Often, at an Olympic Games, it’s what happens out of the pool, or off the field, that delivers the real gold.

And that’s been the case, every day this week, as Australia shines in the City of Lights.

From Mollie O’Callaghan sharing her gold medal dais with teammate Ariana Titmus who she had just pipped in the 200m freestyle, to the candid raw interviews with families, our pride in those golden moments should be palpable.

We saw it in Emma McKeon’s tears, after her last individual Olympic race, in the contagious smile of Shayna Jack and the guts Elijah Winnington showed in the pool, and afterwards in interviews.

Family ties

But perhaps our sports stars were even beaten by the raw impromptu performances of their families.

O’Callaghan’s parents danced like no one was watching. The comedic show put on by her brother Matt; a truck driver from Brisbane who told the world he was so excited, he had to check his pants post-race.

And then this addition.

“Mollie’s not the only Olympian in the family,’’ he told radio. “I’m the Olympian of eating KFC with my mates, watching all the seasons of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. I’m the gold medallist in couching, watching stuff on TV.”

Real stories. Real families. Parents and grandparents. Brothers and sisters intoxicated in celebrating a daughter or son, brother or sister.

Olympic dream

It’s a reminder too of the enormous effort, day after day, month after month, year after year that families pour into support of loved ones, chasing a dream.

Sometimes, that delivers a medal; in almost every case this week, it delivered a story that reminds us what stars these athletes are on the international stage.

Skateboarder Chloe Covell travelled to Paris with the lure of making Olympic history as Australia’s youngest-ever medallist.

At 14, she sought consolation in the arms of her father, following a performance in the finals that disappointed only her.

A child, with the courage of a lion, and wisdom beyond her years. ”I’m proud that I made it into the final,’’ she said. “I tried my best and that’s all I could do.’’

Gold.

Champion team

Natalya Diehm carried five knee reconstructions onto the podium to take bronze.

Jess Fox, a star on any stage, settled the nerves, before a second gold, with a game of Wordle.

Kyle Chalmers, who came from eighth to clinch silver, has promised us he’ll swim on.

Gold.

And how many of us had even heard of Harry Garside before this week?

Now the Aussie boxer, who had his dreams of Olympic gold dashed in a first-round loss, deserves to be the breakfast conversation we have with our kids.

Wild about Harry

With defeat still raw, he told us that it was important “for young people to see life will knock you down’’ and that it was “important for young people to see failure is part of life”.

It was a reminder for all of us that true joy and self-judgment doesn’t come from one moment in history.

“The way you get self-worth and the way you get self-respect is how you treat other people,” he told the Nine Network.

“It’s the little moments in the day when you help someone carry their shopping or you shake someone’s hand or you say hello in public or you do something kind for someone, that is how you build your self-worth, self-confidence and self-love.”

Lasting message

That message is worth more to those who listen to it than any haul of medals.

“Our mission in this world is to find out exactly who we are. I am definitely on the journey,” he said.

Real people. Real stories. Pure gold.

It’s hard to choose the true Olympic moment for our nation this week, among a team of them, but perhaps it should go to a star inside the pool, and outside it – Kaylee McKeown and her hilarious, down-to-earth family.

Four years ago, McKeown’s heart broke when her father died. This week, after she blew a kiss from the gold medal dais to the heavens and then looked at the tattoo inspired by her father on her foot, she told us that he was her ‘super power’.

Kaylee’s super power

Her mother Sharon reminded her of that too, as she hugged her tightly on the sideline, after the historic win.

“We know that dad’s there as a super power,’’ she told her daughter.

Her step-brothers who took to TikTok to seek funds to get themselves to Paris, dressed in glitter dresses and green hair, and delivered a gold medal performance in comedy.

They arrived in Paris, having learnt a few French phrases: What’s your best beer? How much is a chicken parmie? And another phrase they didn’t want to repeat on television, but promised they would teach the world if Kaylee won.

Kaylee’s mother Sharon gave that away later, when asked what Sholto, her late husband and Kaylee’s dad, would have said if he had lived to see his daughter make history.

“He would have been saying F-yeah!” she said.

Gold. Gold. Gold.

This article first appeared on InQueensland