But he will still return home a proud silver medallist after a strong campaign in defence in his debut Olympic campaign.

After Australia went down through a goal to Florent van Aubel less than 90 seconds after half-time, the Kookaburras found an equaliser through Tom Wickham, his sixth goal of the tournament, early in the final quarter.

But two stops from Belgium in the penalty shootout was enough for Belgium to secure their first Olympic gold, and go one better than their silver medal at Rio five years ago.

For Martin it was a bittersweet end to his first taste of the Olympics, and he was outstanding in defence throughout.

After only breaking into the Kookaburras squad late last year, the 23-year-old didn't even expect to be on the radar for Tokyo and was targeting Paris in 2024.

However he convinced selectors he was the right man to replace retired defensive stalwart Matt Swann after a strong debut series in the green and gold against New Zealand in March.

Australia escaped through a penalty shootout in the quarter finals against Argentina, but goalkeeper Andrew Charter was only able to save one Belgian attempt and Australia failed to score with three.

Martin's nervous family watched on from older sister Brooke's house, the home decked out in green and gold in a culmination of one of the biggest fortnights of their lives.

They believe he will reflect on his journey and be immensely proud of silver after his whirlwind ascent into the Kookaburras team, and use it as motivation for next year's Commonwealth Games and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

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"It's a good result overall for him, but I'm sure he's not happy about things at the moment," father Ross said.

"It's a tough way to lose a final (penalty shootout). They were coming home with a wet sail.

"He had a great tournament. He's a steady player who doesn't make mistakes and just does his job.

"I'm sure he'll get another go at it."

Older brother Rhys said he will gain some perspective on his massive achievement in a few days.

"He's clever, he's very relaxed and easy-going and will see how it is," he said.

"He won't dwell on it, he'll be happy and he'll be fine."

For Australia, the world number one, it was a welcome return to the podium after they finished sixth in 2016.

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