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Paris 2024 Aquatics Review: A string of silver for our Aussie Women’s Water Polo Team & Moesha Johnson in the women’s 10km open water swim as well as Maddison Keeney for bronze in the women’s 3m springboard dive

by Sports Benches

The Paris 2024 swimming program may be over last weekend where our Aussie Dolphins Swim Team still had great success despite falling short to Team USA when it comes to this sport’s medal tally alone as our big battles ain’t over anytime soon, that way we can go on & win back this pool like it was several times before. 

However, there’s more to water/aquatics when it comes to the 2nd week Olympics program, having also achieved good success — even though we were so close to winning gold in Marathon Swimming as well as Water Polo and Diving programs. 

Now that would be a big boost when it comes to future World Aquatics Championships with the next edition going to Singapore in about 11 months time from now.

First of all, shoutout to Moesha Johnson who finished silver behind Sharon Van Rouwendaal from the Netherlands in the women’s 10km open water swimming event while Chelsea Gubeca finished 14th. Gotta say Moesha has improved a lot this year when it comes to her marathon swimming career, she was fourth individually earlier this year at the World Champs in Doha including the team gold there.

She too alerted all of Australia off the back of her specialist swimming discipline success which is the long-form events including some long-distance swimming in the pool as we need more of these marathon swimmers like her. Sure she can go one better if she can for LA28 & let’s hope our future marathon swimmers for those looking to take up soon enough can take her lead for gold going into the home Summer Olympics edition for Brisbane 2032.

We also didn’t forget Nicholas Sloman & Kyle Lee with the men’s 10km open water swimming event. Yes, trying to reaching gold may not be our biggest strength unlike some of our pool swimmers at this stage. But seeing both of them within the Top 15 ain’t bad though with Sloman just outside the Top 10 in 11th while Lee came home in 13th. Again, we need and can do more to inspire more young kids to take up marathon swimming for the best chance of success both in here and worldwide.

If one silver medal wasn’t enough, why not we look at our Women’s Stingers Water Polo team? They too fell so short last night by only two goals (9-11) v Spain in the gold medal final off the back of their unreal campaign in the lead up to this big dance undefeated at Paris La Defense Arena. Now they had an equal start with Spain from the beginning while the Stingers made a late charge to hold back Spain but their inconsistent play midway through the match fell into Spain’s favour and their opponents were the one that got themselves home with the Olympics gold.

Unlucky but this is the team we should be proud of having won gold before back in Sydney 2000. We are absolutely confident that our women’s Stingers team can go one better towards setting up regular world-class success as the one of the top water polo powerhouse nations in the world. Keep an eye on them on a regular basis for their support where they also got Tilly Kearns (who plays centre forward) as one of the players there and she’s related to her dad who is a former Wallaby in none other than Phil Kearns.

And in the Diving, shoutout to Maddison Keeney with her silver medal success in the women’s 3m springboard. She had an excellent performance despite not being able to reach gold that won her multiple World Championships before, having split the two Chinese divers in between gold and bronze. But again, we got another amazing diver on our hands & fingers crossed she will go back to at least 1 if not 2 more games to bow out on a high with a breakthrough Olympics gold – keep an eye on her too including next year’s Worlds.

So that’s all you need to know as we enjoyed watching our aquatics athletes take centre stage in Paris that showcased their best abilities for those watching at home and also in-person with credit to our parents’ sheer hard work of making their sons and daughters dreams made come true. Can’t wait to see Australia hopefully take extra rewards of gold medals in world aquatics beyond pool swimming going into next year’s Worlds in Singapore & the next Summer Olympics in LA come 2028. 

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Olympics News: Aussie Dolphins Swim Team finished 2nd in the swimming medal tally behind USA by only one gold medal with back-to-back silver on the final night

by Sports Benches

Yes, Team USA may have officially been crowned as the Olympic swimming champions at Paris 2024 while we were so close by a gap of one gold medal behind in 2nd at a total of 7. But so proud of our Aussie Dolphins swimmers though who put us on the map over these first eight days including two silver on the 9th & final night. Gotta say Meg Harris was so close in the Women’s 50m Freestyle Final behind Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom while Mollie O’Callaghan rescued the Aussies yet again when she anchored the Women’s 4 x 100m Medley Final for freestyle from 4th to 2nd in the last swimming race of Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena.

We start with our best freestyle specialist Mollie O’Callaghan whose finishing ability was world-class that can wow everyone out of nowhere as we’ve seen in the 200m Freestyle Final including several other team relay races that won her a few gold medals plus the final night Women’s 4 x 100 medley relay silver in her first Olympics campaign. 

