Swim commentator’s classless call after ‘special’ Aussie relay Olympics gold
Australia’s all conquering women won a brilliant relay gold in the pool, but a commentator has rained on their parade with an unnecessary call.
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Australia’s women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team is the toast of the nation after securing another gold in the pool with a thrilling performance.
The quartet of Mollie O’Callaghan, Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell and Ariarne Titmus swam their hearts out for gold — touching in a new Olympic Record time of 7:38.08.
O’Callaghan got off to a flyer with a split of 1:53.52, before Pallister (1:55.61 maintained the lead and Throssell (1:56.00) went head to head with American legend Katie Ledecky.
Ledecky brought the USA level with Australia heading into the final leg, but Titmus blew the field away with a split of 1:52.95 to win gold.
“Holy moly when I saw the sheets come out before it was like classic,” Throssell said post race of the realisation she was racing Ledecky and Canada’s Summer McIntosh on her leg.
“I had to my best and not worry who I was against. I did my best and that’s all that I can ask for.”
The winning time was half a second outside Australia’s world record of 7:37.50 set by Titmus, O’Callaghan, Throssell and Jack at last year’s world titles.
It was a stirring victory, but on Eurosport’s broadcast, former British swimmer James Parrack rained on the parade, wondering if the Aussies might have broken their own world record if Throssell had swum a fraction faster — she was 0.2sec quicker in the heats.
“Well, Throssell comes in with a 1:56.0,” Parrack said.
“I just wonder whether the Australians are thinking, ‘Goodness me, if we’d have just had a 1:55 high here, we’d have set the world record here. But anyway, that’s conjecture.”
Only one world record has been broken so far in the swimming events, with the venue in Paris described as a “slow pool” because it is not as deep as usual.
China’s Pan Zhanle broke his own 100m freestyle world record by 0.4 seconds to win gold by more than a bodylength in a performance that left the world stunned.
A world record would have been the furthest thing from the Aussie relay team’s minds as they delivered gold on the Olympic stage when it mattered most.
The time was three seconds faster than the Aussie women’s relay went in Tokyo, where they were favourites for gold but were upstaged by China and the USA and took the bronze.
Titmus said she had been desperate to make up for the disappointment of Tokyo, as the Aussies triumphed in the 4x200m for the first time since Beijing in 2008.
“It was really fun. I feel like a bit of redemption for us,” said Titmus, the 400m champion, who came second in the 200m final behind O’Callaghan.
“Tokyo was definitely not the result we wanted and I personally wasn’t happy with how I performed in the relay in Tokyo.
“So I felt like I put pressure on myself to lift this team. I feel like I have a role to play in this team and do the best job I possibly can. And I think I did that tonight.
“I’m proud that they had faith in me and in the back to put me last and get the job done. But very, very special up there on the podium with the girls.”
Giaan Rooney said on Nine: “This one means so much after the bronze medal in Tokyo where they were favourites.”
It was a fifth gold medal in the pool for Australia and the eighth gold overall — they have all been won by women.
After Cam McEvoy booked his spot in the 50m freestyle final, Cate Campbell joked on Channel 9: “Cam McEvoy is trying to change this theme we’ve got going in the Australian team at the moment, where if you want to win an Olympic gold medal you have to have a uterus.”
The scenes on Australia’s victory lap around the pool after the 4x200m relay gold were as good as it gets.
O’Callaghan gave her medal to Jamie Perkins, who swam in the heats for Australia and will later receive a medal of her own.
She insisted on giving it to her teammate in a show of support for her efforts to get the team into the final.
“Jamie is my best friend at training. She’s there for me,” O’Callaghan explained.
“She’s been my roommate this whole meet. She has trained her arse off to get here. She’s gone through a back injury, done everything possible.
“I think that gold medal means a lot for me to give to her because it represents what she’s been through and she’s well deserving of it and they make up the team.”
There were more touching scenes when Ariarne Titmus was embraced by none other than Denmark’s Queen Mary, who was in the crowd and sought out the Aussie champion.
It was a moment that would make any Tasmanian proud.
Pallister was emotional after winning her maiden Olympic gold after a bout with Covid ruled her out of the 1500m freestyle earlier in the program.
Pallister’s godmother Dawn Fraser was crying in the stands and her mum Janelle was asked what she was most proud about following her daughter’s achievement.
“If you get knocked down nine times, you get up 10 times,” she said, referring to Pallister’s numerous injury and health battles that saw her narrowly miss the Tokyo team.
“That whole last 50 I could see her,” Throssell told Nine.
“ I was just like, ‘I have to get my hand on the wall for Arnie’. I’m very pleased I held off Ledecky.
“I think I went out too fast and really hurt in the back end. I guess the last 50 I just tried to hold on for dear life.
“In all honesty, I did see my split. It does flash up for a second, and I was a little bit slower than this morning, which I thought I was a little disheartened with.
“I hope I would be able to do something more for the team, but I gave my all, and I think that’s all I can ask.
“I think in Olympics, it is not really based on times, it is about gold, silver and bronze. And given the pool and the speculation around the pool this week, I think the team just came together, gave it their all and we walked away with a gold.”
Originally published as Swim commentator’s classless call after ‘special’ Aussie relay Olympics gold
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