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Sydney Olympic Park

Sydney Olympic Park has all your outdoors, entertainment and dining needs covered. Enjoy a game of archery, a bike ride through beautiful parklands and a swim in the pool where Ian Thorpe won several gold medals. This sporting and entertainment precinct also hosts some of Sydney’s biggest events, from sporting matches to concerts by international stars.

Things to do

Sporting fans will get a thrill out of visiting the epic stadiums that hosted the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, which are now open to the public. Stadium Australia  (also known as Accor Stadium) hosts major sporting matches and concerts by the likes of U2 and The Rolling Stones but was first memorialised as the venue where Cathy Freeman won an Olympic gold medal.

Sydney Olympic Park - Credit: Ethan Rohloff

Aspiring freestyle swimming gold medallists can swim laps in the pool where Ian Thorpe won three Olympic gold medals. Check out the Dive into History exhibition at the Aquatic Centre , which celebrates the great stories and triumphs of Australia’s swimming legends, or take a tour of the centre, which is home to four indoor heated pools, a rapid river ride and giant water slide.

You can hire a bike to explore the 35km cycling pathways in Bicentennial Park , one of Australia’s largest urban parklands. There are free barbecue facilities in the park, as well as lakeside picnic areas, and splashing fountains and water spouts. Other activities in Sydney Olympic Park include Segway tours , circus classes , an archery centre  and a smash room .

Sydney Olympic Park  in Sydney West - Credit: Sydney Olympic Park

Markets & shows

The annual Sydney Royal Easter Show offers plenty of family fun. The kids will love the farm animals at this multi-day festival, which brings all things rural to the city, showcasing the finest fresh produce, livestock and wines. There are treat-filled showbags, amusement rides, show ring events and a nightly fireworks display.

Two popular markets call Sydney Olympic Park home. The Sydney Vegan Market runs on the third Sunday of every month and features live music, free yoga, a kids art space and, of course, heaps of amazing vegan goodies, from burgers, pasta and milkshakes to cosmetics, homewares and fashion. Meanwhile the Sydney Flower Market  is Australia's largest flower market for fresh cut flowers and is open to the public from Monday to Saturday.  Check out the busy events calendar to see what else is on.

Sydney Royal Easter Show , Sydney

Eat & drink

This well-designed entertainment precinct isn't short on food options. Before heading to an event in a nearby venue, stop by for a drink and some casual bites at Abattoir Blues , named because it's set in a 1900s abattoir. Other great food options include Khon Thai  or  Thai Palate  for classic Thai dishes;  Bacar Restaurant & Bar at the Pullman for modern Australian cuisine; LouLou's Cafe or  Piccolo Roma for pizza and pasta; and Ribs & Rumps or  The Brewery Bar and Kitchen  for pub fare.

If you are in the area for breakfast, check the Armory Wharf Cafe for pretty water views alongside pancakes, eggs on toast and smashed avo. 

Bacar Restaurant & Bar Seafood , Sydney Olympic Park

Getting there

Getting to the world-class sporting and entertainment venues and Bicentennial Park is easy by train or ferry. The train from Central Station to Olympic Park Station is about 30min and a ferry ride from Circular Quay takes about an hour.

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Sydney Olympic Park

• 1.1 By train
• 1.3 By ferry
• 1.5 By bike
• 2 Get around
• 3.1 Park venues
• 3.2 Historical sites
• 4.3 Annual events
• 6.1 Near Olympic Boulevard and the Arenas
• 6.2 Bicentennial Park
• 6.3 Near the ferry wharf (Wentworth Point)
• 8.2 Mid-Range
• 8.3 Splurge

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Sydney Olympic Park is an area 15 km west of Sydney CBD . It is on the western reaches of Sydney Harbour, and was the home of the 2000 Olympic Games .

The Sydney Olympic Park area, together with the surrounding areas on the Parramatta River including the neighbouring suburbs of Newington and Wentworth Point, host a wide variety of sporting events, including athletics, aquatic, archery, Australian rules football, cricket, soccer, tennis, hockey, rugby (both union and league), skateboarding and more. It is also home to open spaces and parks such as Bicentennial Park, Newington Armoury, Wentworth Common, Blaxland Riverside Park, Woo-La-Ra and Wilson Park.

The venues are also used for conferences, and music and family events, including the Royal Easter Show in April. When there are no events on, the area around the station and the main venues are very quiet. At 6PM most evenings, you can have Olympic Boulevard largely to yourself.

Access to the area and to the parklands is free, although parking can be expensive and difficult to find. The area was specifically designed to not be a car-centric hellhole; the authorities do whatever they can do discourage you from bringing your car in, but it may be your only choice when the trains network is lopsided.

For the purposes of this article, this article covers Sydney Olympic Park, Wentworth Point, Newington, parts of northern Homebush (around DFO) and Rhodes.

Olympic Park is accessible through its own -33.8472 151.0697 1 Olympic Park Station . Most of the time, you'll need to travel to Lidcombe station and transfer to the T7 Olympic Park Line (Olympic Park sprint) at Platform 0. Trains leave Lidcombe Station every 10 minutes, but frequencies may change during trackwork weekends. During major events, direct trains to Olympic Park also run from Central, Redfern, Strathfield and Parramatta stations, and sometimes also from other locations. Olympic Park station is wheelchair accessible.

Some parts of Sydney Olympic Park – Bicentennial Park in particular – are actually closer to -33.8488 151.0854 2 Concord West station , although still within easy walking distance of Olympic Park station. During major events, travellers from the north may be encouraged to use Concord West rather than Olympic Park even for central events. Concord West is wheelchair accessible.

As part of the Sydney Metro West , new rapid transit line being built between Westmead and Hunter St (opp. Wynyard and Martin Pl) via Parramatta and North Strathfield, there will be a new station in Sydney Olympic Park. It initially had an opening date of 2030 but has since been slated to 2032.

Sydney buses provide regular services from Strathfield and Rhodes stations by the route 525, 526 and 533 buses. Parramatta station has route 525 and Chatswood station has route 533.

Unless you are already at a bus departure point, the train will usually be quicker.

For major events , like sporting events, and the Easter Show, the major event bus service operates, providing frequent event buses from most corners of Sydney. For smaller events, like football matches, a handful of buses may run to a timetable on the major event bus routes.