So does our Queen of Backstroke Kaylee McKeown who successfully defended the 100 and 200m Final races of her specialist discipline while she wasn’t bad when it comes to both team relays as well as medley & individual medley races.

We also can’t forget our best middle distance swimmer Ariarne Titmus when she made us proud on the first day after she defended the 400m Freestyle Final from Tokyo 2020, and last but not least Cameron McEvoy – who defied all odds with his breakthrough 50m Freestyle sprint Final performance – that won finally him an Olympic Gold Medal on top of his World Championship win at the ripe age of 30.

Plus, we can give shoutouts to so many more like Meg Harris where she’s not just an excellent team player but also did really well in the 50m Freestyle sprint earlier this AM in 2nd. And last but not least, Emma McKeon & Shayna Jack whom they are also excellent team players that won them Olympic team relay gold medals. Jack has came back from a long way while things won’t be the same without McKeon after her decorated career.

Where to now for our Aussie Dolphins Swim Team? Their message to Team USA is well played but our battles ain’t over when we can go dominate the World Championships once again next year and 2027, as well as the long-awaited 2026 Pan Pacs and the next Olympics on their home turf come 2028 in Los Angeles.

For now, merci & au revoir Paris as the our Aussie Dolphins are on their way back home.

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Olympics Swimming News: Aussie Dolphins Swim Team still in for a fantastic finish going into the ninth & final day tomorrow morning with one silver & two bronze medals on Day 8

by Sports Benches

Okay, the Aussie Dolphins Swim Team might not have got away with any gold at all on Day 8 – which wasn’t what we wanted thanks to arch-rivals Team USA. Instead, they only won one silver thanks to Ariarne Titmus in the Women’s 800m Freestyle Final behind Katie Ledecky & two bronze, with Kaylee McKeown unexpectedly following Alex Walsh’s DQ in the Women’s 200m Individual Medley Final, as well as a team effort in the Mixed 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final.

However, we’re still just holding on the Olympics Swimming Medal Tally that tight by one gold medal totalling 7 so far ahead of Team USA going into the ninth and final day’s program tomorrow morning our time.

Oh so close from Arnie who wasn’t far off Katie’s radar all along but not quite enough to close her down on time unfortunately on time. But she did her personal best nonetheless against someone that is already and still an U.S. Olympic swimming legend in none other than now 4 x Women’s 800m Freestyle Olympic Games champion Katie Ledecky. 

Congratulations to Katie as she’s simply unstoppable since the age of 15 that goes way back to London 2012 – that’s all. Looks like she will want to keep on going maybe at least one more towards achieving a homecoming feat when the next Summer Games will be in LA 2028.

For McKeown, she might not have the best race once again this time in the women’s 200m IM Final. She’s happy to accept bronze though when Team USA’s Alex Walsh was disqualified on what has been a huge week for her in Paris thanks to her two gold medals through her specialist backstroke discipline this week including the Women’s 200m Final win yesterday.

But wait, McKeown isn’t done just yet when she later went back into the pool to start off just the backstroke part for the 4 x 100m Mixed Medley Final. It wasn’t the easiest of starts to say off the back of a long night once again while nothing much came from Joshua Yong during the breaststroke stint, but Matthew Temple was not bad though for the butterfly leg despite an underwhelming run earlier on in his specialist Men’s 100m final race earlier this morning before Mollie O’Callaghan freestyled her way home to a team bronze.

Now the ninth and final day’s swimming session will only be Finals same time tomorrow morning with 2-3 gold medals up for grabs since the heats were done the other day. We got Shayna Jack onboard alongside Meg Harris in the women’s 50m Freestyle Final as hoping that the best is yet to come from Jack for gold. 

Plus, we might be in for a 50/50 chance in the Men’s 4 x 100 Medley Relay Final but sure our women are 100% confident on getting the job done for their own 4 x 100m Medley race. After that, the Olympics swimming program would be finished by then with Australia hoping to def. Team USA for the overall Swimming honours once again – this time at Olympic Games level following their World Champs triumph in Fukuoka, Japan just a little over last year.

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Olympics Swimming News: Cam McEvoy finally won his first gold at age 30 while Kaylee McKeown defended another gold in the 200m back on Night 7 of 9 for Australia

by Sports Benches

The Aussie Dolphins Swim Team are well clear going into this weekend before the Olympics swimming program is done, having collected two gold medals on Day 7 at a total of 7 right now, which they’re now three gold medals ahead of Team USA in 2nd on this swimming medal tally.

