The 486 strong Australian Team was made up of 308 athletes who were making their Olympic debut, 58 of which won a medal. In addition, the Australian Team recorded a number of top 10 performances across a variety of sports. 

With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on the horizon in just three years' time, we take a look at a selection of athletes to watch out for come 2024.  

Mollie O’Callaghan - Swimming 

Mollie was the youngest member of the Australian Olympic Team in Tokyo, with the event doubling as her international debut. The 17-year-old freestyle swimmer won two relay gold and a relay bronze medal for heat swims in Tokyo. A highlight of the Games was her incredible performance in the 4x200m freestyle relay heats, where she clocked a time of 1:55.11 and in doing so set a new World Junior Record.  

Elijah Winnington - Swimming 

In addition to his 4x200m freestyle relay Olympic silver medal performance, Elijah also found success individually in the pool in Tokyo. After clocking an impressive 3:42.11 to take out the top spot at the Australian Swimming Trials earlier in the year, the 21-year-old placed seventh in the men’s 400m freestyle Olympic final. With Paris 2024 now in sight, the two-time national champion could become a dominant figure in this event in the years to come.  

Nikita Hains - Diving

After a breakthrough performance at the 2021 Australian Open Championships, Nikita made her Olympic debut in the women's 10m platform at the Tokyo Games. In Tokyo, Nikita performed exceptionally to finish in 21st position with a score of 270.00. In her career, the talented diver has achieved a podium performance at six of her seven FINA Grand Prix starts, most recently claiming bronze in early 2020. At just 20-years-old, Nikita will certainly be one to watch in three years time. 

Cassiel Rousseau - Diving 

Just four years after switching from gymnastics to diving, Cassiel made the men’s 10m Platform Olympic final in Tokyo. His impressive performance and consistent dives saw the 20-year-old finish the final in eighth place. With a few more years of training under his belt in the lead up to Paris, the future is certainly looking bright for the young Australian diver.  

Natalya Diehm – BMX Freestyle 

Despite competing with a torn ACL in Tokyo, Natalya finished her debut Olympic campaign in fifth place. The 23-year-old put down four incredible performances over the qualifying and final events, rounding out her Olympic experience with a top score of 86.00 - just 3.2 points shy of the bronze medal.   

Kieran Woolley – Skateboarding Park 

Competing alongside fellow Australian and Olympic gold medallist Keegan Palmer, 17-year-old Kieran Woolley proved he was certainly one to watch while in Tokyo. In the qualifying round, Kieran stunned the world of skateboarding when he posted the second highest score to progress to the final. In the final Kieran scored 82.04, just 2.09 points behind the bronze medallist, and finished the event in fifth position.  

Amy Lawton - Hockey

Amy Lawton made her Olympic debut in Tokyo at just 19-years-old, making her the fourth youngest Hockeyroo in history to appear at an Olympic Games. Lawton's rise up the ranks of Australian hockey has been impressive, with the youngster progressing from U18 representative hockey to the FIH Pro League in under a year. With a few more years on the National team under her belt, the 2020 AIS Emerging Athlete of the Year will certainly be one to keep an eye on come 2024. 

Stewart McSewyn – Athletics 

Stewart McSewyn uniquely qualified for three events in Tokyo, the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m, ultimately competing in the 1500m at his debut Games. While in Tokyo, McSewyn placed seventh in the men’s 1500m final in a time of 3:31.91. Earlier this year, the 26-year-old broke the Australian mile record clocking a time of 3:48.37 and is quickly rising on the Australian track scene.  

Liz Clay – Athletics 

Currently the second fastest Australian women in history in the 100m hurdles, Liz Clay’s future in the sport is looking bright. Despite a number of false starts in her semi-final race in Tokyo, Liz remained focused and proved she was a serious contender when she flew off the starting blocks. Liz produced a PB time of 12.71 in the semi-finals to finish 10th overall, missing the Olympic final by just 0.8 seconds.  

Mackenzie Little - Athletics 

Following a third-place finish at the 2021 Australian Athletics Championships, Mackenzie made her Olympic debut in Tokyo. Competing alongside fellow Australians Kelsey Lee-Barber and Kathryn Mitchell, Mackenzie produced a PB throw of 62.37 in the qualification round to secure her place in the women's Javelin Olympic final. In the final, the 24-year-old was one of the youngest in the field and threw a 59.96 to finish eighth overall.

