Swimming FINA World Championships 2022: Results and all the action from day 2
It was medals galore for the Aussies on day 2 of the world champs. And the daughter of a swimming great was at the centre of the action yet again.
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As the daughter of Aussie swimming great Janelle Elford, Lani Pallister is accustomed to filling big shoes.
But on Wednesday, the whole of Australia got to see just how good the 20-year-old Queenslander is at taking over the mantle when she pulled off a stunning double at the world short-course swimming championships.
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Stepping up to the plate in the absence of Ariarne Titmus, Pallister cruised to victory in the 800m freestyle final to claim her second gold medal after her win in the 400m the previous night.
But she wasn’t finished yet. Not even close.
Less than two hours later, she replaced Tokyo Olympic queen Emma McKeon in the Australian 4x200m freestyle relay, and reeled off an incredible anchor leg to win another gold and smash the world record.
“To come away with a world record and gold medal, it is something that I‘ve dreamt about forever, Pallister said. “This is insane.”
Pallister was mobbed by her team mates — Mollie O’Callaghan, Madi Wilson and Leah Neale — after she climbed out of the pool with Australia sitting perched at the top of the medals table with five golds after day two.
O’Callaghan also won a silver medal in the 100m backstroke final, an hour before the relay, but cramped up so badly she needed help from her animated coach Dean Boxall before she could even think about diving back in.
“I‘m very thankful for them to help me along the way and get me back up to race,” O’Callaghan said.
“At the end of the day, the race is not about me. It‘s about Australia and the team, so I had to stand up and do it for the rest of the girls.”
Australia still managed to win the gold in the 100m backstroke final with Kaylee McKeown using all her cunning to survive a scare from O’Callaghan.
McKeown showed that she’s not just fast but also crafty as she outfoxed her rivals to win from near the outside lane.
Just 21, McKeown has already won Olympic, world and Commonwealth titles in long course and now she has a global short course title to add to her collection.
No-one should be surprised anymore but somehow she still flies under the radar because she’s a master of getting it right when it matters.
Her latest win was all the sweeter because it was her first world title in 100m after she pulled out of the race at this year’s long-course championship in Budapest as part of her long term goals for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I wanted to focus on the medley so to have another chance … it’s just (getting) that speed heading into an Olympics,” she said.
“It‘s scary in itself, but it pushes everyone to want to train faster and race harder.
“That’s exactly the motivation I went into for my race tonight. It’s just wanting to put some world class times up.”
Ever the perfectionist, McKeown said she made mistakes that cost her time but was able to dig deep at the end after a slow start.
“I just knew I had a really bad turn on the last 25 so I just had to come back with whatever I had left,” she said.
“I don’t really know what it is. I‘d like to say it’s more because of my type of work that I do. I’ve just got that ability to come home a little bit stronger.
“But those girls have got phenomenal speed on the first 75 as you saw in that last race and I really have to work hard to catch up. It‘s something that I really will work on and something I will work on leading into Paris.
Isaac Cooper won a surprise bronze in the men’s 100m backstroke final in his return to the team after being sent home from Europe earlier this year.
9:23PM: The rollercoaster year of Isaac Cooper has ended with redemption after the 18-year-old claimed a maiden bronze medal in the 100m backstroke at the World Short Course Championships in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Cooper went out strong and was in the podium places for the entire race, finishing in third with a new personal best of 49.52, just behind American Ryan Murphy and Italian Lorenzo Mora.
The medal is his first at a World Championships, and comes less than six months after he was sent home from the Commonwealth Games squad for misusing medication.
The teenager cited his well-being and mental health as the reasons he didn’t compete in Birmingham and found himself close to walking away from swimming.
However, his decision to stick with it has been vindicated after a string of personal bests in Melbourne.
“My mum is probably going to be crying right now, I’m surprised I’m not, to be honest,” Cooper told reporters after his race.
“I’ve gone through hell and back this year. My parents have been beside me…I know they’d be proud of me for coming back when I thought I was done for, I thought I was going to quit.
“Now I’m standing on the podium for the first time.”
Cooper gives so much in the 100-metre races that he often has to throw up immediately afterwards.
Standing in the mixed zone with a vomit bag in hand, he reflected on an incredible week in Melbourne that saw him shave almost two seconds off his personal best in the event.
“I’m really hurting right now, but I’m so stoked with that time. I came in here on a 51.42 and I’m finishing on a 49.52.
“I had known for a little while that I had the ability to go under 50 and I went so close, but now I’ve smashed that.
“I feel proud of myself for not letting [my parents down], for coming back and representing my family and the Cooper name on that stage, and now the podium as well.”
9:05PM: Swimming’s new young gun has been warned: King Kyle is not ready to abdicate just yet.
No one loves a challenge more than Kyle Chalmers and the Aussie superfish is getting ready for the fight of his life.
