Australian swim team all smiles despite falling short in medal tally v USA at Paris Olympics

Team USA finally came out on top on the medal table but nothing could spoil Australia’s Paris pool party — which included our golden girls taking one last dip at the La Defense Arena.

Those pesky Americans did it again, pipping the Dolphins in the last race to finish as the leading country in Olympic swimming, but it didn’t matter one bit.

The Australian team were so magnificent during the most enthralling, heart-stopping and magical swimming competition in Olympic swimming history that nothing could spoil their Paris pool party.

No wonder our golden girls took one last dip in what’s become their own river of gold at the La Defense Arena, spontaneously jumping in after claiming two more silver medals on the last night — one for Meg Harris in the 50m freestyle and another for the women’s medley relay.

It was a gorgeous moment of relief after an intense showdown with the Americans that was only decided when the US produced two stunning world records to overhaul the Dolphins and finish with eight golds to Australia’s seven.

Credit where credit’s due, the Americans dug deep when it mattered, but this was one Olympics where the Aussie swim team could walk away with their heads held high.

“It was awesome,” Australia’s head coach Rohan Taylor said.

Mollie O'Callaghan, Emma Mckeon, Kaylee McKeown and Jenna Strauch are all smiles after spontaneously jumping into the pool at La Defense Arena. Picture: AFP

It was a gorgeous moment of relief after an intense Olympics campaign. Picture: AFP

“The Olympics is a tough competition so take it down to the last day for the medal tally, I’m just super proud of everybody.

“On reflection, I’ll sit back and I’ll look at where we’re going to improve. The beauty is we have four years to get to LA. We’ve got a young team of really good young studs that are coming through.”

Emma McKeon, Australia’s most decorated Olympian, was left giggling with delight after collecting a silver medal after swimming the butterfly leg of the medley relay — her final race before retirement.

The consummate professional, the GOAT has always been a model of composure during her incredible career, so to see her splashing around in the water showed just how special Paris was to the entire Australian team.

“It’s the whole journey along the way that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life,” she said.

“It’s not just the medals, it’s the people and the lessons along the way.”

Emma Mckeon (left) picked up one more silver medal in her final race. Picture: AFP

For once, even the Americans were humble in victory because their overall victory was earned the hard way.

As Caeleb Dressel, the standout performer at the last Tokyo Olympics, put it: “We’re not getting slower, it’s the rest of the world getting faster, especially the Aussies.”

The days when the United States would completely dominate the medals in Olympic swimming have long gone and the sport is better for it.

Eighteen different countries won medals in the French capital, with the Aussies finishing with 18 in total — seven gold, eight silver, three bronze — just two off their all-time best.

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Mollie O’Callaghan collected three golds, while Kaylee McKeown and Ariarne Titmus got two each and Cameron McEvoy one, but two-thirds of the 41-member squad earned medals so it really was a team effort.

With so many youngsters surfacing, Brisbane 2032 just can’t come soon enough but for now, it’s time for this golden generation to let their hair down because they’re exhausted.

“I need to have a good long break,” O’Callaghan said. “People don’t see us training every day.

“It’s really, really mentally draining and it’s really tough. We are so self-critical. We’re so hard on ourselves. We train ourselves every day to just do a few laps in the water.”

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Like McKeon, McKeown also keeps her emotions in check because she takes on massive programs so needs to stay focussed, but she afforded herself a rare pat on the back.

Just 23, she’s already accrued nine Olympic gold medals — including five gold — and may turn out to be the greatest Dolphin of all. But that’s for another day, because the celebrations are just getting started.

“We’ve done the best that we could,” she said.

“I think it always takes time to process, especially when you’re still in the middle of your career. I think you just want so much more all the time, and I don’t feel like I’m finishing this sport by any means. I feel like I’m kind of just getting started.”