey and subsequent rise has taken him from refugee to Australian sporting icon. Running seriously from the age of 16, he was convinced after a school sports carnival to join an athletics club, where Bol made his mark on the sport almost immediately. Winning national titles and qualifying for Rio after being on the scene for only a few years, Bol finished sixth in his Rio heat. Whilst this result didn’t take him into the finals, it wasn’t going to be the last time Bol would wear the green and aim for the gold. After many impressive performances, winning titles and breaking personal bests, Bol arrived at Tokyo as the nineteenth ranked runner. Once he got there, Bol flipped a switch, smashing the fastest times ever run by an Australian on his way to the final. Bol finished a magnificent fourth, narrowly missing out on a medal but winning the hearts of the nation. Ahead of Paris, Bol will certainly be out for that elusive Olympic medal.??

Shirley Strickland:

Shirley Strickland was the daughter of a professional sprinter. Constantly overcoming hurdles in her life (be it education, politics or socially), it was poetic that Strickland exceeded at clearing hurdles on the track too. Boasting seven medals, with a claim to an eighth being misawarded, Strickland has won more track and field medals than any other woman for a long time, only equalled by Poland’s Irena Szewinska, as well as being the first Australian female athlete to win a track and field medal. Strickland began her Olympic campaign with two bronze and one silver medal at the 1948 games in hurdles, sprints, and relay respectively. She followed it up with her first gold in hurdles at the 1952 games, and with a bronze in the 100m to add to her quickly growing collection. Her final and best games came in Melbourne in 1956, winning a second and third gold medal in the 4x100m relay and again in the 80m hurdles. When it was all said and done, Strickland had set or equalled five individual world records, and was a member of five relay teams who set or equalled records.?