ESPN Australia is celebrating its 30th birthday, and to mark the milestone we have ranked the 30 biggest sporting moments of the last three decades.
We have seen some incredible, dramatic, heartbreaking, heroic, tragic, controversial and exhilarating moments in sport since 1995 -- Aussie sport has really delivered it all. In July we picked 80 moments that define three decades and put them to a public vote. And thanks to your help we have been able to crown the No. 1.
So, what's the top Australian sporting moment of the last 30 years?
This is a three-part series with 10 moments featuring in each edition. Here are moments 30-21.
30. Steve Waugh's fairytale last-ball Ashes hundred in 2003
It was a moment that gripped a nation. Steve Waugh, for so long a fulcrum of the Test side, was coming under pressure for his place as the 2002-03 Ashes, won comfortably by Australia, entered its final game at his home ground of the SCG.
Waugh walked to the crease in mid-afternoon on the second day with England in a rare position of strength. He went on to forge one of the iconic performances of his illustrious career. When the final over the day started, Waugh was on 95 against offspinner Richard Dawson. He played out three dots, then ran a three, which meant he lost the strike.
But Adam Gilchrist did his part, working a single to a huge roar from a packed crowd, leaving Waugh on strike for the last ball of the day. Nasser Hussain spent what felt like forever setting the field. Then Dawson came in, bowled it flat and quick outside off stump, Waugh rocked back and carved through the covers. Arms went aloft and the crowd rose as one. Australia went on to lose, but Waugh's career was back on his terms.
Waugh would retire 12 months later in further emotional scenes against India at the SCG. -- Andrew McGlashan
29. Lauren Jackson and the Opals lift the FIBA Women's World Cup in 2006
The 2006 Opals made Australian basketball history and nearly two decades on, their feat remains unmatched.
A talent-laden Australian team featuring the likes of Lauren Jackson, Penny Taylor, Kristi Harrower, and veteran Jenny Whittle -- who a decade earlier was on the podium in Atlanta with the Opals having claimed the country's first-ever Olympic medal -- took out the FIBA Women's World Cup in Brazil and remain the country's only senior team, men or women, to win a gold medal at a World Cup or Olympic Games.
Coached by Jan Stirling, Australia went through the tournament undefeated on the way to beating Russia 91-74 in the final, with Taylor crowned tournament MVP and Jackson finishing as the competition's top-scorer with 21 points per game.
Erin Phillips, who went on to become a dual Olympian and two-time WNBA champion, was 21-years-old and on international debut in 2006.
"The word historical comes to mind. It was a special group, our team," Phillips told ESPN. "When you put on the Opals uniform there was this real pride, real power behind it because you didn't only stand for the team of now but we represented the Opals and rich history before us.
"Getting to play alongside Penny, Lauren and Jenny, who was my roommate and I had to run a few flights of stairs to get her nightly biscuit and cup of tea -- they were rookie duties -- was amazing.
"As the Opals, we were highly respected, we were feared in terms of the way we played, we played hard. It was super special and I remember the joy in each other's faces when we won, knowing what we'd achieved."
In 2024, this Opals squad became the the first team inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame. -- Megan Hustwaite
28. The Boomers put years of heartbreak behind them with a "Rose Gold" Olympic medal
Here's how the moment was reported on ESPN.com.au in 2021
Patty Mills has scored 42 points to drag Australia past Slovenia 107-93 in Tokyo's bronze playoff and secure the Boomers' first Olympic men's basketball medal.
The Australian flagbearer, in his fourth Games campaign, notched his highest Olympic total and added nine assists to ensure the Boomers prevailed after losing four previous play-offs for third.
Australia led by 14 points early in the final quarter, before NBA All-Star Luka Doncic (22 points, eight rebounds, seven assists) got Slovenia to within three points.
But Dante Exum, Joe Ingles and Matisse Thybulle all stepped up to slow the Slovenian star and helped create Australian men's basketball history.
"We've been waiting for this moment for a long time; it's taken a lot of ups, a lot of downs for us to get over the hump," Mills told the Seven Network.
