The last night of the Olympic swimming program delivered two world records and a come-from-behind, medal-saving Holy Mollie sprint, writes Editor at Large Louise Evans.
A career-defining swim by Mollie O’Callahgan in the final freestyle leg of the women’s 4x100m medley relay dragged Australia back from oblivion to a silver medal behind the world record breaking Americans.
It was the last event on the final night of the nine-day swimming program and Australia was locked at seven-all on the gold medal count with the rival USA team.
Australia hasn’t beaten America in the gold medal Olympic swimming race since the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.
The night started with the great Swedish world No1 and world champion Sarah Sjoestroem, 30, who scored the 50m and 100m freestyle double after winning the 50 splash-and-dash in 23.71s.
Australia’s little-known Meg Harris was the surprise silver medallist swimming a personal best 23.97s. It was the first time Harris, 22, has swam under the magic 24-second mark and her individual medal came on top of the gold she won in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
Her breakthrough silver left Harris speechless. “Everything is all over the place, I have no words,” she said. “You go out hoping to do your best. Sorry I’m lost. Usually I know what I’m going to say but not this time.”
Then defending Olympic American champion Bobby Finke levelled the Australia v USA gold medal score at seven-seven by setting a new world record in the gruelling 1500m freestyle.
His 14min30.67 historic swim broke the previous mark by 0.35s set at the 2012 London Olympics by China’s Yang Sun.
There was only the 4x100m medley relay women to come and the American women were the favourites. They swam like them too.
Kaylee McKeown had the lead leg and finished in second, Australia was third after Jenna Strauch’s breaststroke and fourth after Emma McKeon’s butterfly.
Then came O’Callaghan who swam the race of her life and a fantastic final 50m to drag Australia back from oblivion to touch in second behind the USA’s new world record of 3min49.63.
“I’ve tried to swim my best for these girls. At the end of the day it’s about Australia, my team, my support team, my coach,” O’callaghan said.
Her gutsy swim was a blessing in so many ways. It meant McKeown maintained her record of medalling in every Olympic event she’s contested and McKeon ended her Olympic swimming career with a 14th medal.
“You know that’s what you strive for and you keep striving for personal bests and all of that but it’s more the journey along the way that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life,” McKeon said. “It’s not going to be these medals. It’s going to be all the people and all the lessons and just the journey as a whole.”
The Australian swimming team will leave Paris with a total of 18 medals – seven gold, eight silver and three bronze medals.
The standout stars of swimming team were the three women with multiple gold medals and 14 medals between them:
Kaylee McKeown (5 medals) – two individual gold 100m and 200m backstroke, one silver 4×100 medley relay, one individual bronze 200m individual medley, one relay bronze mixed medley 4x100m.
Ariarne Titmus (4 medals) – one individual gold 400m freestyle, two individual silvers 200m and 800m freestyle, one relay gold 4x200m.
Mollie O’Callaghan (5 medals) – one individual gold 200m freestyle, two relay gold 4x100m and 4x200m, one relay silver 4×100 medley, one relay bronze mixed medley 4x100m.
Louise Evans is an award-winning journalist who has worked around Australia and the world as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor and media executive for media platforms including The Sydney Morning Herald (eight years), The Australian (11 years) and Australian Associated Press (six years in London, Beijing and Sydney).
A women sports’ pioneer, Louise was the first female sports journalist employed by The Sydney Morning Herald and the first female sports editor at The Australian. Louise went on to work at six Olympic Games, six Commonwealth Games and numerous world sporting championships and grand slam tennis events.
Louise is the Founding Editor of AAP FactCheck, the Creator of #WISPAA – Women in Sport Photo Action Awards and national touring Exhibition and the author and producer of the Passage to Pusan book, documentary and exhibition.
In 2019 she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) Queen’s Honour for services to the media and sport and named an Australian Financial Review Top 100 Woman of Influence for services to the arts, culture and sport.
In 2020 she won a NSW Volunteer of the Year Award plus the NSW Government Community Service Award for her women-in-sport advocacy work.
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