-33.8231 151.079 3 Sydney Olympic Park wharf in Wentworth Point, operated by Transport for New South Wales , is on the Parramatta River and is usually served with the F3 Parramatta River line with ferries from Parramatta, Barangaroo and Circular Quay among other locations. The wharf, which was used for the Olympic Torch journey to the stadium, is around 2   km from the Olympic Stadium area and other attractions served by the Railway Station, but is much closer to the Millennium Parklands, Newington Armoury and many of the area's cycling tracks.

• Travel from Sydney City follow A4 Western Distributor/Anzac Bridge and into the WestConnex toll tunnel at M4 Western Motorway. Take the Sydney Olympic Park exit after the end of the tunnel.
• Homebush Bay Drive (A3) and Parramatta Rd (A44) both pass Sydney Olympic Park. Follow either of these A roads, and follow the signs to Sydney Olympic Park.

Major event parking is available in large multi-story car parks for $25. Parking in the multi-storey carparks at other times is on a sliding scale up to $25. There is often free parking available at the aquatic centre if there are no major events on at the time. There is free parking in Bicentennial Park during the day, limited to 4 hours on weekdays. Traffic can be heavy during major events, but parking is usually available for all but the most major events. Check the Sydney Olympic Park website for details of parking and activities.

Several of Sydney's cycle routes converge on Sydney Olympic Park. The Cooks River Cycleway from Botany Bay. The Parramatta Valley Cycleway is linked by a cycle bridge over the Parramatta River linking Rhodes and Meadowbank (and on through Bicentennial Park). Cycling around when you get there is easy, with many paths and bicycle parking provided.

The train station and bus stops are within easy walking distance of the arenas, Olympic Boulevard, Bicentennial Park, and the Aquatic Centre. There are bike hire centres in Bicentennial and Blaxland Parks.

Light rail is also planned for Sydney Olympic Park as part of Stage 2 of Parramatta Light Rail. LRT will connect most stadiums (inc. the station) and Wentworth Point, which will eventually be headed towards Parramatta Square. Construction started in 2023 and is expected to open in 2031.

Park venues

Locals usually go to Sydney Olympic Park to see events such as sporting matches, music acts, or conventions. They are held at one of the following venues. Some venues may have tours.

Other venues include the Quaycentre (a multipurpose hall), Athletic Centre, Hockey Centre, Archery Park and the Sports Centre.

Historical sites

• -33.83374 151.07369 1 Archery ( Sydney Olympic Park Archery Centre ), Bennelong Parkway ( Head to Wentworth Point, enter in the middle driveway ), ☏ +61 2 9714 7502 , [email protected] . Tu-F 10AM-4PM, Sa Su 9:30AM-4PM (summer 9:30AM-5:30PM) . Want to learn how to start in the sport of Archery? The centre regularly runs 1.5 hr introductory sessions for anyone to try the sport. Archery Australia members can use their facility casually, but contact them if you are an international archer. Introductory session (Bronze Arrow): $26 . ( updated Feb 2020 )
• -33.84474 151.06469 2 Badminton ( Sports Halls ), Cnr Grand Parade & Olympic Blvd , ☏ +61 2 9714 7600 , [email protected] . M-Th noon-10PM, F 4-10PM, Sa Su 8AM-9PM . The Sports Halls are used for a variety of indoor sports, but getting a Badminton court is probably the easiest. Order and pay online, and then rock up 15 minutes before your session. You'll need to bring your own equipment. Table Tennis tables are also available. From $26 per court . ( updated Feb 2020 )
• -33.8511 151.0789 3 Cycle . Sydney Olympic Park offers possibly the most extensive and pleasant recreational cycling opportunities in Sydney, with water and park views, and some interesting historical sites to explore. Bike Hire is available from the Visitors Centre in Bicentennial Park . Get a copy of the bike circuits map from the visitors centre or online. There are three planned routes that are marked by coloured discs on the edge of the path. Paths tend to be quieter away from the picnic areas of Bicentennial park. ( updated Jul 2019 )
• -33.84417 151.06548 4 Monster Skatepark , Cnr Grand Pde & Orana Parade , ☏ +61 2 8459 7433 , [email protected] . Holiday Hours: Tu,W,F 12-5PM, Th 12-4:30PM, Sa-Su 9AM-6PM. Programs Generally M,W 4PM-8PM, Sa-Su 10AM-5PM . A privately run skatepark with an indoor street and outdoor vertical set-up. They regularly run classes and programs for beginners. Check their Facebook page for availability. Day Pass $20 . ( updated Apr 2024 )
• -33.8504 151.0678 5 Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre , Cnr Olympic Boulevard & Shane Gould Ave , ☏ +61 2 9752 3666 , fax : +61 2 9752 3699 , [email protected] . Year-round: M-F 5AM-9PM; Oct-Apr: also Sa Su and holiday 6AM-8PM, 6AM-7PM the rest of the year . This complex was built for the Olympics and houses the main competition pool. Many state and national swimming events are still held here. It contains a 50-m competition pool, a 50-m training pool, children's pools, a waterslide and a spa, sauna and gym. Worth checking that no major events are on if you plan to visit just to use the pools. $9.30 adults, $7 children and $5 for spectators . ( updated Apr 2024 )
• -33.8358 151.0671 6 Surfing ( Urbnsurf ), 15 Hill Road (P5) ( From the station, walk down Australia Ave ), ☏ +61 3 9344 1548 . Daily 6AM-10PM . Surfing is a part of beach life in Sydney, however it can be difficult for those out west to get a chance to surf. Urbnsurk is a surf park facility, allowing for everyone from beginners to professionals to practice surfing technique in a heated pool. From $39, $10 Spectator pass . ( updated Apr 2024 )