Jemima Montag - Athletics 

At just 23-years-old, Jemima Montag has proved she is one to watch in the world of race walking. After claiming gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Jemima went on to make her Olympic debut in Tokyo where she performed well in the brutally hot conditions. Jemima crossed the line just one minute and 27 seconds behind first place in the 20km race walk, to finish sixth overall in a time of 1:30:39.

Riley Day - Athletics 

Despite narrowly missing a spot in the 200m Olympic final, Riley put down a solid performance within a highly competitive field. In her semi-final race, the 21-year-old smashed her previous personal best when she clocked a time of 22.56 seconds to finish in fourth place. Riley’s performance in Tokyo not only gained the attention of Australia, but also proved she was one to watch in the world of athletics in years to come.  

Ollie Hoare – Athletics 

24-year-old Ollie Hoare made his mark in Tokyo, finishing 11th in the men's 1500m Olympic final. Competing alongside teammate Stewart McSewyn, Hoare crossed the finish line in a time of 3:35.79. The Australian indoor 1500m record holder continues to improve and is on the rise in the world of middle distance running.  

Penny Smith – Shooting 

Rising star Penny Smith has an exciting career ahead of her in women’s Trap shooting. After dominating the Australian Olympic selection trials in 2020, winning all four nomination events and claiming the Commonwealth and National titles, Penny went on to make her Olympic debut in Tokyo. The 26-year-old performed brilliantly during the qualification round alongside teammate Lateisha Scanlan, ultimately earning herself a place in the Olympic final.  

Lidiia Iakovleva - Rhythmic Gymnastics

Lidiia Iakovleva made her Olympic debut in Tokyo, where the 17-year old achieved an incredible personal best score for her Club's routine in the Rhythmic Gymnastics Individual All-Around qualification. Her overall score of 78.775 was also her best score at an international event, finishing 23rd overall in the individual All-Around. No stranger to competing on the world stage, Lidiia competed at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics where she won a bronze medal in the mixed multi-discipline team event. With Paris 2024 in just three years time, Lidiia will be one to watch as one of Australia’s best gymnasts. 

Dominic Clarke – Gymnastics Trampoline

After two seamless routines in the qualification round of the men’s Trampoline event in Tokyo, Dominic earned his spot in the Olympic final. Qualifying in fifth position, Dominic unfortunately misjudged a connection during his final routine resulting in him landing on the mats and finishing his routine early. Despite this mistake, the 24-year-old finished his Olympic debut in eighth position and with Paris in less thank three years' time we are excited to see what he can achieve with a clean routine.   

Daniel Watkins – Canoe Slalom, C1

Joining the C1 senior ranks just two years ago in 2019, Daniel Watkins has proved he is one to watch in his sport. At his Olympic debut in Tokyo, Daniel recorded an impressive time of 101.28 in the C1 semi-final to qualify second into the Olympic final. After a flying start in the final, the 25-year-old ultimately crossed the finish line in a time of 108.18 to place ninth overall. Daniel displayed natural skill, determination and composure throughout the entire Olympic event and will certainly be one to look out for in Paris 2024.  

Mara Stransky - Sailing 

The 22-year-old made her Olympic debut in Tokyo, after starting competitive sailing when she was 15. Mara’s performances across the ten Laser Radial races in Tokyo consistently improved and she certainly saved the best for last, with a third-place finish in race 9 and a win in race 10. While Mara missed out on the final Medal Race, placing an impressive 14th overall in the field of 44, her persistence and technical racing throughout the entire Games proves she will be one to watch in the future.  

Mattise Thybulle - Basketball

Mattise Thybulle made his Olympic debut in Tokyo with the Australian Boomers, helping the team to achieve a historic bronze medal. In the bronze medal match, the 24-year-old finished with 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting, plus five rebounds, four assists, and three steals in Australia’s 107-93 victory. Mattise finished his Olympic campaign averaging an impressive 7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 steals. The NBA star will certainly be one to watch at Paris 2024, when the Boomers go for back-to-back Olympic podiums. 

Skye Nicolson  - Boxing

The 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist made her Olympic debut in Tokyo in the women’s featherweight division. The 25-year-old was left heartbroken after a split decision loss in the featherweight quarter final. Despite this, the talented southpaw has vowed her Olympic dream is not over and now has her sights set on Paris 2024. Paving the way for female boxing in Australia, Skye will certainly be one to watch come 2024.