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Glasgow: Australia’s swimmers received nearly as many gold medals in six days at these Commonwealth Games as they’ve throughout each Olympic marketing campaign mixed since Sydney 2000.
The document 37 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze medals collected by the Dolphins throughout 56 occasions within the Glasgow pool had been nice in the event you like seeing swimmers with massive grins on medal podiums and the sound of the Australian nationwide anthem.
But for many Australian sports activities followers, there is just one benchmark that issues relating to the nation’s elite swimmers: the Olympic Games.
The latest medal avalanche in opposition to weaker Commonwealth opposition – and the very fact a few of these medals had been received by para athletes when the Olympics are staged individually from the Paralympics – dangers creating an inflated image of the place this Australian staff sits two years out from the Los Angeles Games.
Australia’s subsequent massive swimming meet is the Pan Pacific Championships in California from August 12 to fifteen the place they are going to race the very best from the USA. But one swimmer who received’t be there may be Mollie O’Callaghan, who’s managing a again harm.
Dolphins head coach Rohan Taylor stated in an announcement on Friday: “She made the decision to return home rather than add another campaign with significant travel. As I said, our lens is on LA and less is more right now for Mollie.”
O’Callaghan added: “I always knew my program was going to be different, and I would reassess at the end of the Games and my injury is exactly where I thought it would be. And the time is right for me to go home.”
Make no mistake, that is an excellent Australian staff. Its outcomes because the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 show that, by consistency alone. Australia might be one of many dominant nations in LA. But subsequent month’s Pan Pacific Championships in opposition to the United States in California ought to present a a lot sterner examination and barometer of how they’re faring.
How many of those swimmers are real Olympic gold medal contenders?
Based purely on occasions from Glasgow, in contrast with the Paris Olympics two years in the past, Australia would have received two gold, 5 silver and 6 bronze medals in 2024 – Cam McEvoy (50m freestyle) and Sam Short (400m freestyle), with no relay gold medals.
The comparability comes with apparent caveats. The Commonwealth Games lacks Olympic depth, serving up much less intense races, and athletes peak at completely different occasions with coaching geared throughout a four-year cycle.
Meanwhile, a few of Australia’s swimmers have executed latest private bests that may have received gold on the final Olympics. O’Callaghan’s 200m freestyle time at Australia’s trials final month (1:52.86) was quicker than her gold medal-winning and Olympic document effort in 2024 (1:53.27).
Lani Pallister’s 800m swim at these Commonwealth Games was 0.08 seconds shy of US legend Katie Ledecky’s mark in Paris. If you took Pallister’s time from final yr’s world championships, it might have been ok for gold. But swimming is about racing, not occasions.
Australia received seven swimming gold medals in Paris, one fewer than the United States, with 5 of these in particular person occasions. Ariarne Titmus has since retired, leaving O’Callaghan (200m freestyle), Kaylee McKeown (100m and 200m backstroke) and McEvoy (50m freestyle) as Australia’s reigning particular person Olympic champions. All are anticipated to be there in LA.
McKeown, Australia’s most profitable particular person Olympian, missed Glasgow with glandular fever however stays one of many nation’s best medal hopes. With the 50m backstroke added to the Olympic program, she may realistically contend for 3 particular person gold medals if her physique holds collectively.
McEvoy produced arguably Australia’s finest swim of the week in Glasgow, stopping the clock at 20.97 seconds within the 50m freestyle – simply 0.09 exterior the world document he set in March. Breaking 21 seconds once more solely strengthens his standing because the favorite for what could be a outstanding second consecutive Olympic title on the age of 34. McEvoy is 0.18 seconds quicker than anybody on this planet this yr.
O’Callaghan was more durable to evaluate. She took out 200m freestyle however her time in that occasion (1:54.66) was almost two seconds slower than what she did at trials. Her 100m freestyle was additionally effectively down on her home type.
It additionally continued an rising pattern. O’Callaghan has now completed fourth on the Paris Olympics, second on the 2025 world championships and second in Glasgow within the 100m freestyle. She has not improved her private finest within the 100m occasion for 3 years.
At her finest, O’Callaghan stays the world’s best 200m freestyle swimmer, however questions stay over whether or not she will grow to be the dominant 100m swimmer many anticipated.
Meg Harris accomplished the 50m and 100m freestyle dash double in Glasgow, but neither successful time would have been sufficient to achieve the rostrum in Paris. She has extra in her.
Short and Pallister each accomplished the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle treble, underlining their dominance at Commonwealth stage. But neither lowered their lifetime bests. Doing that on a regular basis is extremely tough in lung-busting occasions like theirs.
Short nonetheless owns the world’s quickest 400m and 800m freestyle occasions this yr and looms as one in every of Australia’s strongest gold medal hopes in Los Angeles. Yet, Germany’s Lukas Martens and Johannes Wilhelm Liebham will current a far larger problem than something Short encountered in Glasgow.
Short thrives when he has somebody to chase.
“I don’t think it would be too farfetched to say it’s one of the best teams we’ve had. Most people will be hitting their prime in LA,” Short stated.
“I think I’d contend for podiums and wins [if an Olympics were held today]. I’m not saying I would win because it is so stacked.”
After vital enhancements final yr, Pallister wished extra from Glasgow, telling reporters she was upset with a few of her occasions. The post-swim reactions of her coach Dean Boxall would recommend he wasn’t both. But Pallister has at all times focused the Pan Pacs as her main meet when she races Ledecky and Canada’s Summer McIntosh. Two years of coaching and he or she could possibly be Australia’s nice hope in girls’s middle- and long-distance occasions.
“I watched the 2018 Commonwealth Games team on the Gold Coast and they were superheroes,” Pallister stated. “It’s unreal how well everyone swam here and I think it not only bodes well for not only 2028, but 2032.”
Flynn Southam might have been Australia’s greatest breakthrough performer.
The 21-year-old dethroned Kyle Chalmers with three swims underneath 47.3 seconds throughout the week, highlighted by a blistering 47.09 relay break up – a 0.6 second private finest – that introduced him as one of many world’s premier sprinters.
Olympic gold would require a sub-47 swim if the Games had been held at this time, given Romania’s David Popovici and American Jack Alexy have proven they’re very able to that. But Southam is firmly within the medal dialog and, with one other two years of growth, may emerge as Australia’s subsequent real dash star. He is correct within the dialog for a medal, not solely within the 100m freestyle, however the 50m freestyle. Chalmers’ effort of 47.74, nevertheless, signifies he has work to do.
Silver medallists from Paris, Elijah Winnington (400m freestyle) and Zac Stubblety-Cook (200m breaststroke) seem a contact under their absolute best.
Elsewhere, Sam Williamson confirmed himself among the many world’s main breaststrokers, Jenna Forrester excelled throughout the medley occasions and Alex Perkins continued her regular rise in butterfly. Encouraging indicators, actually, however not fairly Olympic gold-medal customary but, given the type of McIntosh and American Gretchen Walsh.
“The Americans are going to be as tough as nails on home soil,” stated Australian head coach Rohan Taylor. “Two years out, I still think there’s some growth from the youth and then our senior athletes maintaining [their form]. They still had to perform at this meet.
“World championships next year will be a really key indicator for us.”
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Tom Decent is the chief sports activities author for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect through X or e-mail.From our companions
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