• -33.8467 151.065 7 Cathy Freeman Park , Olympic Boulevard ( there are fountains at the southern and northern ends of Olympic Boulevard ). The Olympic Cauldron, which was the centrepiece of the water themed opening ceremony is now a large fountain that the kids (or adults) can run under. The park can also be used for picnics. Free . ( updated Jul 2015 )
• -33.8479 151.0787 8 Bicentennial Park , Bicentennial Drive , ☏ +61 2 9714 7300 . Other than having a barbecue, while you're there, walk , cycle or fly a kite . Bicentennial Park is a 100-hectare park created to celebrate Australia's bicentenary in 1988. Although older than Sydney Olympic Park, it is now part of the Sydney Olympic Park precinct. Facilities include electric barbecues, extensive gentle paths suitable for children cycling and for wheelchairs, and enormous amounts of grass on which to picnic or play sports. It is popular with families. Admission and parking is free but hard to find around lunchtime on some weekends, and it may be simpler to walk from the train stations. Free . ( updated Jul 2015 ) . Other parks in the area include -33.83711 151.07462 9 Wentworth Common , Marjorie Jackson Parkway, Sydney Olympic Park . ( updated Feb 2019 ) , and -33.82536 151.06418 10 Blaxland Riverside Park , End of Jamieson Street, Sydney Olympic Park . ( updated Feb 2019 )

Annual events

• -33.8443 151.0686 11 The Royal Easter Show , Sydney Showground, 1 Showground Road , ☏ +61 2 9704 1111 , fax : +61 2 9704 1122 , [email protected] . The show is held every year in Olympic Park in the fortnight around Easter and is the most prestigious agricultural show in New South Wales . Competitive exhibits of livestock and produce are theoretically the point of the show, but for many visitors the main attractions are the fairground food and rides and the showbag pavilion in which large bags of themed merchandise are sold, with themes ranging from superheros to chocolate. Ticket prices are $45 for adults, $28 for children and $34 for concession holders. All tickets include free travel on public transport to the show; as using private transport is discouraged there are no cheaper tickets exclusive of transport. ( updated Apr 2024 )

Shopping opportunities are limited within Sydney Olympic Park. But there are a number of small shops and convenience stores around the park. Other shopping centres and local supermarkets can be found in Newington, Wentworth Point, Rhodes or Lidcombe.

Near Olympic Boulevard and the Arenas

In the way of fast food, there is a McDonald's, Subway, Oporto's and a Gloria Jeans coffee shop in the stadium area, and not much else. Gloria Jeans has seating and a courtyard area often not crowded when there are queues at the other fast food places. These can close before some evening events finish. The Brewery serves food until a bit later.

• -33.849446 151.069031 1 Bacar Restaurant Bar Lounge , ☏ +61 2 8762 7959 . Breakfast: 6-10:30AM (open until 11am on Weekends), Lunch: noon–3PM, Dinner: 6-10PM . Lobby of the 5-star Pullman at Sydney Olympic Park hotel, corner of Olympic Boulevard and Herb Elliott Avenue, Sydney Olympic Park. Contemporary International Cuisine in a stylish modern setting, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. $45-60 . ( updated Feb 2019 )
• -33.848 151.067 2 Boulevard Brasserie & Bar ( Arena Restaurant & Wine Bar ), ☏ +61 2 8762 7523 , [email protected] . open 6AM-11PM . Lobby of the Novotel Hotel, corner of Olympic Boulevard and Herb Elliott Avenue, Sydney Olympic Park. Modern Australian dining. $20-35 . ( updated Feb 2019 )
• -33.847027 151.069501 3 Food Alert , 10 Dawn Fraser Avenue , ☏ +61 2 9746 6969 . M-F 6AM-5PM, Saturday 8AM-3PM . A Turkish take away shop selling kebabs, salads, fish and chips and burgers. Open for Breakfast. $11-17 for a full meal . ( updated Feb 2019 )
• -33.84679 151.07017 4 Ribs & Rumps , 8 Dawn Fraser Ave , ☏ +61 2 9746 0554 . 11:30AM–late . Steakhouse restaurant. $30-50 mains . ( updated Feb 2019 )
• -33.847449 151.07288 5 Thai Palate , Shop8/5 Australia Ave , ☏ +61 2 9763 5206 . M-F 11AM-3:30PM & 5-9:30PM, Sa Su noon-9:30PM . A bit of a walk, but still a good local Thai restaurant that also does pick up delivery. $19-30 . ( updated Feb 2019 )
• -33.846693 151.070981 6 Piccolo Roma , Herb Elliot Ave & Park St , ☏ +61 2 9746 1138 . M-Sa noon-2:30PM, 5-9PM . Italian restaurant, open most event days $15-35 mains . ( updated Jan 2020 )

Bicentennial Park

There is a kiosk in Bicentennial Park, near the kids playground, but it is only open for lunch. Good for ice-creams on a hot day.

• -33.851066 151.078957 7 Waterview Cafe ( Lilies on the Park Cafe ), Bicentennial Dr , ☏ +61 2 9764 9900 , [email protected] . Daily 8AM–5PM . A cafe within the Waterview centre at Bicentennial Park. It serves breakfast and lunch 7 days a week. $15-30 . ( updated May 2023 )

Near the ferry wharf (Wentworth Point)

• -33.8253 151.0786 8 Burger Point Wentworth Point , Shop RT322, 5 Footbridge Blvd, Wentworth Point ( Marina Square ), ☏ +61 2 8593 9817 . Daily 10AM–8:30PM . Sydney doesn't have many well-known burger restaurants, and this certainly doesn't fall into the category of "well-known", but its burgers and juicy tender chicken are well worth trying. The prices might seem like they're on the high-end at first (well, everything in this area is), but the large portions make up for this. ( updated Aug 2023 )
• -33.831295 151.074033 9 Concerto Restaurant , 3A/21 Bennelong Pkwy, Wentworth Point , ☏ +61 2 9475 6555 , [email protected] . M noon-3PM; Tu-Su noon-3PM, 6-10PM . A licenced restaurant specialising in mediterranean cuisine. Expect Pizzas & Pastas, and lots of seafood. $30-45 mains . ( updated Feb 2019 )
• -33.82432 151.07876 10 Brother Katsu , 6 Waterways St, Wentworth Point , ☏ +61 493 850 589 . M-Su 9AM-8:30PM . A Korean Cafe & Restaurant. Your main dish of Korean Fried Chicken or Korean Ramen $15-20 . ( updated Apr 2024 )
• -33.82507 151.06322 11 Armory Wharf Cafe , Blaxland Riverside Park, Jamieson Street ( off Holker St ), ☏ +61 423 884 801 . Daily 9AM-3PM . Partially a bunch cafe with an all day breakfast, also does a mean fish and chips. But, go for the view of the Parramatta river. ( updated Jan 2020 )

There is not much nightlife to speak of on non-event days. On event days, the atmosphere changes - depending on who and what is playing.

