Tokyo Olympics: Aussie swimmers put finishing touches to Olympic preparations
If anyone told the Australian swim team they were under pressure to win gold you wouldn’t know it judging by their playful behaviour at their Tokyo training session.
Our Aussie swimmers could well be here for a Tokyo pool party they looked that relaxed when the cameras were allowed into their training session for the first time on Wednesday night.
The swim stars laughed, joked and kicked back as if they were at a barbecue during a training session at the main Olympic pool in Tokyo, showing no signs the weight of expectation was getting them down.
Cate Campbell was in fits of laughter with sister Bronte during a break between laps. Rio gold medallist Kyle Chalmers sharing a stretching band with Madi Wilson.
No steely gazes, no tight shoulders, no furrowed brows as they discussed tactics with coaches. They worked hard, of course, but played hard too, clearly enjoying each other’s company and the excitement of the impending Games.
In three days, the swimmers will hit the pool carrying the hopes of Australia and with the taunts of the star-studded American team ringing in their ears.
The Americans have been confidently blowing their own trumpets, with Lilly King reviving memories of Gary Hall Jr’s “smash them like guitars” gaffe by boasting that the US could win every gold in the pool.
But it could be the relaxed and comfortable Australians who have the last laugh.
An analysis by News Corp has revealed Australia will enter the Games with no fewer than 14 gold medal opportunities from 35 events compared to the USA with 21.
Australian swimmers are ranked No. 1 in the world in 13 events and the 2021 team is littered with potential winners. Emma McKeon (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle), Ariarne Titmus (200m freestyle, 400m freestyle), Kaylee McKeown (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 200m individual medley), Elijah Winnington (400m freestyle) and Zac Stubblety-Cook (200m breaststroke) are among the best hopes, but the safest bets are the relays, notably the women’s 4x100m freestyle where the top four in the world are all Australian.
Experienced Olympic coach Michael Bohl is confident Australia has the talent to achieve the eight gold medals won at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, despite its star power, the US team may struggle to match its achievements at the past four Olympics
Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky headline a team bursting with young talent in the post Michael Phelps-era as they look to shore up their dominance over Australia.
The US have owned the pool for a decade, collecting 33 medals, including 16 golds, to sweep the table in Rio, far ahead of Australia who came a distant second with just 10 in total.
But with Phelps, who loomed large at the last four Olympics, now retired and stalwarts Ryan Lochte, Nathan Adrian and Tony Ervin failing to qualify, they could struggle to match that haul when the starter’s gun fires at the newly-built Tokyo Aquatics Center on Saturday.
Finals take place each morning, with heats in the evenings, to satisfy US broadcasters, a scheduling quirk that has not been tackled since Beijing in 2008.
While boasting some top-class athletes, the Americans also have a cohort untested on the world’s biggest stage with 35 newcomers, including 11 teenagers — the most since 1996.
“I think everyone who is on the team, we’re going to have to pick up the pace because what they left behind is huge,” said multi-event star Dressel, the heir apparent to Phelps.
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