Aussie’s perfect response to ‘greatest choke in Olympic history’

Five years ago Cate Campbell delivered a heartbreaking five-word plea to Australia. In Tokyo today, her heart healed as tears flowed.

Redemption is sweet. Pic: Adam Head.

The ghosts of Rio are officially gone.

Cate Campbell, as you might remember, was at the centre of one of the biggest stories of the last Olympics when she failed to finish on the podium in her pet event.

A gold medal favourite in the 100m freestyle, Campbell called her swim in the final “possibly the greatest choke in Olympic history”, as she finished well back in sixth.

She asked Australia to “please still love me back” in one of the most heartbreaking moments of the 2016 Games.

But redemption is sweet – especially when you’ve waited five, long years for it.

Aussie Emma McKeon claimed gold in the final of the 100m freestyle final on Friday ahead of Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, while Campbell was with them all the way, touching the wall in third.

At her fourth Olympics, the much-loved 29-year-old put Rio behind her by winning just her second individual medal. It’s been 13 years since she won bronze in the 50m freestyle as a teenager in 2008 at the Beijing Games and while she’s been a key cog of relay teams since then, individual honours have eluded her.

Until now, that is.

As opposed to Rio, Campbell wasn’t the favourite this time around. That tag belonged to McKeon, who delivered on the big stage to secure her first ever individual gold at an Olympics. Haughey backed up her silver medal swim in the 200m freestyle with another second-placed finish in the 100m.

But for some, Campbell was the biggest winner.

“Coming in to this morning’s performance, I really wanted to put forward my best performance. And that is pretty much a season’s best (time),” Campbell told Channel 7 in a TV interview on the pool deck, before her voice cracked and tears started to flow.

Cate Campbell found the redemption she was after.

“To do that in an Olympic final, off a very, very challenging year that I’ve had ... I’m really happy and my emotions are going to start to get the better of me.

“But it’s been a really long journey to get here. And I’m incredibly proud of that performance.”

Just for clarity, Campbell made sure Australia knew the real reason for the waterworks. It certainly wasn’t because she was upset at missing out on higher honours.

“These aren’t sad tears at all. I’m so thrilled,” she said.

“I just want to thank everyone who stood behind me and got me to this point. Because I couldn’t have done it without them.

“This is my fourth Olympics, but this is only my second individual medal. It honestly means the world to me.”

The contrast between her post-race interview in Japan compared to her gut-wrenching plea in Rio couldn’t have been greater.

Guess what, Cate? Australia definitely still loved you after Rio, and nothing’s changed.

Cate Campbell is embraced by her sister Bronte after finishing sixth in Rio. Picture. Brett Costello

Asked to carry the Australian flag at the opening ceremony, Campbell had to think about whether to accept. For her, performance outweighs prestige. If a late night at the opening ceremony affected her effort in the pool the next day, she was going to have to pass.

After speaking to people she trusted about what was best, Campbell agreed to wave the flag alongside Patty Mills. She was an obvious choice.

The support she received from the Australians decked out in gold when she walked to the blocks before Thursday’s final was further proof you won’t find many more athletes with the well-wishes of an entire country behind them. One of those competitors everyone wants to see do well.

Campbell’s always been a class act and never was that more evident than in her reaction to hitting the wall and looking up at the board to see McKeon had won gold.

“I’m so proud of you!” were the first words out of Campbell’s mouth. “I’m so happy for you,” she added as the pair embraced again out of the water.

“I’m so happy for Emma, seeing her get up and I’m so glad that there’s going to be an Australian national anthem echoing through this stadium. And I’m so glad that I get to be on the podium and share that moment with her.”

In the aftermath of the most emotional moment of her career – for all the right reasons, this time, as opposed to Brazil – Campbell still had the foresight to think of someone else. She grabbed McKeon’s arm and held it aloft in triumph.

Yep, she’s got class written all over her.

As classy as it gets.

Ironically, Campbell is the reason McKeon has got to where she is today. As the gold medallist’s mum Susie told Channel 7: “(They have) a great friendship. Emma has had a great respect for Cate.

“Cate is the one she has been chasing, Cate and (sister) Bronte, over the last 12 months to get closer and closer. To have them both on the dais is fantastic.”

McKeon, meanwhile, may have flown under the radar among casual swimming fans who only tune in to the sport once every four years, but she’s on track to become our greatest Olympian ever.

The 27-year-old left Brazil in 2016 with four medals – one gold, two silver and a bronze – and is on track for a whopping seven-medal haul in Tokyo. After winning gold alongside Campbell in the relay, McKeon also picked up bronze medals in the 100m butterfly and 4x200m freestyle relay before adding to her collection today.

McKeon still has the 4x100m mixed medley relay and the women’s 4x100m medley to come, as well as the 50m freestyle, and may leave Tokyo as Australia’s greatest ever Olympian.

Her win in the 100m free puts her level with Dawn Fraser in second position on Australia’s all-time medal tally with eight, behind only Ian Thorpe (nine medals, five gold).