First of all, “Big Boy” Cameron McEvoy finally won an Olympics gold on his fourth campaign out in the Men’s 50m Freestyle Final at age 30 while Kaylee McKeown is the No.1 backstroking Queen after she defended her 200m Final race on top of her 100m Final race from the other day.

What a moment from McEvoy when he was neck-and-neck with everyone all along before he was really the first one to touch the wall at a time of 21.25 – just 0.05 tenths of a second between the difference that consigned Team GB’s Ben Proud into second for the silver medal. He never gave up as he too has finally became an Olympic champion after also being the first time World Champion last year in Fukuoka, Japan – go you good thing!

And on Kaylee, she’s the superstar we have got in our backstroking arsenal after she defended her 100 and 200m Olympic gold medal titles. The only other person who has done it last time around was West Germany’s (now Germany) Roland Mattes back in 1968 and 1972. Okay, she fired off not bad where the start could’ve been hers to get ahead so Kaylee can try and break another world record there. But at least she saved her energy till the end while keeping in check with her competitors and yet she’s done well to lock them out en route to another Olympics gold towards the end of the wall.

Now Day 8 tomorrow morning is going to be huge with 3-4 gold medal shots that will hopefully see our Aussies one step closer to safeguarding this Olympics Swimming medal tally in Paris 2024.

Kaylee will be back this time in the Women’s 200m Individual Medley; Yes, she wasn’t the best in her semis race but sure she’ll come back recharged to try and win another gold. So does Ariarne Titmus and Lani Pallister in the women’s 800m Freestyle Final – no doubt Arnie will look to stop Team USA’s Katie Ledecky once again. Don’t forget the Mixed 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final that could mean bonus points for the Dolphins going into the ninth & final day & Matt Temple as the lone Aussie in the Men’s 100m Butterfly.

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Olympics Swimming News Day 6: Aussie Dolphins Swim Team collect the one gold having fend off Team USA & China in the Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Final

by Sports Benches

So happy to see our Aussie Dolphins Swim Team collect the one gold thanks to an excellent team relay effort in the Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Final. Love seeing Mollie O’Callaghan fire off comfortably into first while the returning Lani Pallister and Brianna Throsell held onto top spot along the way before Ariarne Titmus staved off a huge threat from Team USA & China en route towards an Aussie team gold. It might not be world record which was close but at least they did so well to keep their good lead intact, with Arnie unpacking the outstanding fire she really needs like to bring it home like her team-mate Mollie O.

Looking at the swimming Olympics medal tally now, we’re still first by one gold at a total of five so far ahead of Team USA with three days to go. Shoutout also to Liz Dekkers, who might have been languishing through the mid-pack for the most part off the back of a poor start, but the way she finished off the race wasn’t bad though where she moved her way up to 4th place towards the end in the Women’s 200m Butterfly Final. Sure there’s more to come from the 20-year-old to hopefully chase gold someday at future World Championships that can really translate into an Olympics gold come 2028 in Los Angeles, USA.

Now what have we got in stall to stop Team USA from winning this swimming medal tally tomorrow? We got Kaylee McKeown in the Women’s 200m butterfly Final as well as Cameron McEvoy in the Men’s 50m sprint after being the equal fastest alongside Team GB’s Ben Proud during his semi-final 2 meet earlier this morning. So two gold medals up for grabs as sure the Aussie Dolphins Swim Team can hang in there with McEvoy & our Queen of Backstroke in McKeown going into this weekend. 

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Olympics Swimming News: Kyle Chalmers & Zac Stubblety-Cook the only two silver medalists for the Aussie Dolphins Swim Team in Day 5 at Paris La Defense Arena

by Sports Benches

Well, no gold medals on Day 5 from the Aussie Dolphins Swim Team, but at least they are still leading the Olympics swimming medal tally by just one gold medal ahead of Team USA, who currently has three in the bag with four days to go.

First of all, it wasn’t the swim both Mollie O’Callaghan and Shayna Jack wanted in the women’s 100m Freestyle Final where they finished 4th & 5th respectively. Now this is Mollie O’s first Olympics for those who wants to jump the gun on her with high expectations to walk away for the gold as she didn’t have a good start. Although she was not far towards the end of the wall when it comes to an outside shot for the Top 3, but at least nowhere near the record time ahead of everyone I guess. 

