‘Trash talk’ Olympic mistake Australia is making again

Swimming legend Stephanie Rice has declared Australia is making an Olympic mistake all over again, and it’s only making Team USA stronger.

COMMENT

There’s been so much talk over the past few weeks about the Aussies versus the Americans, and it’s got to stop.

Cate Campbell recently fired shots at the American swim team, trash-talking their anthem and calling them “sore losers”.

The video was shared among swimmers at the American Olympic trials last week with swimming legend, Michael Phelps responding, “if somebody said that to me, I would lose it. I would literally make them eat every word they just said about me”.

I want nothing more than to see the Aussies on top at the Paris Olympics, but I agree with Phelps on this one.

Australia hasn’t beaten USA in a swimming medal tally at the Olympics since Melbourne 1956, that’s a 68-year drought.

The trash-talking only fuels the Americans’ drive to take us down so let’s stop giving them extra motivation.

You can watch Phelps’ reaction video in the player above

Popular Aussie swimming great Cate Campbell called Team USA “sore losers”. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

I understand that everyone loves a bit of banter, especially Aussies, but none of it matters if you can’t back it up with a winning performance.

In fact, I think we hate that even more — an athlete who talks themselves up, then fails to reach their goal.

It reminds me of the London 2012 Olympics when James ‘Missile’ Magnussen was full of confidence and was building Australia’s hopes of a gold medal in the 100m freestyle final, especially after he won the event the year prior at the World Championships.

He trash-talked his opponents, telling them to “brace themselves” and when he was pipped at the post at the London Games, he was destroyed by the media.

Let’s remember that he came second by 0.01. You can’t even see that with your eye, it’s that close.

Stephanie Rice has called for Australia to stop the trash talk. Picture: Liam Kidston

James Magnussen had a tough time at the London Olympics. Picture: Phil Hillyard

I really empathised with him because I knew that while the media would write their stories and pull him down, at the end of the day, he would be person that would beat himself up the most about his performance.

As a swimmer you get one moment every four years to show the world what you’re capable of on the biggest sporting stage there is.

Every swimmer competing at the Olympics has done the work, training over 60km per week, for 50 weeks a year, often for seven-to-ten years straight.

They are all fit. They are all talented. But the ones who stand on top of the podium have a burning desire to win.

And that fire can easily be lit with comments like the ones Cate shared about Team USA.

So, while I know her intention was to support the Aussies, we’ve got to be more strategic, and not give the Americans any extra ammunition.

Australia's Stephanie Rice won three gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Picture: Brett Costello

American swimmer Michael Phelps said he would use Australia’s sledging as motivation. Picture: Paul Miller/AAP

Let’s do what Aussies do best, be the underdog, and let the Americans take all the pressure, then, at the perfect moment, in the Olympic final… dominate!

So let’s put America and trash-talking aside and focus on the Aussies.

What excites me about this Australian swim team is that it’s stronger than it’s ever been. There is more depth within the team than I’ve ever seen, making our relay teams really strong.

Then you have champions like Ariarne Titmus, Kaylee McKeown, Mollie O’Callaghan, and Emma McKeon — these girls are world record holders, they don’t care about trash talk; they care about perfecting the remainder of their preparation and executing their races in Paris with precision.

You know how you do that? By focusing on yourself.

At the end of the day, no amount of trash-talking will affect our swimmers’ performance.

It might distract you for a few minutes, but it’s not like the Americans can dive into an Aussie’s lane and take them out with a few powerful side swipes. Every swimmer has their own lane, their own race plan, their own focus.

Plus, there are so many other things they will be worried about, like caps breaking, goggles filling up with water, or false starting (let’s not forget Eric Moussambani, the Equatoguinean swimmer and unsung hero of the Sydney 2000 Olympics).

With all the uncertainty that surrounds an Olympics, the only thing you can do is focus on yourself, your race, your process. If you do that, you give yourself the best chance of succeeding.

I believe our swim team is capable of taking the top spot, so let’s let the swimming do the talking.

- Stephanie Rice is a three-time Olympic gold medallist and a member of both the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the Sports Australia Hall of Fame. She is writing exclusively for news.com.au during the Paris Olympics.

Originally published as ‘Trash talk’ Olympic mistake Australia is making again