On Thursday – Chalmers will come face-to-face with David Popovici – the teenage sensation who has been tipped to dominate freestyle sprinting for years to come.
Popovici is the lightly-framed Romanian who has turned the swimming world upside down after he broke the 100m world record and won this year’s world title in long-course (50m pool).
Now he’s looking to add the short-course crown – but to do that, first he’ll have to find a way past Chalmers, and the Australian isn’t giving up without a fight.
“He looks good. He‘s ready to go and ready to race,” Australia’s head coach Rohan Taylor said.
“He‘s a racer, he’s a competitive animal, he loves racing.”
Chalmers has never ducked a challenge in his life so it’s no surprise he’s up for this one because, whether he wins or not, he puts everything on the line every time he dives in the water.
Although he’s an Olympic and Commonwealth champion in long course and the world record holder for 100m short course, Chalmers has never won an individual world title and is on a mission to change that in Melbourne.
The chance to beat Popovici at a home world championships has lit a fire under Chalmers and Taylor is in no doubt it will bring out the best in him.
“Any athlete who‘s competitive and wants to be at the top, when anyone that comes along and challenges that, that’s a motivator for them,” Taylor said.
“I‘m hoping that and I would expect that he’ll be saying ’okay, what do I have to do to maintain myself and be in a position to succeed when I get the opportunity.”
The ultimate test of speed, their clash On Thursday promised to be one of the highlights of the championships but comes with a caution: don’t blink or you’ll miss it.
With neither man showing their cards, Chalmers qualified third fastest for the final in 45.66 seconds, while Popovici broke the junior world record to be fifth overall in 45.91.
The 18-year-old Eastern European has been talking down his chances, saying he has no chances of beating Chalmers over the short course format but everything thinks he’s just foxing.
“We‘ll see,” Taylor said.
“He doesn‘t have a lot of experience in short-course so it’s kind of hard to say he isn’t but he’s a young guy coming through and I’m sure he’ll get improvements as he goes.
“He‘ll be around the mark, he’s a quality athlete.”
Triple Olympian Cameron McEvoy hasn’t been surprised by the way Chalmers has responded to the emergence of Popovici.
Chalmers has spoken openly about some of the mental health challenges he has faced, particularly at this year’s Commonwealth Games, and McEvoy has been impressed by the way he’s dealt with everything.
“I‘ve known Kyle for a long time now … and I know last year wasn’t the only time he’s had struggles mentally in motivation for swimming, and things in general,” McEvoy said.
“And I‘ve seen him come through the other side, definitely positively and for the better.
“The thing with Kyle is, everyone knows he‘s a tough competitor but that isn’t strictly held within the arena of competitive sport – that stands out for life in general.
“Of course, it was a tough time. But there‘s a handful of people that I’ve met in my life who you could have faith that if they go through something, they’ll learn from things and come out of it the other side for the better and it seems like he’s made strides already to have that progress off the back of Commies going into worlds now.”
9:02PM: Perhaps it is time someone nicknamed Kaylee McKeown the fox after she used all her cunning to survive a scare from her teenage team Mollie O’Callaghan and add yet another major title to her bulging CV.
Unrivalled as the best backstroker in women’s swimming, McKeown showed that she’s not just fast but also crafty as she outfoxed her rivals to win gold in the 100m backstroke at the world short-course championships in Melbourne.
Timing her run to perfection from near the outside lane, McKeown stormed home from fourth at the halfway mark to get her hand on the wall first to win in 55.49 seconds.
O’Callaghan, swimming in the centre lane, finished a close second after hitting the front on the last lap, but was unable to hold off McKeown, who has a knack of always getting it right on the night.
6:55PM: Emma McKeon is a shock omission from Australia’s gold-chasing 4x200m freestyle team just a night after she made history with a record breaking finishing leg of the 4x100m.
The team for the final on Wednesday night will instead feature Madi Wilson, Mollie O’Callaghan, Leah Neale and Lani Pallister.
McKeon has won medals across various events as a member of the 4x200m but it’s not unprecedented for her to withdraw – she also pulled out of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games quartet that ultimately broke the world record.
It’s understood McKeon opted against the event because she hasn’t been training the 200m distance.
DAY TWO: MORNING WRAP
Australia’s dominant women’s relay squad has locked in another medal showdown with their American adversaries but the Dolphins’ quest for more golds has been soured by a botched team medley heat amid selection drama.
The 4x50m mixed medley quartet failed to qualify beyond the heats, finishing 10th with a team featuring Bradley Woodward, Grayson Bell, Alex Perkins and Meg Harris.
The shock early exit from medal contention immediately drew criticism from Ian Thorpe, who told Channel 9 the swimmers would be “disappointed they haven’t been able to set up their teammates for tonight’s race”.
It came as the Aussies opted to rest the big names for the heats in a move that ultimately backfired.
The 4x200m freestyle heat team then dragged the Dolphins back into more familiar territory, setting up another clash with their US rivals for Wednesday night’s final.