The same goes to Shayna having gone from a long, long way via her two-year doping ban before she was able to swim competitively once again a few years ago where she’s an excellent team player. She too maybe within reach at least the Top 3 at one stage especially in the 1st 50m but then she was languishing towards the back end during the last 50m half sprint.

If 1-2 medals would make you smile for the Aussies, how about “The King” Kyle Chalmers who finished 2nd in the Men’s 100m Freestyle Final sprint, as well as Zac Stubblety-Cook (also a silver medalist) in the Men’s 200m breaststroke Final.

For Stubblety-Cook, you can’t overcome winning such a strong French crowd where Leon Le Marchand won that race comfortably with the gold medal. However, at least he was within the Top 3 radar all along which wasn’t bad. The only thing he could’ve done better that Zac just couldn’t close down on the Frenchman when he was around two secs off the pace there. 

And long live King Kyle with another Olympic gold, even though he fell short to China’s Pan Zhanle who dominated this meet with the new world record time. It wasn’t an easy race when you got so many world-class swimmers alongside him, especially when he didn’t have the best of starts. He did have the best finish though where it might not be enough to catch Zhanle on time by just 1 second but boy happy to see him collect the silver.

So where to now going into Day 6? Looks like there will be two gold medal opportunities up for grabs for the Aussies in the of holding onto this Olympic swimming medal tally. One will be both Liz Dekkers and Abbey Connor in the Women’s 200m Butterfly Final and the other would possibly be the Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Team Relay events.

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2024 Paris Olympic Swimming Day 4 Recap: MCKEOWN PULLS OFF A STUNNING REPEAT PERFORAMANCE, SHATTERING HER OWN OLYMPIC RECORD AT 100M BACKSTROKE!

by Admin

Kudos to our incredible Dolphins – your dedication and spirit shone brightly in Paris day by day!

On the fourth day of competition, 13 Dolphins fought to secure a place in the upcoming finals. The Men’s 200m Butterfly kicked off the day, but Aussie Matt Temple’s time of 1:57.72 wasn’t enough to get him into the semi-finals.

Both the Men’s and Women’s 100m Freestyle events saw Kyle Chalmers (48.07s), William Yang (48.46s), Mollie O’Callaghan (53.27), and Shayna Jack (53.40) qualify for the night sessions.

A Covid-19 diagnosis led to Lani Pallister pulling out of the Women’s 1500m freestyle event, with hopes that this will protect her health so she can compete in the Women’s 4x200m relay on Day 5.

Despite this setback, Moesha Johnson, another Dolphin, advanced to the final of the 1500m event, where she will go up against American star Katie Ledecky on Thursday morning.

Zac Stubblety-Cook’s impressive final 50m push in the Men’s 200m Breaststroke helped him secure a spot in the semi-finals as the second seed, with a time of 2:09.49.

The morning session concluded with the Australian 4x200m Freestyle Relay team, consisting of Zac Incerti, Kai Taylor, Flynn Southam, and Thomas Neill. The team qualified in fourth place (7:05.63), while defending champions Great Britain posted the fastest qualifying time of 7:05.11.

The fourth night at the Paris’ La Défense Arena began with King Kyle’s determination to regain his title in the 100m freestyle event. In the Men’s 100m Freestyle semi-final, Australian newcomer Will Yang competed alongside Chalmers, who made a stunning comeback to win with the second fastest time of 47.58s after starting in fourth place. However, Yang missed out on a spot in the final, finishing 15th overall with a time of 48.42.

The highlight of the night was when our backstroke expert Kaylee McKeown, claimed victory in the Women’s 100m Backstroke Final.

McKeown was in a close race with American swimmers Regan Smith and Katherine Berkoff, but she pulled ahead in the last 25m to defend her Olympic title, setting a new Olympic Record with a winning time of 57.33s. In the Backstroke final, up-and-coming swimmer Dolphin, Iona Anderson, put in a remarkable effort and came in 5th place.

Shayna Jack and Mollie O’Callaghan, who have already won Olympic gold in 2024, qualified for the Women’s 100m freestyle final by finishing 2nd (52.72s) and 3rd (52.75) in the semifinals, just behind Hong Kong’s Siobhan Bernadette Haughey (52.64s).

The Men’s 200m Breaststroke Semi-Final came next, where Zac Stubblety-Cook and Joshua Yong both secured spots in the final. In the evening, Elijah Winnington took an initial lead in the Men’s 800m Final, but was quickly overtaken in the second half of the race by Irish swimmer Daniel Wiffen, who secured his nation’s first gold medal in the pool. Winnington ended up in eighth place, clocking a time of 7:48.36.