• -33.847 151.067 1 The Brewery , ☏ +61 2 8762 1293 . Under the Novotel Hotel, corner of Olympic Boulevard and Dawn Fraser Avenue. A pub with a bistro and live sports on 12 screens. Live entertainment on Fridays. Open from 11AM into the night. A quiet and pleasant spot for a drink and a feed on any normal day of the week. On event days, they get out their plastic glasses, security fences, and seats are at a premium. Arrive near to event time and expect a queue to get in.  

A wide range of local accommodation options are available within the precinct. Availability varies on what events are happening, but expect the 2 weeks that The Sydney Royal Easter show to run to be booked out in advance (sometime in March-April), and major concerts & sporting events to be also booked out.

• -33.84976 151.06214 1 Ibis Budget Sydney Olympic Park , 8 Edwin Flack Avenue , ☏ +61 2 9648 3862 , fax : +61 2 9648 0427 , [email protected] . Check-in: Noon , check-out: 10AM . An 156 room economy hotel, 750m from the Olympic Park Train Station. Expect small rooms with basic amenities. Parking is limited and is first come first serve. From $100 and up . ( updated Feb 2019 )
• -33.82893 151.06167 2 Sydney Olympic Park Lodge , 1 Jamieson St, Silverwater , ☏ +61 2 9737 8139 , [email protected] . The Lodge has dorm accommodation for 6-8 people per room. It is primarily designed for group accommodation, particularly school & holiday camps for children. Individual rates are $65 per night for adults and $45 per night for children, including breakfast . ( updated Feb 2019 )
• -33.848 151.067 3 Novotel and Hotel Ibis Sydney Olympic Park , 11 Olympic Bvd , ☏ +61 2 8762 1111 , fax : +61 2 8762 1211 , [email protected] . These two hotels, sharing facilities, offer 321 rooms in two styles of accommodation. 100 m from the Olympic Park Train Station. Facilities include two bars, two restaurants, 9 conference rooms and wireless access. Undercover car park is available, fees apply. Committed to preserving the environment they are the few hotels in Sydney to have achieved an ISO14001 Certified environmental standard rating for environmental management systems. Rooms from $160 at Hotel Ibis and $230 at Novotel per night . ( updated Feb 2019 )
• -33.85045 151.06252 4 Quest at Sydney Olympic Park , 6 Edwin Flack Avenue , ☏ +61 2 9033 2000 . Check-in: 2PM , check-out: 1 AM . A serviced apartment style hotel just outside the Park precinct. Around 850m from Olympic Park Train Station. The hotel has 140 apartments including Studio size or 1, 2, and 3 bedroom rooms. All rooms have some form of kitchen, and Conference facilities, On site car parking, Gym, Internet & Wifi, 24-hour reception & tour assistance are available. They also offer long stays. From $220 per night . ( updated Feb 2019 )
• -33.849446 151.069031 5 Pullman Hotel at Sydney Olympic Park , Corner of Olympic Boulevard and Herb Elliott Avenue , ☏ +61 2 8762 1700 , [email protected] . Check-in: 2PM , check-out: 11AM . 260m from Olympic Park Station, this is Sydney’s first 5-star hotel outside of the CBD. 212 rooms, including 14 suites, Pullman facilities include executive floor and lounge, 24-hour gym, business centre, 24-hour IT solutions manager, restaurant and bar. The hotel uses 40% less energy than most equivalent 5-star hotels, with solar panels on the rooftop supplementing power consumption. A specific focus in the hotel construction has been on the selection of natural materials. From $280 per night . ( updated Jul 2015 )

There are some free public Wi-Fi spots about in the event precinct. The area is also well covered by normal telco providers.

If you are staying at Sydney Olympic Park, you are about equidistant from Sydney City and Parramatta . Stay on the M4 Western Motorway past Parramatta, and in 90 minutes or so you could be in the Blue Mountains .

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Sydney Central Station to Olympic Park Train times 14 August 2024 at 12:20 pm

• Duration 17 minutes
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Travel time

Travel time between Sydney Central Station and Olympic Park is 17 minutes

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How To Reach Sydney Olympic Park in Sydney

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How To Go To Sydney Olympic Park

New to Sydney and wondering about how to reach Sydney Olympic Park ? Do not fret, we have mentioned the list of various modes of transport to reach Sydney Olympic Park. You can travel by train from the central station to the Olympic Park with a direct connection, or you can hire a cab to go. You can go by local bus too if want to save some money.

If you are traveling by train, it will take 39 minutes to reach the destination. And when you take a cab, you will reach in 21 minutes. But the cheapest mode of transport is the bus, but it will take 1 hour to reach.

By train: Train is an easy option to get to Sydney Olympic Park. It is on the T7 line so you need to take a train of T7 and get down at the Sydney Olympic Park station. It takes around 30 minutes to reach the park from Central and around 18 minutes from Parramatta.

By bus: There are various buses that run from various places to Sydney Olympic Park. If you are Lidcombe station then take bus number 401, from Hurstville take bus 450, from Parramatta station take bus 525, from Burwood take bus 525 or 526.

By car: If you wish to travel to Sydney Olympic Park on your own then you need to take M4, Hill Rd, Silverwater Road if traveling from the west, Victoria Road if traveling from the North, and M4, Parramatta Road if traveling from east.

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Australian Paris Olympic team athletes touch down in Sydney after record gold haul

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the athletes' families have greeted Australian athletes at Sydney Airport for the official welcome home from the Paris Olympics.

Closing ceremony flag bearers and gold medallists sailor Matt Wearn and swimmer Kaylee McKeown were first off the plane.

What's next?

There are public welcome home celebrations scheduled for across the country next month.

The Australian Olympic team has received a warm welcome after arriving home from Paris after recording its most successful Games to date.

Athletes, coaches and staff touched down at Sydney Airport about 6:50am on Wednesday with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the athletes' families at the airport to greet the triumphant Australian team.

