Nineteen million Australians had no doubt Ian Thorpe would be Australia's first gold medallist at the Sydney Olympics. But he did.
We got lucky early with Eric the Eel. And struck again when we invented our own language to unlock the miracle of gymnastics.
After the Opal Tower debacle and a U-turn on plans for the Olympic stadium,it is hoped a metro line can reinvigorate the Games precinct.
Twenty years after the"best Olympic Games ever",the 640-hectare precinct that played host is struggling to reinvent itself as a vibrant urban part of Sydney.
Gary Merlino was just one of 46,967 Sydneysiders who volunteered to help out with the Olympics. But he was almost without a job before the phone rang on day two.
Walker Jane Saville experienced the shock and pain of being disqualified just short of an Olympic gold medal in Sydney. But how did it feel to be the official who showed her the red card?
Born as Sydney was announced as the Olympic host,Tom Decent channels his inner seven-year-old to recall a magical 16 days in September 2000.
Eric Moussambani became one of the Sydney Olympics'most famous athletes by battling to swim 100m. But,within a few years,the swimmer from Equatorial Guinea had made dramatic progress.
Grant Hackett was hanging by a thread before a covert visit from his family - and an audience with a motorsport legend - changed the course of Olympic history.
For Australians,the 4x100m freestyle victory over the US at the Sydney Olympics was one of the country's greatest sporting achievements. National editor Tory Maguire winds back the clock with senior sports reporter Phil Lutton.
Twenty years after their historic 4x100m freestyle victory over the US at the Sydney Olympics,Michael Klim,Chris Fydler,Ashley Callus and Ian Thorpe reflect on a race that stopped a nation and a bond that will last forever in this oral history.