Following that, the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay event began. The youthful Australian squad secured the fourth position in the qualifications before the final.

Yet, it was Elijah Winnington who, in the third leg, consolidated the Australian team’s standing in 3rd place behind the USA and Great Britain, following his 800m final swim. Thomas Neill, the anchor of the Australian team, closely followed American Kieran Smith and won the first Bronze Medal for Australia in the games.

The Dolphins Olympic journey is only beginning, be sure to catch Day 5 as more of our Dolphins aim for the top prize!

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2024 Paris Olympic Swimming Day 3 Recap: MOLLIE O’CALLAGHAN TOPS ARIARNE TITMUS WITH A HISTORIC WINNING OF BREAKING RECORDS

by Admin

What a well set day for Aussies! Day 3 of the Paris Olympics swimming events featured a blend of gripping heats and electrifying finals that captivated audiences worldwide. The day began with a series of intense heats across various disciplines, setting the stage for the evening finals.

In the women’s 200m individual medley, the heats were a showcase of strong performances as swimmers jostled for positions in the finals. The heats of the men’s 100m butterfly also drew significant attention, with competitors pushing the limits to secure their spots in the final lineup. The morning’s activities highlighted the depth of talent and set up a dramatic evening of finals.

The third day of competition began with Ella Ramsay and Jenna Forrester competing in the Women’s 400m Individual Medley heats. Ella qualified for the finals with a time of 4:39.04, while Jenna just missed out by .15 seconds but secured a reserve spot.
Kaylee McKeown, a triple gold medalist, and up-and-coming teenager Iona Anderson participated in the Women’s 100m backstroke heats, both achieving strong times that allowed them to advance to the semi-finals.

Elijah Winnington finished fourth in the Men’s 800m Freestyle heats with a time of 7:42.86, securing a spot in the final. Sam Short finished just outside the qualifying time at 7:46.83, but managed to grab a reserve spot.

The Night Session featured the Finals of the competition. In her debut Olympic final, Ella Ramsay placed fifth in the Women’s 400m Individual Medley Final. In a highly competitive Men’s 200m Freestyle final, Max Giuliani gave his best effort and finished in seventh place with a time of 1:45.57.

In the Women’s 100m backstroke semi-final, McKeown (57.99) and Anderson (58.63) showcased their dominance with strong performances, securing spots in the final with McKeown placing 2nd and Anderson placing 4th.

The last event of the evening was an exciting showdown between two Australian superstars in a race that captured the attention of the entire nation. Training companions Mollie O’Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus had an impressive performance in the Women’s 200m Freestyle Final, with O’Callaghan winning the gold and setting a new Olympic record with a
time of 1:53.27. Titmus followed closely behind with a time of 1:53.81, earning the silver medal, finishing just 0.54 seconds after her teammate.

Notably, this marked the first time Australia achieved a one-two finish in the Olympic pool since Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett accomplished the feat in 2004. The two star athletes were competing side by side in lanes four and five. Titmus was in the lead for most of the race, but O’Callaghan took over in the last 50 meters and won the Gold in her inaugural individual Olympic final.

In summary, Day 3 at the Paris Olympics was a testament to the skill and tenacity of Australian swimmers. Emma McKeon’s gold, Chad le Clos’s bronze, and the men’s relay team’s silver all contributed to a memorable day of competition, showcasing Australia’s strength in the swimming arena.

At the end of an exciting third day, day four of the tournament will feature more of our Dolphin team members taking part in both final events and preliminary heats. Be sure not to overlook the thrill!

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2024 Paris Olympic swimming Day 2 Recap: ARIANE TITMUS VS MOLLIE O’CALLAGHAN MET HEAD TO HEAD AT 200M FLY 

by Admin

What a thrilling flying of Aussies! Day 2 of the Paris Olympics showcased a thrilling lineup of swimming events, with Australian swimmers making significant strides in both heats and finals. The day began with preliminary heats, setting the stage for a dramatic series of finals that highlighted the prowess of the Australian team.

In the morning heats, Australian swimmers displayed impressive speed and technique. The standout performances came from the women’s and men’s 100m freestyle and the 200m individual medley events. The heats were a preliminary indicator of the competitive edge the Australians would bring to the finals.

The finals, held in the evening, were packed with high-stakes races. The Australian team delivered exceptional performances across several events, demonstrating their readiness and skill on this global stage.