Mr Albanese said every athlete who competed was "worth their weight in gold" and had made Australia proud, in his welcome home address.

"Before the plane took off yesterday, you had already etched your names into Australian sport history."

Closing ceremony flag bearers Matt Wearn, who won back-to-back gold in the sailing, and quintuple Olympic gold medallist swimmer Kaylee McKeown were first off the plane.

Gold medallists onboard the flight include the Fox sisters Jess and Noémie, who won gold in canoe slalom and swimmer Cameron McEvoy.

McEvoy said winning a gold medal in Paris more than made up for the near-misses of his three earlier campaigns.

The 30-year-old said the patience paid off after winning the 50-metre freestyle at the Paris games.

"It took four goes to be able to come back on home soil with this beauty [gold medal] but we got there in the end," McEvoy said.

"It's been eight years since we've had a hangar introduction back on home soil post-Olympics, so that's nice."

Swimmer Emma McKeon, boxer Harry Garside and discus thrower and bronze medallist Matthew Denny were also among the athletes who arrived home.

Some of the Western Australia-based Olympians arrived in Perth on Tuesday night, including gold and bronze medallists, Nina Kennedy and Charlie Senior.

The athletes were met by family, friends and WA Premier Roger Cook.

Kennedy said she began to realise what she had achieved by winning gold in the women's pole vault when she was awarded her medal.

"When I got to go back to the track, [stood] on the dais, sing the national anthem and really just get to hold the thing … it sunk in then," she said.

Boxer Senior, who claimed bronze in the men's featherweight division, said he was glad to be back in Australia.

"Coming home is the best feeling out of it all," he said.

"Walking away from Paris with a bronze medal, it's a big achievement for myself, it's a big achievement for Australian boxing so that's an unbelievable feeling."

'This is a special team'

The Australian contingent secured 18 gold medals in Paris — a record won by the country at an Olympic Games.

It beats the previous record of 17 gold medals set at the 2020 Games in Tokyo and 2004 Games in Athens.

Australian competitors secured also 16 silver medals and 14 bronze in Paris, finishing in fourth spot on the medal tally.

Australia's total medal tally of 48 almost overtook the record tally set at the Athens Games, which was 50.

Swimmer Meg Harris, who won one gold and two silver medals in her second Games said it was "incredible" to be a part of the most successful Australian Olympics team ever.

"I did not expect the world to get around like this, seeing that support has been so incredible and I think one of the reasons we did so well is because we felt everyone lifting around us."

Fellow swimmer Lani Pallister, who won gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay, agreed.

"I don't think it's sunk in yet," she said.

"It's been so incredible being able to compete with Meg ... we did Nippers growing up together, so to have her by my side on this journey has been so special."

In departing the French capital, Australia's chef de mission Anna Meares praised the team for their record-breaking efforts.

"This is a special team," she said.

"We all know it's hard to be selected on the Australian team, let alone win a medal or become an Olympic champion. It takes dedication to excellence over years, not just here in Paris.

"So, to the member sports, thank you and to the athletes, we are very proud of you."

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's Olympics schedule: When does the track and field star race in Paris?

Sydney mclaughlin-levrone is competing in the 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay at the paris olympics and is expected to contend for a medal in both races., by nbc new york staff • published august 2, 2024 • updated on august 4, 2024 at 7:33 pm.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has the chance to defend her two gold medals from Tokyo during the track and field events at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

McLaughlin-Levrone won gold for the women's 400m hurdles and the women's 4x400m relay in the 2020 Olympics. The Team USA star is expected to compete in both events in Paris and is a favorite to return to the top of the podium.

McLaughlin-Levrone keeps pushing herself and the competition to new heights. At the Olympic Trials in Oregon in June, she set a new world record of 50.65 seconds in the women's 400m hurdles , her premiere event.

24/7 New York news stream: Watch NBC 4 free wherever you are

McLaughlin-Levrone is 24-year-old but will celebrate her birthday on Aug. 7 in the middle of competition in Paris.

Paris is her third Olympics. She also competed in Rio in 2016, where she made her Olympic debut at the age of 17, the youngest U.S. Olympian in track and field since 1972. She lost in the semi-finals that year.

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Which events will Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone compete in at the Olympics?

Paris 2024 summer olympics.

Watch all the action from the Paris Olympics live on NBC

All the ways American women made history at the Paris Olympics

Steph Curry's dominance has McDonald's France pondering sauce removal

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is expected to compete in the women's 400m hurdles and the women's 4x400m relay, the events she and the United States are defending gold medalists in coming into Paris.

When does the women's 400m hurdles take place at the Olympics?

The women's 400m hurdles will take place from Aug. 4-8 at the Paris Olympics.

McLaughlin-Levrone made her Paris debut in the first round of the women's 400m hurdles, fresh off setting a new world record for the fifth time. She breezed into the semifinals along with Femke Bol of the Netherlands.

Monday, Aug. 5 - The women's 400m hurdles repechage round takes place starting at 4:50 a.m. ET/1:50 a.m. PT on Monday, Aug. 5. McLaughlin-Levrone would only race in this if she didn't place high enough from the first round.

Tuesday, Aug. 6 - The women's 400m hurdles semi-final takes place at 2:07 p.m. ET/11:07 a.m. PT on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Thursday, Aug. 8 - The women's 400m hurdles final will take place at 3:25 p.m. ET/12:25 a.m. PT on Thursday, Aug. 8.

How will the women's 400m hurdles work in the Paris Olympics?

In the first found of the women's 400m hurdles, there are six heats. The top three athletes in each heat automatically move onto the semifinals.

Athletes who did not qualify in the first round will have a chance to compete in a repechage round, which will feature four heats. The top athlete in each heat, and the two fastest athletes not already qualified, will qualify.

In the semifinals, there will be three heats. The top two in each heat but the fastest two who have not already qualified will advance.

When does the women's 4x400m relay take place at the Olympics?

The women's 4x400m relay events will take place Friday, Aug. 9 and Saturday, Aug. 10 in Paris.

Friday, Aug. 9 - The women's 4x400m relay first round takes place starting at 4:40 a.m. ET/1:40 a.m. PT on Friday, Aug. 9.