"It's our culture, Aussie spirit, the boys being able to hang together.
"Now we've made it over the hill, this is the standard now for Australian basketball for men.
"I don't know whether to cry, laugh, smile - a lot of emotions.
"It's time to bring an Olympic medal home ... so I can hang it up at Mum and Dad's house."
Mills made certain there would be no repeat of the corresponding game five years ago in Rio, where Spain broke hearts to win by one point in the final seconds.
He put up 31 shots, 15 of those three-point attempts, in an aggressive performance that carried the side most of the way before Ingles (15 points, nine rebounds, four assists) found his range in the second half.
Exum (12 points) also hit crucial shots and made a timely defensive play against a Slovenian side that hung in despite Doncic struggling for a bulk of the night.
Nursing a strapped left wrist, he was forced into eight turnovers, Slovenia surprisingly surging ahead while he was benched in the second quarter.
The Dallas Mavericks star got hot late in the fourth though, draining back-to-back three-pointers as they cut a 14-point deficit down to a one-possession game.
An unsportsmanlike foul on Jaka Blazic helped the Boomers' cause though, the Slovenian inexplicably pushing Mills over after fouling him, sending Mills to the foul line and allowing Australia a chance to regain composure.
Thybulle, an emerging NBA talent with Philadelphia 76ers who spent his early years in Australia, proved to be a telling addition in Tokyo.
He collected 11 points on 83% shooting plus five rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block to have another dramatic impact on the contest.
A pair of Thybulle dunks, the second a flying effort in transition, gave Australia the momentum at the half, while Jock Landale (14 points, six-of-eight shooting) capped a fine tournament as he prepares to begin his NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs.
Andrew Gaze looks back on an historic moment for Australian basketball on the Olympic stage.
27. Steve Hooker makes history with pole vault Gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008
Every set of eyes at the Beijing Bird's Nest was fixed firmly on Steve Hooker. The Australian pole vault star, sporting his trademark curly ginger locks, skin-tight green and gold kit, and a jet-black headband, was on the cusp of sporting immortality, just one jump away from becoming an Olympic champion.
Moments earlier, Russia's Evgeny Lukyanenko had failed in his third and final attempt at 5.90m, but Hooker still had one more chance of clearing the mark.
With the capacity crowd clapping along in encouragement, the Melburnian took off down the runway, planted his pole firmly into the box, and soared high into the night sky to deliver one of the nation's most iconic Olympic gold medals. He then launched himself off the mat and sprinted toward coach Alex Parnov, who had jumped out of the crowd and onto the track in wild celebration.
"The whole competition was mentally and physically the hardest thing I've done in my life," Hooker said at the time. "It was more like boxing than pole vault."
But Hooker wasn't satisfied with just becoming Olympic champion. He returned to his mark moments later and cleared 5.96m to set a new Olympic pole vault record and cement his place in Australian sporting folklore. -- Jake Michaels
26. Pat Cummins leads the men's cricket team to a 2023 World Cup win in India
Australia has been the dominant force in global cricket tournaments over the past 30 years. Their 1999 World Cup triumph was remarkable (the Edgbaston tie and all that) which they turned into a hat-trick of titles in 2003 and 2007, without losing a game in the latter two. But it's the more recent success in 2023, under the captaincy of Pat Cummins, that has made this list.
- Cummins: An Aussie World Cup winning captain like no other
Like the 1999 campaign, Australia found themselves living on the edge after defeats in their opening two matches. It wasn't quite win or bust from there, but it was close. When Sri Lanka were 125 without loss in the third group match, things looked dire for Cummins' team. But Cummins himself sparked a collapse and Australia took the points.
An epic five-run over New Zealand was vital and they dispatched a struggling England side. Then came the Miracle of Mumbai. Chasing 292, they were gone at 91 for 7, but Glenn Maxwell had other ideas and produced the greatest ODI innings of all time: an unbeaten 201 from 128 balls, much of it when he could barely move because of cramp.
