Commonwealth Games: Australia swim great Kieren Perkins reviews Day 1 in the pool

THE hunter became the hunted on Thursday night and the way Mack Horton responded to this shift in his career with a really mature race to gold was a great signpost, writes Kieren Perkins.

• Mack Horton wins Australia’s first gold
• McKeon and Titmus beaten to gold
• Australia’s women win gold in women’s 4km pursuit
• Australia reclaim men’s team pursuit world record and win gold
• Australia’s women break world record in the pool to win gold

THE hunter became the hunted on Thursday night and the way Mack Horton responded to this shift in his career with a really mature race to gold was a great signpost.

To have the scene-setting opening night at the Commonwealth Games pool topped by a world record and Cate Campbell wearing her crown again was insane.

Even the freestyle relay girls themselves didn’t expect to break the world mark and the charge that will have gone through the entire 70-strong Aussie swim squad will be pure adrenaline.

You couldn’t have put together a better relay with Bronte Campbell’s beautiful second leg to gain a gap, Emma McKeon rising on the crowd to extend the lead over Canada’s Olympic champion and Cate’s finish.

So often you see TV’s world record “line” swamp swimmers at the end but Cate actually fought it off over the final 10m and gained. Monday night’s 100m individual final awaits.

It was a strong, positive first night but, taking off my parochial glasses, I’d still give the first round at the pool to England.

Mack Horton celebrates winning the 400m final.

Mack won his Olympic gold medal from under the radar in Rio in 2016 but all eyes, from rivals to fans in the stands, were on him in the 400m freestyle on the Gold Coast last night.

He had the temperament to stick to his pace and game plan even when England’s fast-starting James Guy and Jack McLoughlin basically had a bodylength on him by the end of the third lap.

It was a really strong swim from Mack.

Prince Charles presents the silver medal to Ariarne Titmus after the 200m freestyle.

The pressure was on as it always is at a home Games. Impressive personal bests from McLoughlin and Ariarne Titmus (200m freestyle) augur well for even better in their pet events while a fighting bronze from Blair Evans (400m individual medley) and Mitch Larkin’s 100m backstroke semi-final swim were strong.

Mack has been in a very different environment ever since Rio as a swimmer with a target on his back.

Australian swimmers (l-r) Shayna Jack, Bronte Campbell, Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell after they won the 4x100m final in world record time on Thursday night.

It’s why they say winning your first big gold medal is hard and the second is much, much harder.

Mack will have been to red carpet openings, been invited to functions, walked in the spotlight and taken a big chunk of the media duties in the 20 months since Rio.

It all adds up to extra time demands and making sure those distractions don’t take away from the little things that got you to the top in the first place.

Mack seems to have been able to do that and is stepping up as a leader in this new age for Australian swimming.

Mack Horton with his gold medal from the 400m freestyle.

With your own excitement, it’s very telling of a sportsperson’s character that he should acknowledge a teammate as he did with Jack’s first international medal.

What has been set up is a fantastic 1500m race for gold on Tuesday night between Mack and Jack.

We still have to see how Mack shapes up for the 1500 because he looked challenged when Jack took the race at the trials a month ago.

I was really impressed with Ariarne. She smashed her PB by .91 sec for her silver in an all-out sprint and her best events at 400m and 800m are yet to come. Her ascendancy continues.

Originally published as Commonwealth Games: Australia swim great Kieren Perkins reviews Day 1 in the pool