Well, here we are.

After two weeks of blood, sweat and tears, the Paris Games have wrapped up.

The Australians have secured 18 golds in the French capital, adding more silver and bronze on the final day to secure fourth spot on the finall tally.

Cyclists Matthew Glaetzer and Matthew Richardson (men’s keirin) both secured a podium finish while Georgia Baker (women’s omnium) came up short of a medal.

Meanwhile, the Opals have claimed their first Olympic medal since 2012 beating Belgium in the women’s basketball bronze medal match.

AUSSIES WIN SILVER AND BRONZE AFTER ‘BRADBURY’ FINISH

Having had a strong Games at the velodrome, Australia’s Matthews Richardson and Glaetzer are both medallists after finishing second and third respectively in the men’s keirin final.

Richardson and Glaetzer qualified first and second for the gold medal race but it was Harrie Lavreysen, who beat Richardson for gold in the sprint, taking top spot on the podium.

There was chaos late in the race after a three-way crash off the final turn helped Glaetzer to a medal, with Australian Olympic cyclist and commentator Scott McGrory declaring he had “done a Bradbury”.

“Three riders in front went down and Glaetzer went through to collected the bronze medal for third place,” McGrory said.

Elsewhere, Georgia Baker came up short of a spot on the podium in the women’s omnium, although her fifth-placed finish was the best result for Australia since 2015.

Baker came third in the scratch race to begin the four-stage omnium, took second place in the tempo race to jump to second overall and backed it up with a second in the elimination race.

In the final sprint, which was worth double figures, Baker was unable to score any points.

EARLY HEARTBREAK IN WOMEN’S MARATHON OPENS ‘PANDORA’S BOX’

Questions will be asked of Athletics Australia after one of three runners in the women’s marathon pulled up injured just 1.5 kilometres into Sunday’s race, reigniting a selection controversy that bubbled away ahead of the Olympics.

Sinead Diver, Genevieve Gregson and Jess Stenson were selected to race for Australia in the marathon, with Gregson and Stenson finishing 24th and 13th respectively.

The biggest talking point to come out of the race was the fitness of Diver, the Australian record holder who finished 10th at the last Olympics.

She was left in tears after her race was cut short in what three-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Tamsyn Lewis-Manou described as a “heartbreaking” scene.

Athletics Australia said in a statement that Diver withdrew “after experiencing bilateral cramping in both quadriceps”.

“She is devastated and being supported by team officials and medical staff,” the statement added.

“Despite managing Plantar fasciitis at times this year, there was no physical reason for Sinead to not compete today.”

Gregson told Channel Nine that Diver had a “tough prep” but added “she never made it about her”.

“She never complained to us,” Gregson said.

“She just has been one of the most supportive teammates I think I’ve ever had. We love her.”

“She was my roommate and having Sinead there… she’s just such a beautiful person,” added Stenson.

The withdrawal reignited debate that took place in the athletics community before the Olympics had even got underway after Lisa Weightman was overlooked for selection in the marathon.

Weightman ran the third-fastest time (2:23:15) in the qualification period, with her non-selection causing a stir in the running community as Olympian Sally Pearson expressed her shock.

“This is about so much more than her [Weightman’s] omission from the team,” Pearson wrote in a column for news.com.au.

“I’m disappointed with the national selection panel, but I’m more shocked at the integrity of Athletics Australia and how this has become a total farce.”

Stenson, who won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, ran 2:24:01 although her time came just six months after giving birth to her second child and in the particularly challenging South Korean Daegu marathon.

The selection drama caused quite the stir, with Weightman’s husband even angrily tweeting at Stenson asking her to remove the header image on her Twitter account which saw both families happy after a race.

Weightman expressed her disappointment at the decision in a statement at the time.

“I am of course disappointed by the decision given that I fought hard and fair to gain my qualification time,” Weightman said.

“However, what I am most disappointed about is AA’s own internal systems and procedures that have allowed this outcome and which, unless corrected, will negatively impact future Australian athletes and their legitimate claims to represent Australia.”

Weightman, who was one of six women qualified to run in Paris, was Australia’s reserve for Sunday’s marathon.

“She (Weightman) is in shape,” Lewis-Manou said in commentary.

“You can tell no matter what is unfolding in the race, we’re obviously going to watch Gen Gregson and Jessica Stenson carefully… there’s going to be a lot said in the community of running back home.”

Gerard Whateley, meanwhile, said Diver’s DNF would open a “Pandora’s box”.

“The fact we had one runner unfortunately not make it past the first 1.5km is opening so many questions that, to be honest, unless we get the right answer, it’s got a question mark on what’s been an unbelievable campaign for Australia,” he said.

“There are questions around Sinead Diver’s participation in this event and what the alternatives might have been,” Whateley later added.

“There is a flow of information in the weeks leading up to this marathon that raises concerns about her preparedness for the race, and the possibility of a foot injury. This is all to be investigated, and it is all to be confirmed or otherwise, but there is a level of accountability that obviously sits over this right now.”

OPALS FINALLY CLAIM MEDAL

The Opals have defeated Belgium 85-81 in a seesawing thriller on Sunday evening to claim bronze and their first Olympic medal since the 2012 Games.

Ezi Magbegor was the standout for Australia, scoring a team-high 30 points to go with 13 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

In what is likely her final game in the green and gold, the legendary Lauren Jackson didn’t play any minutes but had a front row seat to what she described as an “incredible” performance from the WNBA star.

“That was incredible tonight, to watch that,” Jackson told Andrew Gaze.

“Wow, we are so proud of her. I’m happy for her. No one can stop her when she plays like that anywhere in the world.”

For Jackson, it was her fifth Olympic medal after winning silver in Sydney (2000), Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) as well as bronze in London.

“It’s crazy, I can’t believe it,” Jackson said, with Opals skipper Tess Madgen calling her the team’s “good luck charm”.

It was a triumphant end to a tournament that started in disastrous fashion for the Opals, losing 75-62 to Nigeria after a performance which Jackson labelled a “disaster” at the time.

AUSSIES IN ACTION — DAY 16 HIGHLIGHTS