Paris 2024: How Australia’s swimmers can silence the trash-talking Americans at this year’s Olympic Games
In the swimming pool, there is no bigger rival for an Australian swim team than the United States. Can the 2024 cohort of Dolphins better USA’s medal tally and do something that hasn’t been done in 68 years? JULIAN LINDEN examines the prospects.
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To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best, so that’s the challenge facing the Australian swimming team at the Paris Olympics.
Ever since they topped the gold medal count at last year’s world championships, the Dolphins have been talking up their chances of beating the United States in Paris and the moment of truth is rapidly approaching.
The only time it has happened before was in 1956 but the Aussies reckon they’re a good chance to do it again because they have assembled a star-studded team.
But to knock the Yanks off their pedestal, the Dolphins will need to better their record nine gold medals from Tokyo and win at least a dozen finals.
Olympic swimming writer Julian Linden looks at the 12 races the Aussies could win.
Women’s 50m freestyle
Emma McKeon won this event at Tokyo but won’t defend her title because Shayna Jack and Meg Harris claimed Australia’s two spots for Paris. Jack is currently ranked fourth in the world with Harris seventh but anything can happen in the splash and dash. The favourite is Swedish world record holder Sarah Sjostrom but the margins are tiny.
Women’s 100m freestyle
Another race which McKeon won in Japan but won’t be defending this time, with Mollie O’Callaghan and Jack flying the Australian flag. O’Callaghan is the clear favourite after winning the world title in 2022 and 2023 but Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey has the fastest time in the world over the past year.
Women’s 200m freestyle
Australia holds all the aces in this event. Ariarne Titmus is the defending champion and new world record holder after breaking O’Callaghan’s previous mark at the recent Australian trials. O’Callaghan was only a fingertip away so Australia will be heavily favoured to claim gold and silver in France with Canada’s Summer McIntosh the only serious danger.
Women’s 400m freestyle
This is being billed as the race of the century. Titmus is defending the title she famously won in Tokyo after her epic battle with Katie Ledecky. The American will be back again but the big danger to the Terminator is McIntosh, the Canadian teenager who broke Titmus’ world record last year only to see the Aussie reclaim it.
Women’s 100m backstroke
Australia’s Kaylee McKeown hasn’t been beaten over the distance since 2019 and is looking to defend the title she won in Tokyo but she’s not the shoo-in everyone might have thought after she lost her world record last week to her American rival Regan Smith, who is being coach by the same man who oversaw Michael Phelps to 23 Olympic gold medals.
Women’s 200m backstroke
McKeown is also defending the 200m crown and has managed to hand on to her world record even though Smith came close to breaking it at the US trials. No-one else looks capable of challenging the top two but Australian teenager Jaclyn Barclay is ranked fifth and one to watch the future.
Women’s 200m individual medley
McKeown pulled out of this event in Tokyo despite being ranked No. 1 in the world at the time. She’s still perched at the top three years later after breaking Stephanie Rice’s national record with McIntosh looming as the biggest threat.
Women’s 4x100m freestyle relay
This has become Australia’s signature event with the Dolphins winning gold at the last three Olympics. There’s no Cate Campbell this time after she missed selection but the stats all point to another victory with the US the obvious danger.
Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay
Australia should have won this race at the last Olympics but the selectors stuffed up and didn’t pick the fastest team and China won the gold. Barring a monumental upset this looks to be the closest thing to a sure bet in Paris.
Men’s 50m freestyle
Australia has never won an Olympic medal in the men’s single lap sprint but veteran Cameron McEvoy looks set to chat. The first Aussie man to swim at four Olympics, the ‘professor’ won the world title in 2023 and is ranked No. 1 this year but there’s a bunch of speedsters only a heartbeat away.
Men’s 400m freestyle
Another of Australia’s trademark races that has been won by the likes of Murray Rose, Ian Thorpe and Mack Horton. Australia has two great chances in Elijah Winnington, the 2022 world champion, and Sam Short, the 2003 world champ. Germany’s Lukas Martens is the biggest obstacle.
Men’s 800m freestyle
Short was sick during the Australian trials but deserves to go in as favourite after his incredible performance at last year’s world titles when second to Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui, who is out of form. Winnington is ranked second in the world this year behind Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen.
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