THE GOLD STANDARD
Article by Julian Linden courtesy of the Herald Sun.
Australia’s most successful swim team has closed out the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, in style to finish top of the medals table with a record haul that may never be beaten.
After eight days of intense competition, the Dolphins proved themselves to be the best swim team on the planet – collecting 13 gold, seven silver and five bronze medals for a staggering total of 25.
To everyone’s astonishment, the organisers awarded the prize of “best team” to the US, based on the scoring system that recognised all results, not just gold medals.
As far as Australia’s head coach Rohan Taylor was concerned, the Aussies were the best.
“I think the way that the award is presented is on total medals, so effectively that’s the award, so in that capacity it’s the US,” Taylor sad.
“But I’ve said all along, we’ve always looked at and I was brought up by the Don Talbot era that gold medals were the most important and from our perspective we were the best performing team on the gold medal count.
“When you look at the website and you look at the medal tally, we sit on top of that. That’s how I feel. I’m not taking anything away from the US. They won the award based on the criteria that was there.”
The US may beg to differ but Canadian head coach John Atkinson agreed with Taylor that the Aussies were No.1. “For me, the number of gold medals wins the meet,” Atkinson said.
MEMORIES OF 2001
It is only the second time the Dolphins have finished at the top of the medal table at the world titles.
The previous occasion was also at Fukuoka in 2001 when Ian Thorpe led the team.
The current Dolphins equalled their record gold medal tally of 13 but set a new mark for total medals. Fittingly, teenage sensation Mollie O’Callaghan brought the Aussies home in the final event for a silver in the women’s 4×100 medley relay.
Just 19, O’Callaghan won six medals – five of them gold – and she was involved in four of the five world records the Australians set over the week.
Emma McKeon, swimming the butterfly leg in the relay, won her 20th lifetime world championship medal to break Grant Hackett’s long-standing Australian record of 19.
Kaylee McKeown swam the backstroke leg and was named best female swimmer of the championships. She won three individual gold after being controversially disqualified in the 200m individual medley.
“It started off with a bit of a rough week but I’m super proud of myself and I’m super happy that I had the team and support around me to get me through the really long eight days,” she said.
“I’m thrilled to have come away with the three gold. I never thought I’d be able to do that, especially the 50m not being a sprinter.”
KING KYLE
Kyle Chalmers anchored Australia to a bronze medal in the men’s medley relay to ensure Australia has automatic places in each of the seven relays at next year’s Paris Olympics.
“It’s an amazing achievement,” Chalmers said. “I think every night there have been such incredible performances that we’re going to reflect on and remember for such a long period of time.
“I know for us, we reflected on Fukuoka 22 years ago, kind of watching highlights from back then and reminding all of us who were the world champions from the Australian team back then so I know that in 20 years we’re leaving this amazing legacy on the team.
“It’s really just a team full of professionals that get up and find a way to do it. It’s inspiring for me, being in the team room, in the marshalling room with these guys and watching them, how they kind of go about their races and kind of finding small things that it’s going to make me better in the future, too.”
EMOTIONAL JACK
Shayna Jack won silver in the women’s 50m freestyle final to give her a first individual medal at the world titles after she had won 10 in relays and come back from a two-year ban for a doping offence. She maintains she is innocent of the charge.
“This medal means more than anything to me,” Jack said. “I actually had quite a bit of a moment after we walked back when I saw Dean (her coach Dean Boxall).
“I got a bit emotional because this does mean a lot to me. It’s been a long journey. I never thought I’d be back representing my country.”
EXCITING FUTURE
Sam Short won bronze in the men’s 1500m freestyle to enhance his reputation as our next long-distance star.
Short became the first Australian since Hackett in 2005 to win medals in the 400m, 800m and 1500m at the same world championships while leapfrogging Kieren Perkins and Mack Horton into second place in the Australian rankings for the longest event in the pool.