Australian Olympic team lands in Sydney as PM Anthony Albanese welcomes home our greatest-ever team

Australia’s youngest ever gold medallist Arisa Trew says she will return to school tomorrow while swim queen Ariarne Titmus has flagged defending her 400m crown at Los Angeles.

The pair were part Australia’s greatest-ever Olympic team that was welcomed home with tears and cheers of joy from dignitaries including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, family and friends at the Qantas hangar at Sydney International Airport this morning.

As the doors of the jet flew open and the crowd waited for a glimpse of our all-conquering athletes, cheers rang out for flag-bearers, double gold medal-winning swimmer Kaylee McKeown and sailor Matt Wearn as they stepped onto the landing.

“Before the plane took off yesterday, you had already etched your names into Australian sports history,” Mr Albanese told the crowd

Cheers continued as the star-studded line of competitors made their way down the stairs including gold medallists the Fox sisters , Jess and Noemie, who won gold in canoe slalom and swimmer Cam McEvoy.

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

Australia won 18 gold medals, 19 silver and 16 bronze for a 53-medal haul in Paris.

Trew, the 14-year-old from the Gold Coast who won park skateboarding gold, said she was still buzzing.

“I’m probably going to go to school tomorrow because I love going to school,” Trew said.

“I can’t wait to see all my friends tomorrow or maybe tonight at the skate park.”

Denny said Paris had been “an amazing experience”.

“It’s been a great reception, and I think I am just really proud of being able to do something that makes a lot of other people happy,” he said.

Queenslander Titmus has shared an “absolutely beautiful” moment with dad Steve and mum Robyn, while fellow swimmer Elijah Winnington’s parents similarly flew to Sydney just to be there, with the dual medallist spotting his mum “bawling her eyes out”.

Titmus was away for two months and spent time with her parents in Paris but the emotions spilled over.

“It feels nice. It’s been two months away, which is a long time. It feels good to be on home soil,” she told Sunrise.

“I saw Mum and Dad away — but it’s not really the same as when you’re home and you feel like you can just settle and relax.”

Titmus revealed in Paris that she would step away from swimming for up to 12 months ahead of Los Angeles in 2028.

“We’ll see. I would love to get to three Olympic, going to try and defend my title in 400m freestyle for a third time would be a massive feat,” Titmus said.

McKeon, the most decorated Australian in Olympic history, said she’d been looking forward to touching down in Australia.

“I guess it’s just everything you train for and everything you work hard for,” McKeon said after extending her career medal haul to 14 by collecting another gold, silver and bronze in Paris.

The WA contingent also touched down to a raucous reception on Tuesday evening, with Premier Roger Cook, Sports Minister David Templeman, and WA Institute of Sport chief executive Matt Fulton at the airport to welcome the athletes. with the 120 athletes greeted by a crowd chant of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi, oi, oi”.

Pole vaulter Nina Kennedy came out of the airport gates wearing her gold alongside boxer Charlie Senior, who won bronze.

Kennedy posed with young fans before saying the win fully set in when she got to stand on the podium and hold the medal.

“It is damn heavy,” she said.

“There was one thing on my list of things that I always wanted to do and that was to become an Olympic champion, no one can ever take that away from me.”

Senior’s family were there to greet him at the airport including his proud parents Carla and Daniel.

“For him to get the reward for all the effort he has put in and the sacrifice, and the things he has missed out on over the years for his dedication. He deserves this,” his dad Daniel said.

Breakdancer Rachael Gunn was a notable absentee from the flight.

“She came in for the closing ceremony, and the whole team got around her,” McEvoy said.

“I think that’s good because it was in contrast to what she was receiving on social media and world media.