Saturday, Aug. 10 - The women's 4x400m relay final will take place at 3:14 p.m. ET/12:14 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10.

How does the 4x400m relay work?

Four athletes from the same country run in a relay format with each racing 400 meters.

For the first 1.25 laps, each county must stay in their own lane, but can converge on the inside lane on the back stretch of the second lap.

Runners have 20 meters to pass the baton.

Athletes can be disqualified for dropping the baton, for passing the baton out of the designated exchange/takeover zone, or for crossing into another lane.

At most, 16 countries will qualify for the first round and then eight teams will compete in the finals.

The U.S. has won seven straight Olympic gold medals in the women's 4x400 relay and is hoping to make it eight in a row.

How can I watch Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on TV? What channel are Sydney's races on?

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's races will be shown live and reair on NBC and Peacock .

You can stream her races at nbcolympics.com .

When did Sydney McLaughlin become Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone?

Sydney McLaughlin married Andre Levrone Jr. in May 2022 after becoming engaged in August 2021.

Where is Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone from?

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is originally from Dunellen, New Jersey.

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We acknowledge the Wangal as the first Custodians of the land, air and waters now known as Sydney Olympic Park.

We pay respect to all First Nations People and our community Elders past and present.

Visiting the Park

Rediscover nature, cycle through the parklands, have a picnic, walk the dog or just come along for your favourite concert! 

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There are so many things to see and do when visiting the Park. From major events and exhibitions to learning and discovery activities, and school holiday programs for the kids. There’s community activities and volunteering projects and plenty of family fun. 

You can even take a guided tour and learn more about the local history and heritage. So we think it’s safe to say, there’s something for everyone! 

Get in touch with nature and explore the great outdoors with over 430 hectares of parklands. Hop on a bike and ride along our 35km of safe cycling pathways, have a picnic with the family at Bicentennial Park or play fetch with your dog at our many dog-friendly parks.

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Paris put on magnificent Olympic Games that will be hard to top

From the venues to the sports to the atmosphere, the paris olympics were perfect..

PARIS — Merci beaucoup, Paris.

When these Summer Games were awarded seven years ago, there was no way the International Olympic Committee officials could have known how badly they would be needed. How desperate the world would be for an excuse to let loose from the melancholy that lingers from the COVID pandemic. How essential it would be for a respite from the divisiveness that seems to be everywhere.

Paris delivered . And then some, setting a standard that will be near impossible for any future host to top.

For 17 days, what is arguably the world’s most beautiful city was also its most joyous. Amazing athletic feats took place with landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Grand Palais serving as the backdrop. The stands, so eerily silent at both the delayed Summer Games in Tokyo and Beijing Winter Olympics, were once again filled with raucous fans.

In the streets and cafés and Metro stations, people from all over the world mixed and mingled. Hearing your own language, or seeing your flag on someone’s cheek, was all it took to start conversations. People who would be separated by icy silence if the topic was politics or social justice issues found common ground in the greatness of Simone Biles and Steph Curry , Leon Marchand and Rebeca Andrade.

And just weeks after an election that magnified the troubling fractures threatening France’s ideals of equality and fraternity, its people came together to raise their voices as one in cheers of “Allez!” and choruses of La Marseillaise.

“France is beautiful. And when we’re all together and when we unite, it’s a wonderful sight,” Thierry Henry, the hero of France’s illustrious 1998 World Cup team and now coach of its Olympic men’s soccer squad, said after Les Bleus fell to Spain in the final.

“People from the get-go wanted to support us,” Henry added. “We lost tonight but they kept singing. They kept supporting us.”

The Paris Games were not perfect. Nothing that involves humans, with their agendas and egos and greed, ever is.

The grand plan to clean up the Seine did not quite come to fruition, though the triathlon and marathon swimming were held in it nonetheless. Homeless people were moved out of the city center. Right-wing vigilantes unleashed their hate on two female boxers, ignoring both facts and decency. The International Olympic Committee punished Jordan Chiles for the wrongdoing of gymnastics officials, stripping her of her floor exercise bronze medal on the final day of the Games.

Still, as far as Olympics go, Paris came as close to perfection as it gets.

"Paris showed us a good time," A'ja Wilson said after the U.S. women won their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal Sunday night. "The hosts did well."

The decision by organizers to use existing venues and Parisian landmarks as venues was inspired. Fans and athletes alike flocked to beach volleyball, marveling at the sand court at the base of the Eiffel tower. The park at Place de la Concorde was a magnet for spectators, both for its views and the multiple sports that took place there.

People who wanted to check the Louvre off their bucket list got the added bonus of seeing the cauldron in the Tuileries Garden, a balloon whose presence was made even more majestic by its rise and descent each day.

One of the goals of Paris organizers was to bring sports to the people, and their success will make future hosts pale by comparison.

Having most of the events in the city, and putting them in close proximity to a train system that was both expansive and dependable, made what is normally a sprawling and cumbersome footprint manageable. Wanted to check out swimming, fencing, skateboarding and gymnastics? All in the same day? No problem! Didn’t have tickets? If you kept your eyes peeled as you strolled along the Seine, you might have happened upon a cycling race.

"Since the beginning, we had one vision with Paris 2024: to organize sports in the city and really combine the emotion of sport with the emotions of our city, our landmarks, and iconic venues,” Tony Estanguet, president of Paris 2024, said Saturday.

“That's probably what we are most proud of. It's been a vision since the beginning."

But perhaps the best thing about these Games was the relaxed atmosphere. Fears about terrorism and overbearing security never came to pass, thankfully. After the tight COVID restrictions in Tokyo and Beijing, athletes were delighted to finally get the entire Olympic experience.

Missing the Paris Games? Us, too. Sign up for USA TODAY's Daily Briefing for news to fill the void.

Wilson, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Scottie Scheffler were just a few of the athletes who made sure they got to witness Biles' greatness in person. Biles was in the crowd to watch Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shatter her own world record in the 400-meter hurdles. LeBron James brought his wife and daughter to the women’s gold-medal game.

And spectators, shut out from the Games since 2018, were just happy to be here. In person. Enjoying the sports and the sights and everything in between.

“There are always things that could be improved, and we have had issues day-in and day-out to resolve,” Estanguet said. “But if someone had told me 10 years ago, five years ago, one year ago, or even on the eve of the opening ceremony that things would go this way, I would have completely said, 'Sign me up.'”

