And while the state's finest athletes are showing plenty of good signs, nobody is immune to a helping hand from the fat fella with the beard.

So, assuming Santa has nothing else to do on Christmas Eve, he might like to devote some time to delivering some of these presents.

He flies all over the planet for the World Triathlon Series, but the only stamp the 24-year-old will want to see on his passport this year will be in Japanese.

Controversially overlooked for the 2016 Olympics despite being Australia's top-ranking triathlete, Birtwhistle has since dominated the world scene, becoming the only competitor to claim multiple wins in this year's WTS.

The fact that Australia has medalled in every mixed relay Birtwhistle has contested, with the format set to debut in Tokyo, only adds to his case.

With seemingly endless World Cup, Champions Trophy, Pro-League, World League and Commonwealth Games titles to his name, Tasmania's hockey talisman has just one box left to tick on his stunning CV.

With two bronze medals from three previous Olympic campaigns, the 32-year-old has unfinished business on the sport's biggest stage.

For the Kookaburras player of the year and co-captain, who is set to overtake Jamie Dwyer as their most-capped player and has also been nominated for world player of the year, a long-awaited Olympic title would be a fitting way to crown a glorious career.

Tasmania may be able to mass produce top-level cyclists, but they've got to stop riding under ladders.

The state sent four riders to the last Olympics. All of them crashed.

Scott Bowden got back up to complete the mountain biking but Richie Porte's bone-shattering fall was the start of a wretched spell of misfortune for the Tour de France contender while Amy Cure and Georgia Baker went on to complete their track campaigns with bandaged limbs and diminished strength.

Macey Stewart, Nathan Earle and Will Clarke can also share terrifying tales of the tarmac.

It will be 36 years since Michael Grenda's triumph in Los Angeles, and with Cure and Baker taking home gold and silver medals from world champs, more Olympic success surely cannot be far away for Tassie cycling.

Grenda started a gold rush for his state with Maree Fish (1988), Stephen Hawkins (1992), Matthew Wells (2004) and Scott Brennan (2008) also topping Olympic podiums in hockey and rowing, but Tasmania is yet to claim an individual title.

With the likes of Birtwhistle, Porte and Ariarne Titmus having all beaten the world's best during their exceptional careers, there has surely never been a better time to put that anomaly to bed with a happy-ever-after story.

It will also be 12 years since a Tasmanian last claimed a gold medal, courtesy of Brennan teaming up with Dave Crawshay in the double sculls in Beijing.

Add Baker, Cure, Ockenden and Sarah Hawe to that list and it's also time for the sun to set on that chestnut in the land of the rising one.

He has set Olympic qualifying times in three different distances, started to claim national records and is nudging his idol Craig Mottram for the title of Australia's greatest middle distance runner.

Stewart McSweyn also never passes up an opportunity to promote King Island, not least in his self-proclaimed titles as either its mayor or king.

He cannot have done any more to put his home on the map, so deserves to benefit from some of its finest products.

And he needs a bit of fattening up.

Of the 51 Tasmanian Olympic selections since the last home Games in Sydney, no fewer than 22 have been rowers.

Of the 22 medals won by the state in the last three decades, eight were courtesy of rowing which has also provided half of our four Olympic champions down the years.

They may not be household names compared to cricketers and footballers but Stephen Hawkins, Simon Burgess, Darren Balmforth, Dana Faletic, Kerry Hore, Scott Brennan, Brendan Long, Cameron Wurf, Sam Beltz, Anthony Edwards, Tom Gibson, Kate Hornsey and Meaghan Volker devote just as much time and plenty more early mornings to their sport.

Hawe will almost certainly add her name to that distinguished honour roll in Tokyo having won gold, silver and gold at the last three world championships.

Rowing's time in the public spotlight may be a fleeting appearance every four years, but the sport makes the most of it.

Lawn bowls continues to tick off the criteria required for Olympic involvement but remains on the outside looking in while dynamic youth-orientated sports get the nod, presumably because they are perceived as having more viewing appeal.

Australia is among the world leaders in the sport with Van Asch a three-time world and two-time Commonwealth Games champion.

If sport climbing can get a guernsey, bowls' time must be coming.

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