Australia held their nerve in a tight semifinal against South Africa to set up the ultimate showdown with hosts India in Ahmedabad. Cummins produced the moment which silenced a nation when he removed Virat Kohli, then Travis Head played the innings of his life, just when Jasprit Bumrah threatened to turn the game. -- Andrew McGlashan
25. The Wallabies win the 1999 Rugby World Cup final over France in Cardiff
There was a time, some 26 years ago, when Australia sat atop the rugby world. That might seem like a distant memory right now -- though recent signs suggest a revival might finally be in the offing -- but it certainly was a golden run around the turn of the millennium.
The 1999 Rugby World Cup victory was the crowning jewel from a period that also netted a British and Irish Lions series triumph and a five-year Bledisloe Cup run.
- Greg Growden remembers Australia's Rugby World Cup triumphs
After sweeping through their pool with ease, the toughest game being a 23-3 win over Ireland, the Wallabies then knocked over tournament hosts Wales 23-9 in Cardiff in the quarterfinals. That set the stage for a dramatic semifinal with defending champions the Springboks at Twickenham. You might remember that game for the commentary "drop goal from Larkham... over it goes". It was Larkham's first and last Test match drop goal, which took the Wallabies clear in extra time after the two sides had been locked at 21-all at full-time.
The next day, the unthinkable happened, as a star-studded All Blacks team featuring Jonah Lomu, Jeff Wilson and Andrew Mehrtens was upset by France after a stunning second-half comeback. But Les Bleus were no match for the Wallabies a week later, as fullback Matt Burke knocked over seven penalties, and Ben Tune and Owen Finegan scored tries to complete a resounding 35-12 win for Australia's second Webb Ellis crown.
Centre Tim Horan was later named player of the tournament, before the Wallabies were given a ticker-tape parade down George St. in Sydney, in which tens of thousands attended to catch a glimpse of their national heroes. -- Sam Bruce
24. The Australian cricket team and "Sandpapergate"
One of the biggest controversies to hit Australian sport. This was a fraught series from the start. David Warner and Quinton de Kock had been involved in an altercation in a stairwell at Kingsmead in Durban; Nathan Lyon was fined for dropping the ball on AB de Villiers after a run out; Kagiso Rabada was banned for making contact with Steve Smith, but managed to get it overturned, which enraged the Australians.
- Five years after Sandpapergate, what has changed in Australian cricket?
The series was locked at 1-1 when it arrived in Cape Town and a powder keg was ready to explode. It all came to a head on the third day when, as it was later revealed, Cameron Bancroft used sandpaper on the ball which he later tried to hide down his trousers. Smith, captain at the time, admitted he knew of the plans but did nothing to stop it.
The fall out was dramatic. Smith and Warner were banned for a year, Bancroft for nine months. Smith was sacked as captain, Warner removed as vice-captain and handed a lifetime leadership ban, one which was overturned in 2024. Tim Paine became Australia's Test captain.
The events in Cape Town also led to a full cultural review of Australian cricket, with outcomes that exposed a toxic environment and a win-at-all-costs mentality, leading to multiple resignations and sackings at board and management level. -- Andrew McGlashan
23. The Matildas' dramatic penalty shoot-out win over France in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
There were 120 minutes of football and 19 other penalties before Cortnee Vine stepped up to the penalty spot at Suncorp Stadium. Her look of steely determination flashed on the big screen at the ground and was beamed onto the televisions and phones and projectors of millions as the nation came to a halt to watch this shootout.
Before Vine found herself in this position, Mackenzie Arnold had saved penalties left, right, and centre. Captain Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler slotted their spot kicks with power and finesse. The Matildas and Les Bleues went stroke-or-stroke like an extended tennis rally. Every stumble was matched with a stumble. Every conversion was met by a conversion. Until Vine.
- The Matildas' moment: Each penalty had its own story to tell
For all the haters of penalty shootouts, and there are many, there is no denying they are the best, cruelest, most thrilling way to decide a match. They are football reduced down to its simplest form. A single kick. Keeper and shooter. Separated by the longest and shortest 12 yards in the game. Vine stepped up to the spot, aware of the fact that a goal would grant the Matildas passage to a first-ever World Cup semifinal, after Vicki Bècho missed the kick before.
