Olympics golden girl Mollie O’Callaghan still not ready to return to the pool

Olympic champion Mollie O’Callaghan is taking her time before getting back in the pool post Paris Olympics. Here’s why.

Olympian Mollie O’Callaghan says she will be back in the pool within another month.

That will be three months since the champion swimmer picked up a haul of three gold, a silver and a bronze medal at the Paris Games.

Despite having had time to digest her success, the 20-year-old is still highly critical of her performance.

“There’s been a little bit of disappointment,” O’Callaghan told The Daily Telegraph.

Olympic gold swimmer Mollie O'Callaghan helps lululemon’s Global Wellness Report in Vaucluse. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

“It gives me that extra drive to do a little bit more. At the moment I’m just taking a break to refresh mentally and physically and just get ready to go again and actually process everything and figure out what I’m going to do next.”

O’Callaghan won gold in the 200m freestyle, the 4x100m freestyle relay and the 4x200m freestyle, as well as silver for 4x100m medley relay and bronze in the 4x100m mixed medley relay.

She came fourth in the 100m freestyle, for which she was favourite heading into the event.

“Heading into that (100m freestyle) I was one of the favourites and I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform,” she said.

“I wanted to do well for Australia and bring home that gold and I felt like I had that expectation to leave that legacy of the women’s 100 freestyle, because we have such great depth in the 100m free(style). On that day I didn’t perform and that is okay, I gave it my all … I don’t think I failed in any way, but I am just disappointed with the outcome. I know I can do a lot more and I’m capable of a lot more.”

Mollie O'Callaghan says she is disappointed by her Olympic performance in the 100m freestyle. Picture: Adam Pretty/Getty Images

O’Callaghan also took home two gold medals and a bronze from the Tokyo Games.

The Brisbane-based athlete flew to Sydney as guest of honour to help launch lululemon’s annual Global Wellbeing Report at a private home in Vaucluse.

She is an ambassador for the athletic apparel brand.

“I haven’t been in the pool since the Olympics,” she said.

“I think maybe three months will be the end of the break, slowly transition in to a few ks and then build up to normal. I just want to have that positive connection with the water and I think having that break away from it and wanting that drive to go back and go into that tough environment again and repeat that, I need to have that break from it.”

A ‘break’ for O’Callaghan is being “around the community, family, friends, do things that I usually don’t get to do and take the opportunities”.

Mollie O'Callaghan will eventually return to the pool and she has her sights set on the 2028 games. Picture: Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Pilates, shopping, going to the beach with friends are some of her favourite things to do.

She’s of course already got her sights set on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

“LA is always in my mind,” she said.

“From Tokyo I was already thinking about Paris and I am (now) already thinking about Brisbane, which is eight years away.”