Meg Harris shocked after winning silver medal in 50m freestyle final at 2024 Paris Olympic Games
Meg Harris was stunned after winning silver in the women’s 50m freestyle final. She was looking at her name on the board after the race, a big two next to it, and still she didn’t believe.
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It was the night Australia’s quiet achiever Meg Harris roared on her own.
Harris has been a mainstay of the women’s sprint relay team since the Tokyo Olympics but here in Paris she produced arguably the best swim of any Australian sprinter to secure a coveted silver medal.
While others like Cameron McEvoy won gold and Kyle Chalmers silver, Harris is the only one who produced the fastest swim of her life in the biggest race of her life to achieve her dreams.
She’s always been one to step up under pressure for Australia in relays, but this time she did it in an individual swim and it was a popular result among the swim team.
The look on her face when she turned to the scoreboard to see a time of 23.97 seconds and the No.2 next to her name told the story.
Sheer disbelief for several seconds. It wasn’t until she looked across to see former training partner Shayna Jack smiling and celebrating for her from the other side of the pool that the realisation she had won a silver medal truly sunk in.
It is why the pair shared a long emotional hug on the pool deck after they exited the water.
“I’m proud of that. I got out there with the goal to enjoy myself and I did and it was the most fun race I’ve been a part of,” Harris said.
“It took me a while to find out (the result) and line up all the times.
“I was shocked for a second, I was just sitting there like ‘I have no idea what’s going on’.
“But then I saw Shayna across the other side of the pool and she was smiling and it’s always nice to see her across the other side. And I was smiling back and I think that’s when it hit me.
“I got pretty emotional because I was there with her.”
Harris finished second to Swede superstar Sarah Sjostrom, who at her fifth Olympics won the 50-100m freestyle double to secure her status as the greatest sprinter of all-time.
Sjostrom conceded afterwards her race was far from perfect, but under the Olympic spotlight Harris was faultless.
The 22-year-old Australia said it had been a challenge trying to conquer her nerves in the lead up to the final.
“Insane. I mean, my mouth was dried, my body was shaking,” she said.
“There’s not a lot you can do. You can’t think about much in the 50m but just hope that everything goes together properly.
“My race I put together as best as I could. And I’m happy with that.”
It has not been the easiest ride for Harris between the Tokyo Olympics and Paris.
She left Dean Boxall’s squad in Brisbane to move to Adelaide under Peter Bishop, before returning to Brisbane last year to join Damien Jones at Rackley.
Finally settled and with the right support network around her, Harris has seen her times steadily improve and she will depart Paris with one gold and two silver medals.
“I think it was just finding the right spot for me and I’ve definitely found it, I’m so happy where I am at the moment,” Harris said.
“I have an amazing coach who believes in me so much my family believes in me and I have an amazing support system around me.”
Originally published as Meg Harris shocked after winning silver medal in 50m freestyle final at 2024 Paris Olympic Games
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