She took a deep breath and struck the ball beyond Solene Durand's reach. Cue the roar. Cue the limbs. Cue the party.
And the next few days were a party. While the Matildas would only go on to finish fourth -- still the best result by a senior Australian team at a FIFA World Cup -- that moment in time between Aug.12 and Aug. 16 was unforgettably magical. -- Marissa Lordanic
We look back at a heart-stopping moment of history for the Matildas on home soil, as they became Australia's favourite team.
22. Jess Fox finally, finally, wins an emotional Tokyo Olympic gold medal
There's likely no better redemption story on this entire list than Jess Fox's emotional golden slalom run at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games.
The world's best paddler had cut a dejected figure five years earlier in Rio after making a costly error in her final run to narrowly miss out on the top step of the podium in the K1. History then repeated itself in the Japanese capital on day six of competition, with another brutal time penalty on her medal run robbing Fox of Olympic gold and leaving her once again inconsolable on the rapids. It was cruel déjà vu.
- How Jess Fox overcame pressure, hurdles and opponents on the way to gold
But all of that heartbreak would soon be forgotten when on a scorching hot day at the Kasai Canoe Slalom Course, six kilometers east of Tokyo, the superstar from Penrith left all of her misery and near misses in the past. Fox produced a breathtaking, faultless final run in the newly introduced C1 event, finishing 3.64 seconds clear of Britain's Mallory Franklin to, at long last, add "Olympic champion" to her glittering resume.
Upon crossing the finish line, Fox splashed the water in delight before paddling to shore to embrace both sister Noemie and mum and coach Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi, who won bronze in the K1 event in Atlanta in 1996.
At long last, Fox's Olympic medal set was complete. -- Jake Michaels
🇫🇷 Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi - 🥉 at Atlanta 1996
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) January 24, 2023
🇦🇺 Jessica Fox - 🥇 at Tokyo 2020
Myriam has continued her canoe slalom legacy by coaching her daughter Jess to multiple Olympic medals, and becoming a role model for other female coaches. @jessfoxcanoe | @PlanetCanoe pic.twitter.com/kVdGTysnMd
21. The Oarsome Foursome win gold again in Atlanta 1996
If you think winning one Olympic gold medal is tough, how about winning back-to-back golds? Okay, how about winning back-to-back golds when just about no one gives you a chance?
Olympic victories don't come much sweeter than in 1996 for Australia's coxless four team, first dubbed the "Oarsome Foursome" around the time of their 1992 Barcelona triumph.
Initially made up of Andrew Cooper, Nick Green, Mike McKay, and James Tomkins, the Australians capped a dominant couple of years in the lead-up to Barcelona with a gold medal, but after some disappointing results in the lead up to the Atlanta Olympics, not many experts expected the Australians to double up.
The repeat was made even more unlikely after Cooper's retirement just one year out from the Games in 1995. It forced a daring reshuffle, and a fresh-faced 21-year-old Drew Ginn was drafted into the fold.
"It was the only race we won in the four year period between the Olympics, so we timed it to perfection," Tomkins told ESPN. The Foursome built beautifully for the games, qualifying third fastest for the final before knocking off France and Great Britain for gold.
"We got through the heats, semifinals had a bit of a mishap ... we came third, so we were in the outside lane [for the final]. We watched Keiren [Perkins] win that night win his gold medal from the outside lane, so we're going 'you beauty' he's done it, we can do it from the outside lane," he said.
"We knew if we were within half a length at the halfway mark, we were faster than everyone else over the back half of the race ... it was a phenomenal race. I remember, with about 200 metres to go ... the bow balls of [the other] five boats were in line with me ... so we had half a length on everyone else and we were blowing up like nothing, right on the limit physically, and got across the line 0.6 seconds ahead, in a six minute race. It's tiny, tiny margins."
The win cemented the Oarsome Foursome's legendary status in rowing, and as Australian Olympic greats. -- Matt Walsh