Most productive Olympic sport for Australia - swimming, the gold standard
Most of Australia’s medals at the Olympics have come in swimming, athletics, cycling and rowing. Swimming alone has earned Australia a record 78 Olympic gold medals.
Swimming
Australia boast a rich history at the Olympics, having competed and won medals at each of the 30 editions of the modern Summer Games to date.
With an overall tally of 610 medals, including 185 gold, at the Olympics, Australia have secured top-10 finishes on the medals table in the last nine editions.
Over two-thirds of these medals have come in swimming, making it Australia’s best Olympic sport.
Swimming has accounted for 78 of Australia’s 185 Olympic gold medals. Additionally, the Australian Dolphins have claimed 81 silvers and 80 bronze medals for an overall tally of 239.
In fact, Australia are the second-most successful nation in Olympic swimming after the USA.
Swimmer Fanny Durack, who topped the podium in the women’s 100m freestyle swimming event at Stockholm 1912, is also the first Australian woman to ever win an Olympic medal.
Frederick Lane, gold medallist in men’s 200m freestyle and 200m obstacle events at the 1900 Paris Games, is the first Australian swimmer to win an Olympic medal.
Emma McKeon won seven medals - four gold and three bronze - at Tokyo 2020, the most by any Australian in a single edition of the Olympics. McKeon is also the first female swimmer to bag seven medals at a single Summer Games.
The Australian swimmer also won 14 career Olympic medals from Rio 2016 to Paris 2024, making her the most-decorated Australian at the Olympics. Retired American swimmers Natalie Coughlin, Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres have 12 medals each, which is the record in women’s swimming.
Ian Thorpe is the most-decorated men’s Aussie athlete at the Summer Games with nine medals - five gold, three silver and one bronze.
Here’s a list of the top five sports which have yielded the most medals for Australia at the Olympics.
Australia’s best Olympic sports
Australian athletes have also excelled in athletics, cycling, rowing, sailing, hockey and skateboarding at the Summer Games.
Athletics, which has yielded 76 medals - 21 gold, 27 silver and 28 bronze - for Australia at the Olympics has been the country’s second-most productive sport at the Summer Games, followed by cycling, rowing and sailing.