"No regrets,” he added. “None at all."

For anyone. Except maybe for future hosts, who now have a near-impossible standard to meet thanks to these magnificent Paris Games.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

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Olympics | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shatters her own…

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Olympics | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shatters her own hurdles world record

Mclaughlin-levrone wins gold, knocking nearly three-tenths of a second off the mark she set at the olympic trials.

SAINT-DENIS, France — Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone destroyed arguably the greatest Olympic Games 400-meter hurdles field ever assembled and shattered her own world record to defend her Olympic gold medal in dominating fashion Thursday night at Stade de France.

McLaughlin-Levrone  simply blew away the rest of the field over the final 200 meters, finishing in 50.37 seconds and knocking nearly three-tenths of a second off the world record she set only weeks earlier in winning the U.S. Olympic Trials.

U.S. teammate Anna Cockrell, formerly of USC., took the silver in 51.87. Netherlands Femke Bol, the reigning world champion who had been expected to challenge McLaughlin-Levrone, got the bronze medal in 52.15.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States celebrates after breaking her own world record in winning the women’s 400-meter hurdles final at the Summer Olympics on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States wins the women’s 400m hurdles winning the gold medal and setting a world record with a time of 50.37 during track and field at Stade de France during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Saint-Denis on Thursday, August 8, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States competes while winning the women’s 400-meter hurdles final at the Summer Olympics on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States wins the women’s 400m hurdles winning the gold medal and setting a world record with a time of 50.37 Tara Davis-Woodhall wins the women’s long jump and the gold medal during track and field at Stade de France during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Saint-Denis on Thursday, August 8, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States wins the women’s 400-meter hurdles while setting a world record with a time of 50.37 during track and field at Stade de France during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Saint-Denis on Thursday, August 8, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States hugs Jasmine Moore after winning the women’s 400m hurdles winning the gold medal and setting a world record with a time of 50.37 during track and field at Stade de France during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Saint-Denis on Thursday, August 8, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States broke her own world record winning the women’s 400-meter hurdles final at the Summer Olympics on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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Teens and Tactics Blur in China’s Quest for Gold

A young skater’s emergence signals a pivot in the way an Olympic power defines success. But its handling of the table tennis competition suggests old expectations may persist, too.

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By Hannah Beech

Reporting from Paris

• Published Aug. 7, 2024 Updated Aug. 12, 2024

Lilibet speaks good English. Her coach is British and amply tattooed. She competed on Tuesday in park skateboarding, an insurgent sport in which the point among the sisterhood of athletes is not just winning a medal but embodying a mantra of female empowerment.

Lilibet is just a nickname. Her full name is Zheng Haohao, and at 11 she is the youngest athlete at these Games . She is also the new face of a Chinese sports-industrial complex that for decades has harnessed tens of thousands of small children in hopes of forging a tiny fraction of them into Olympic champions.

Yet Lilibet’s debut, along with those of a few other Chinese Olympians, has come in large part because she has grown up outside the state’s full embrace.

“I don’t want to put any pressure on myself,” Lilibet wrote on Chinese social media before her competition. “I just want to show my best in Paris.”

Lilibet’s carefree attitude, an energy tonic for Chinese fans at these Games, has prompted questions of whether it’s worth pushing Chinese athletes so hard for national glory.

In Paris, China is once again locked in a gold medal race with the United States — a contest that probably means more to Beijing than to Washington. As expected, its sports machine has delivered victories in diving, badminton, gymnastics and shooting, among other pursuits, though its swimmers competed under a shadow of suspicion because of failed drug tests at previous events. The coming days most likely will bring more golds, in weight lifting.

On Saturday, China won gold and silver in the women’s table tennis singles. It was a predictable spectacle of athletic domination — China has won every gold in the event and five consecutive silvers, too — but the day’s last act was one of the most jarring displays at these Olympics, as Chinese fans rebelled against the eventual victor.

National Effort

Ever since Chairman Mao Zedong decreed that his new People’s Republic develop its muscle, China has taken sports seriously. After the nation’s nearly three-decade absence from the Summer Olympics, Chinese officials mimicked the Soviet Union and set up thousands of state-run sports schools to cultivate champions, and returned to the Games in 1984.

Beijing’s gold medal strategy long depended on a mastery of sports like table tennis and diving, as well as a mining of medals in disciplines offering multiple categories and weight classes, like weight lifting and shooting.

Chinese athletes enjoyed careers fully subsidized by the state, but they had to hew to a long list of noes: no dating, no living at home, no normal school. At the 2012 London Games, one diver was not told that her grandparents had died or that her mother had been ill until after her competition. She won gold.

China, though, has changed a lot since it began churning out champions. Middle-class parents are no longer willing to give up their only children to the state sports system. Athletes are demanding more autonomy and a bigger cut of their earnings. More fundamentally, the state has expanded its definition of sport from an elite preserve of champions to a source of wellness for the masses.

Lilibet was the kind of child who pinged around like an electron eager to charge a current. Four years ago, her family gave her a skateboard as a diversion, not as any instrument of patriotism. (She is also fond of painting and chess.) As her skills expanded, her mother, multilingual and well-traveled, took Lilibet on tour to three continents.

Even as she trained, Lilibet continued to live at home. She learned English, and her posts on Instagram, which is blocked in China by state censors, praise her fellow skateboarders with the hashtag #girlscanskate. “Speed is your friend,” she wrote in one post. In another, she showed off her earnings from a national competition and admitted she didn’t know exactly how taxes worked.

In the run up to the park competition on Tuesday, Lilibet mixed easily with the other competitors, most of whom, given the lack of an age minimum, are minors . The girls giggled and vogued.

“She’s cool, and I like her style,” said Chen Yifan, a Chinese teenager watching Lilibet train. “She is having fun.”

It’s about more than fun. A strong sense of self is fundamental to the sport.

“I’ve had conversations with the Chinese, who were asking, because this is a new sport, ‘What should we do to become good?’” said Luca Basilico, the skateboarding director for World Skate, which runs the Olympic competition. “And I tell them: ‘Send them abroad. Let them travel and absorb. And then they will come up with their own style and artistry.’”

