AUSSIES IN FINE FORM AT WORLDS
Four more medals – including two golds – for Aussie swim team in Budapest
AUSTRALIA has cleaned up at the world swimming championships in Budapest overnight – winning four medals including two golds.
Queensland teenager Mollie O’Callaghan has shown the whole world exactly why she’s being tipped to become one of the sport’s biggest stars with a breathtaking win in the women’s 100m freestyle.
Zac Stubblety-Cook then made it a golden double for the Dolphins when he won the men’s 200m breaststroke – adding the world title to the Olympic crown he won in Tokyo last year.
Jenna Strauch won a silver in the women’s 200m breaststroke and the men’s 4x200m relay also won silver after sneaking into the final as the last qualifier.
RISING STAR
Just 18, O’Callaghan joined an illustrious list of Australian champion women to win the blue-riband sprint after overcoming an anxiety attack just before the start.
Slowest off the blocks, she was sixth after the first lap but mowed down her rivals on the final length to win the gold in 52.67 seconds, joining Jodie Henry (2005), Libby Lenton (2007), Cate Campbell (2013) and Bronte Campbell (2015) on the event’s honour roll.
“It’s certainly weird at the moment to think that I’m a world champion,” O’Callghan said.
O’Callaghan always suffers from nerves before her races but said this time was “shocking ... the worst ever”.
She was the odds-on favourite to win after breaking the world record at the Australian trials.
FAST FINISH
Stubblety-Cook was last at the halfway point before motoring home.
He got himself to third at the final wall, then surged clear of his rivals to win in 2:07.07, more than a second outside his world record.
“About 35 metres in, I thought, ‘Oh no, I’ve underdone this,” he said.
“But then I thought, ‘Relax, stick to the race plan, enjoy it. Build through the race.’ That was the plan.
“I knew the guys would go out fast, especially when they did in the heats and the semis.”
LATE BLOOMER
Strauch provided the feelgood story of the Australian team with her stunning silver behind American Lilly King.
Strauch almost quit swimming after she fell seriously ill at the 2013 junior world titles, contracting a rare parasite that doctors were unable to diagnose.
Now 25, she is getting better every time she competes at the highest level, making the semifinals at last year’s Tokyo Olympics and now the medal podium.
“It’s sort of a dream come true, really,” she said.
SNUCK IN
After snatching the last spot in the final of the men’s 4x200m relay, Elijah Winnington, Zac Incerti, Sam Short and Mack Horton combined to finish second behind the US.
“It’s fun, just swimming with the boys,” Horton said.
“I quite enjoy anchoring. “You don’t get an adrenaline hit like that anywhere else, just standing there for six minutes or so getting pumped up. It’s unreal.”