Mollie O’Callaghan from St Peters Western Swim Club is carving past her PB times

Meet the Queensland schoolgirl who has beaten the age record of a Commonwealth Games golden girl and who is stalking the junior swimming times of Aussie sprint queen Cate Campbell.

She is the Queensland schoolgirl who has beaten the record of a Commonwealth Games golden girl and who is also stalking the junior swimming times of Aussie 100m sprint queen Cate Campbell.

Mollie O’Callaghan, 16, is a fast improving rookie whose state record time (16 years) of 53.93 has now placed her within sight of the Tokyo Olympic qualifying time of 53.31.

O’Callaghan’s time at last month’s state titles broke the previous Queensland record (16 years) held by Yolane Kukla, a 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist and London Olympian who heat swim contributed to Australia’s gold medal winning effort in the 4x100m freestyle.

While Aussie sprint spearhead Cate Campbell swam faster as a junior (53.30),  O’Callaghan’s times have put her in the same stratosphere as Campbell at the same age.

While O’Callaghan still has to make up .62 seconds to secure an Olympic qualifying time, she is a big improver who has taken a whopping 2.07 seconds off her 100m times over the last 18 months.

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Asked if she was thinking about making the Tokyo Olympic Games swim team, the St Peters Western teenager said she was, but not as much as her passionate coach Dean Boxall.

“I am trying to improve to get closer to making the Olympics and Dean always reminds me. It (Boxall’s reminders) is just constant,’’ the St Peters Lutheran College Springfield student said.

“But I don’t try to over think it or put pressure on. That is not necessary.’’

St Peters Lutheran College’s Mollie O'Callaghan and Tahlia Thornton of St Margaret’s at the 2020 QGSSSA swim meet.

She said producing a sub 54 second time 100m time, beating Kukla’s record and being mentioned in the same breath as Campbell was a bonus “because I don’t think about it too much’’.

“But it feels good to know I am on the right track and getting there, and my outcome was a pretty good one,’’ O’Callaghan said.

She said the training environment at St Peters Western, where multiple Dolphin representatives reside, and training with people like fellow 100m sprint young gun Meg Harris (PB of 54.03sec) and St Peters school mate Ella Ramsay was inspiring.

Mollie O'Callaghan competing in backstroke. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“I have a great support system there and we all help each other.

“You get to learn off people like Mitch (Larkin) who has experienced a lot, and you learn new things.’’

Ironically O’Callaghan, who started learning in the Greenbank State School pool as a child, was most proud of her backstroke PB at the state titles last month.

“It was a big PB,’’ said she referring to her time of 100m backstroke time of 59.59secs.

Despite being within sight of the Olympics, the youngster is relaxed because she knows she has time, and of course next year’s Commonwealth Games would be a treasured achievement if she missed Olympic selection this year.