Australia had an exhilarating start to the morning when two promising swimmers, Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan, competed in the Women’s 200m Freestyle heats with impressive times.   This performance positioned them well for the upcoming semi-finals.    Max Giuliani, a competitor from Australia, performed exceptionally well in the Men’s 200m Freestyle event, coming in first place during his heat with a time of 1:46.15. Additionally, his teammate, Tom Neill, also successfully advanced to the semi-finals, clocking in at 1:46.27.    Petric and Smith participated in the Men’s 400m Individual Medley but narrowly missed out on qualifying for the finals, finishing in 12th and 13th place respectively. 

In the Women’s 100m Breaststroke heats, Staunch, a two-time Olympian, came in 22nd with a time of 1:07.27. 

Cooper and Woodward showed their best in the Men’s 100m Backstroke heats, securing the 21st and 25th positions with times of 54.21 and 54.34.

Night Finals held a mixture of emotions for Australia as their most successful Olympian, Emma McKeon, competed in her last individual Olympic event.   McKeon, who was self-assured that Paris 2024 will mark her final Olympic Games, finished in sixth place in the Women’s 100m Butterfly with a time of 56.93 seconds.    

In a competitive field of swimmers in the Men’s 200m Freestyle Semi-Final, Giuliani finished in fifth place with a time of 1:45.37, securing a spot in the final race.   Tom Neill narrowly slid into the final reserve position with a time of 1:46.18.    Despite leading the pack of other nations, O’Callaghan and Titmus maintained a close race in the 200m Freestyle Semi-final, with Titmus finishing first by a mere 0.06 seconds ahead of her Dolphin teammate.    The Semi-Finals of the Paris 2024 event marked the first occasion these two athletes competed against each other, following Titmusbreaking O’Callaghan’s world record during the Australian Swimming Trials in Brisbane earlier this year.    The Women’s 200m Freestyle event promises to be a thrilling competition with the presence of these two dominant swimming nations vying for the coveted gold medal.   Australian spectators are in for an exciting spectacle that should not be missed.  

Overall, Day 2 was a testament to the Australian swimmers’ elite capabilities and competitive spirit. Their impressive performances and medal wins underscored Australia’s strong presence in the swimming events of the Paris Olympics, setting the stage for continued success in the upcoming days.

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Olympics News: Ariarne Titmus & the Aussie Dolphins Swimming women’s relay quartet dominated Night 1 with two gold in Paris

by Sports Benches

Wow!! The Aussie Dolphins Swim Team are flying high at the Paris La Defense Arena’s Olympic built swimming pool on night one with two gold & two silver medals as we are currently first on the swimming ladder with eight days to go.

Hats off to Ariarne Titmus on what has been a stunning swim for gold in the Women’s 400m Final, having kept herself ahead for this whole time – even if her competitors aren’t far away within her reach. Now Team USA’s Katie Ledecky might have not been a threat this time around but at least Arnie did enough to hold off 17-year-old Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh towards the end of the wall. There’s no better way to celebrate other than coach Dean Boxall’s signature moves/celebrations every time he sees their swimmers collect that gold medal as Arnie once again is the defending 2 x Olympic champion in that meet.

Not only that, our women’s relay swim team also done well in the 4 x 100m Freestyle Final consisting of Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon and Meg Harris. Yes, they may have fired off slowly against the likes of China and Great Britain. However, the way Mollie O finished off her first stint has helped the Aussies take over the lead before the rest of her team stabilised it up front, which was enough to bring it home with another gold medal for the Aussies.

Wow!! Can you believe it Mollie O’Callaghan? She can finish it off from out of nowhere who is 100% established as the queen of freestyle sprints! Message sent Arnie with more to come between these two sometime next week. As said, she gave a great opportunity for her team-mates to get the job done and yet they’ve done it through the very end. Also, what a moment for Emma McKeon as well who is now the all-time Olympic gold medallist of 6 gold, 2 silver & 4 bronze for Australia!

And over in the men, another gold or two would’ve been great. However, we still have a long way to go before we can beat Team USA for the overall Olympics swimming honours like it was at the World Champs in Fukuoka, Japan last year.

Shoutout to Elijah Winnington who finished 2nd behind Germany’s Lukas Mertens the Men’s 400m Freestyle Final & so does the Men’s relay team quartet of Jack Cartwright, Flynn Southam, Kai Taylor & Kyle Chalmers in the 4 x 100m Freestyle Final. We wished they can get over these fast starts but at least the last two shifts by Taylor and Chalmers was enough to bring themselves home into silver behind the winners of this race Team USA.

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