Leah Neale, Meg Harris, Brittany Castelluzzo and Laura Taylor strung together a 7:44.77 swim as the second-fastest group, albeit nearly two seconds off the pace set by the US.
The Dolphins now turn their attention to who they could draft in for the final, with Mollie O’Callaghan, Madi Wilson and Emma McKeon all in the star-studded stable after dominating the 4x100m on Tuesday night.
McKeon is in imperious form but will need to negotiate her way through the 100m freestyle semifinals first, as will Wilson.
The pair will have a roughly 90-minute gap between then and the final, with the team to decide on its final makeup later on Wednesday afternoon.
KYLE’S CANTER TO JOIN PRIMETIME POPOVICI IN SEMIS
Kyle Chalmers wasted no time announcing himself as the swimmer to beat in the eagerly anticipated 100m freestyle event, cantering into the semis ahead of expected challenger David Popovici with a 45.84 heat.
Romanian teenage sensation Popovici wasn’t far behind with 46.15 to rank fourth.
Chalmers looked comfortable in his heat, swimming with a relatively slow and controlled stroke in a sign of his hot form.
Popovici wasn’t talking up his chances post-swim, indicating his sole focus was to advance through the semis on Wednesday night.
“If I qualify for the final .. I have a lane, I have a chance. It will be fun,” the 18-year-old told Channel 9.
Aussie Matthew Temple also secured a lane in the semis, clinging onto 15th place with 46.98.
Kyle Chalmers and Matt Temple both advance through to tonight's Semi Finals of the Men's 100m Freestyle 3rd and 15th fastest respectively.#FINAMelbourne2022
— Australian Swim Team (@DolphinsAUS) December 14, 2022
GOLDEN GIRLS CRUISE THROUGH HEATS
Fresh off their record-breaking relay, Emma McKeon and Madi Wilson have both coasted into the 100m freestyle semis with cruisy heat swims.
McKeon swam a stirring 49.96 closing leg of Tuesday night’s 4x100m, becoming the first female sprinter to crack the 50-second barrier in a team relay.
She swam a 52.23 on Wednesday morning, tying for the second-fastest heat time alongside Dutch hope Marrit Steenbergen.
Wilson won her heat, finishing fifth overall with 52.43.
The pair will swim in the semis later on Wednesday night.
NO JOY FOR MIXED 4X50 TEAM
The Aussies’ triumphant Tuesday night shaped as a tough act to follow and the 4x50m mixed medley swimmers discovered that the hard way on Wednesday morning, failing to qualify for the final with a 10th-placed ranking in the heats.
The quartet, featuring Bradley Woodward, Grayson Bell, Alex Perkins and Meg Harris, hit the wall 2.58 behind the American leaders.
“They will wear that … the swimmers will be disappointed they haven’t been able to set up their teammates for tonight’s race,” Ian Thorpe told Channel 9.
‘Underdog’ Chalmers claims pressure is on 100m rival
Kyle Chalmers commences his quest for the 100m freestyle crown on Wednesday and says the pressure is on Romanian sensation David Popovici, who is set to lock horns with in an eagerly awaited battle.
Popovici, just 18 years old, is the current long-course world record holder but has conceded Chalmers likely has the upper hand over 25 metre pool races.
However, Chalmers said on Tuesday night he believed the pressure was on Popovici to back up his recent record-breaking form.
“I don’t think anyone ever has the upper hand. He’s young and raw, and you never know who’s going to pull it out,” Chalmers said.
“I guess the pressure’s on him, and I’m happy being the underdog.
“I don’t think it’s just me and David racing. There’s probably 40 other guys in that event (who are) capable of producing something special.”
Meanwhile, Kaylee McKeown capped a busy night by booking a lane in Wednesday’s 100m backstroke final but isn’t expecting to take charge of the event she dominates in long course.
McKeown, who claimed 100m backstroke gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, Birmingham Commonwealth Games and Budapest long-course worlds, said she was challenged by the increased wall work in short course and was instead using the event to recapture her love for racing.
She’ll be joined by 18-year-old Mollie O’Callaghan in the final, who posted the fastest time of any swimmer in the semis with 55.8.
“Look, I was actually really happy (to make the final),” McKeown said after finishing with a semis time of 56.35.
“Giaan (Rooney) had a bit of a shot at me before, she was like, ‘You looked so cruisy this morning’(in the heats). I was actually trying in that! But no, look, it’s good practice.
“I’m not very good at my walls in short course, I get shown up by all the Americans and all Canadians. So, for me, I think it’s just to have fun and learn to have happiness again in my racing.”
McKeown described Dolphins teammate O’Callaghan as “a little firecracker”.
“It’s awesome to have the next generation coming through as well,” she said of O’Callaghan.
Isaac Cooper also continues his return from his ban with the 100m backstroke final after clinching a spot with an equal seventh-fastest semi-final time of 50.01.
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