Notching up that position on day six of the Games will mostly rely on our performance in the pool, as other scheduled events are preliminaries or group stage matches.
Opals in need of a win against Canada
Their unexpected 62-75 loss to Nigeria has thrown a wrench in their plans and now they will need to dig deep to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
However, as one of the two best third-ranked teams, there’s a small chance Australia could advance despite a loss.
Field hockey teams to book their quarter-final tickets
The Kookaburras, who are coming off a loss to 2020 gold-medallist Belgium, will want to get the better of New Zealand, who are coming fourth in their pool.
Australia’s Thomas Craig (left) facing pressure from Juan Catan of Argentina during their match on day one of the Paris Olympics. Source: Getty / Alex Pantling
Meanwhile, the so-far-undefeated Hockeyroos will face a tough challenge, going head-to-head with Argentina, who finished second at the previous Olympic Games in Tokyo and currently share the top pool spot with Australia.
More glory may come from swim team
Abbey Lee Connor and Liz Dekkers will be hoping for a good spot in the women’s 200m butterfly final.
In the men’s 50m freestyle heats, Ben Armbruster and Cameron McEvoy will size up their chances for a spot in the semis.
What else is happening?
The golf event will also begin today, with Australia being represented in the preliminaries by Jason Day and Min Woo Lee.
In boxing, Monique Suraci will be looking to advance from the preliminaries in the 50kg category, while the men’s and women’s beach volleyball teams also have matches for their respective qualifying rounds.