Campbell: Dramatic titles a success
SWIMMING: Australian swim queen Cate Campbell said there was so much drama during the world championships that she felt like she was in the middle of a soap opera.
Both in and out of the pool, the Dolphins did play most of the leading roles, with Mack Horton, who won silver in the 400m freestyle, cast as the hero for his protest against the villainous Sun Yang.
Teenage sensation Ariarne Titmus played the starring role for the women after beating Katie Ledecky to win gold in the 400m freestyle, silver in the 200m, and bronze in the 800m, while Shayna Jack was cast the fall guy for failing a doping test. “A scriptwriter for Days of
Our Lives couldn’t have written a better script for these world championships,” said Campbell, who won a silver medal in the 100m freestyle and bronze in the 50m, as well as two golds and a bronze in relays.
“But I’m so incredibly proud of every member of this Australian swim team. They’ve raced with integrity, they’ve fiercely defended each other, we have shown integrity in all of our actions and it’s a testament to this team, how we’ve pulled through.”
Kyle Chalmers won silver in the 100m, beaten only by a fingernail by American superstar Caeleb Dressel, while Matthew Wilson won the silver in the 200m breaststroke after equalling the world record in the semis.
But it was the relays where Australians really excelled, winning medals in seven of the eight events, including four golds, to ensure the Dolphins finished second to the United States on the overall table in a massive confidence boost ahead of next year’s Tokyo Olympics.