That advice applies to other sports, too. On Saturday, in front of a spirited crowd of Chinese supporters, Zheng Qinwen (no relation to Zheng Haohao, or Lilibet) won gold in tennis in women’s singles. Although she was deposited by her father at a state sports academy at age 7, leaving her struggling with homesickness for years, Zheng eventually relocated to Spain with her mother.

It was a liberty unavailable to an earlier crop of Chinese tennis players, who could not leave the country for training and were required to hand over much of their endorsement money to the state. Chinese women’s tennis was also shaken in 2021 when Peng Shuai, once a top doubles player, accused a former top Communist Party official of sexual assault. Peng quickly withdrew her allegation and disappeared for a time from public view, leading to a global human rights campaign asking, “Where is Peng Shuai?”

Today, the rules limiting Chinese Olympians have loosened. There are fewer state media diatribes against athletes’ dating teammates or admonitions against personal ambition. Still, the easygoing atmosphere of skateboarding, with a Chinese Olympian chilling with headphones and baggy pants, is a world away from what unfolded on Saturday when two other Chinese women battled it out for gold in table tennis.

Playing Favorites

In that final, Sun Yingsha, the reigning world champion, faced off against Chen Meng, the world No. 4.

Chen was the defending Olympic champion, but for months, China’s state media had pumped up Sun as the young, humble exemplar of a table tennis-mad nation. Ad campaigns promoted her face. “Sun Yingsha is not tall, having short hair and a round face,” enthused one provincial newspaper. “She is cute and adorable. Everyone loves her.”

At the same time, the way in which Chen qualified for Paris led to simmering speculation that one reason she had been chosen was to provide Sun an easier time in the final. (Given China’s dominance of the sport, it was viewed as a foregone conclusion that they would play for the gold and silver.)

Machinations within a national team might seem to be an internal matter. But Chen qualified for these Olympics under parameters that had been recently revised and after higher-ranked teammates had suffered losses so surprising that they raised the specter of match manipulation. There are also persistent doubts about Chen’s age. Under sporting federation and Chinese regulations, proof of age or match manipulation should have precluded her from participating in these Games.

There is no firm evidence that any matches that led to Chen’s selection for Paris were rigged. But Chinese sports have long been linked to such transgressions.

Chinese athletes have said that they were ordered to throw table tennis matches, either to allow a favored player to advance or to shape the draw for an easier tournament. One star claimed that she once defied a diktat to deliberately lose, costing her a spot in the Olympics. She emigrated to Japan, and later represented her adopted country in the 1996 and 2000 Games.

Chen told The New York Times that she began training in table tennis at about 5 ½ years old because the sport seemed “cute.” But in her home province of Shandong, in eastern China, table tennis was practically a blood sport. Entire academies dedicated themselves to training children.

Former participants in Shandong table tennis, including players and a trainer, say that to boost the provincial team’s competitiveness and to enjoy enhanced central government funding, local officials routinely falsified children’s ages to make them seem younger and therefore more talented. The Chinese Table Tennis Association tried to fight back by analyzing children’s bones to gauge their real age.

Chen’s birth date, according to her Olympic biography, is Jan. 15, 1994, making her 30. But in 2012, she shared posts on her social media account, written on June 15, wishing her a happy birthday. Those social media posts did not specify her year of birth. An article about Chen in Shandong news media published a photo from 1997 at the table tennis school she first attended.

If she started training at five and a half years old, she would now be 32, not 30, as her biography states. Documentation from events she attended as a little girl in New Zealand and China would make her 32, too.

Table tennis players and trainers from Shandong, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears of reprisal, say that athletes usually have a “Ping-Pong age” and a real age. Two players who trained with Chen’s coach told a researcher that their ages were falsified when they were small.

The difference might not matter now, but age manipulation breaks Chinese rules, which were tightened after high-profile international scandals. In 2010, a decade after the Sydney Games, the Chinese women’s gymnastics team that won bronze there was stripped of its medal because one of its athletes had entered the competition as a 16-year-old when she was actually two years underage.

When asked about her correct birth date, Chen told The Times: “What the official record says is the most accurate.”

The match on Saturday between Chen and Sun began in equipoise. Each player claimed a game. But Chen’s spinning shots struck with hairbreadth precision. Sun’s points, decreasing as the match progressed, were met with approving roars from the Chinese fans. By the time Chen had prevailed to defend her Olympic gold, the Chinese table tennis delegation sitting in the stands gazed out, sullen and unsmiling. The message seemed clear: The wrong Chinese player had won.

Fans primed to support Sun expressed their outrage online. By the next day, China’s social media platform, Weibo, announced that more than 300 accounts had been suspended for spreading “malicious speculation” about the match and 12,000 “pieces of illegal content” had been deleted. On Tuesday, Beijing authorities said a woman had been arrested in connection with her table tennis posts.

At a news conference after the match, members of the Chinese news media asked Chen a few perfunctory questions, then lapsed into silence. She walked away a repeat singles gold medalist, but grim and alone.

Generation Next

Three days later, at the Olympic skateboarding preliminaries, Lilibet strapped on her helmet and kneepads. A few days before, in training, she had soared through the air, the Eiffel Tower in the distance, and returned to earth face first. “Kissing the ground,” skateboarders call it.

Her first official run in the Olympics was cautious. In her second and third runs, she took on more speed and lost control.

She was hardly the only one. In Lilibet’s heat, seven runs in a row ended with missed tricks. A 15-year-old French girl broke down in tears. Lilibet told her coach, Danny Wainwright of Britain, that her Olympic debut was “no good.” She finished 18th out of 22 competitors.

But half an hour later, her cheek still scratched and bruised from her fall in training, Lilibet was grinning again as she described what had brought her to Paris.

“I was like, oh, skateboarding that’s so cool,” she said in perfect preteen English. “And I got to come to the Olympics and see all my friends.”

Olivia Wang contributed research.

Photographs at top by: Gabriela Bhaskar for The New York Times; Chang W. Lee /The New York Times; Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times; and James Hill for The New York Times

Hannah Beech is a Times reporter based in Bangkok who has been covering Asia for more than 25 years. She focuses on in-depth and investigative stories. More about Hannah Beech

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