REVIEW: Dolphins swim into the report books with a history-making Commonwealth Games marketing campaign

By Sarah Dyce

Australia’s swimmers turned six days at Tollcross International Swimming Centre into probably the most profitable Commonwealth Games marketing campaign the nation has ever produced within the pool.

The Dolphins topped the ultimate medal desk with 37 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze, 76 medals in complete from a 60-strong squad, eclipsing the earlier greatest haul from Gold Coast 2018 and topping Birmingham 2022 as properly.

Winning each relay they entered, eight from eight, breaking a Games report in six of them, and setting 11 Commonwealth Games information in complete throughout the meet, the Australian group had been a power to be reckoned with. 

Headlined by Meg Harris’s six gold medals and Alex Perkins’s 5 gold and a silver, the group produced six clear sweeps of the rostrum alongside the way in which.

Kyle Chalmers arrived in Glasgow chasing Ian Thorpe’s Australian report of 10 Commonwealth Games gold medals. He matched it on the ultimate night time with a shared 50m butterfly title alongside Ben Armbruster, then surpassed Thorpe’s total medal tally to change into Australia’s most embellished male Commonwealth Games swimmer with 12 medals.

Flynn Southam emerged because the clearest image of Australia’s altering of the guard, defeating Kyle Chalmers for 100m freestyle gold, whereas Cam McEvoy lastly claimed a person Commonwealth title within the 50m freestyle on the similar pool the place he made his Games debut in 2014.

Sam Short and Lani Pallister every accomplished the 400m-800m-1500m freestyle treble, whereas Sam Williamson received each the 50m and 100m breaststroke titles in a comeback from a ruptured patellar tendon. 

Shayna Jack closed out her profession with two gold and two bronze, alongside brother and rising star Jamie Jack, who additionally claimed two golds and a bronze on his Games debut.

Timothy Hodge, the group’s inaugural Baton Bearer, defended his 100m backstroke S9 title, and 17-year-old debutant Beau Matthews received the 100m breaststroke SB9 with Hodge taking bronze. Lakeisha Patterson, at her fourth Games, closed out her marketing campaign with gold within the 100m freestyle S9. 

Kirralee Hayes and Jenna Jones traded locations on the rostrum throughout the 2 sprints, reversing positions every time: Jones’s gold to Hayes’s bronze within the 100m freestyle S13, then Hayes’s gold to Jones’s bronze within the 50m.

It was, by each measure, one of the best Commonwealth Games marketing campaign Australian swimming has ever produced, and after six days in Glasgow, the Dolphins have each purpose to be pleased with what they’ve constructed.