Teen thrills and Olympic superstars set to lead a golden attack on Birmingham

This time last year, most Australians stayed at home, perhaps taking solace in the performance of the Australian swimming team, which took home multiple gold medals from the Tokyo Olympics.

This year, we can expect more as the Dolphins face the best swimmer at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

The team had successfully won the world championship in Budapest in June and stayed together for training camp in France before starting their assault on the Birmingham pool.

Once again, the team will be led by a group of extraordinary women who have taken the world by storm: Emma McKeon, Ariarne Titmus and Kaylee McKeown will be joined by Australia’s newest teen swimming superstar, Mollie O’Callaghan.

Australian women have posted the fastest Commonwealth times this year in 12 of the 16 races at the Birmingham programme, and that doesn’t take into account McKeon, who has taken a lot of time off this year but will return for the Olympics.

Even so, head coach Rohan Taylor is reluctant to make predictions about the gold medal.

“I said this before Tokyo: for us, we want to get as many medals as we can,” he told ABC Sport.

“Whatever the numbers are, it will be a result of our athletes’ ability to perform when it matters.”

With no US, Chinese, Italian or Russian competition, the Commonwealth Games is an entirely different proposition to the level of competition faced at the Olympics or world championships, but Taylor says his athletes are ready to appear in a storied sports carnival.

Mollie O’Callaghan won the 100m world title although she admitted she was nervous before the final.(Getty Images: Quinn Rooney)

“Just being able to rise in green and gold and represent your country is the first thing,” Taylor said.

“The depth may not be in the world, but there are some quality athletes from across the Commonwealth that our people look forward to racing.”

O’Callaghan topped the medal tally with three gold and three silver medals at the world championships, including a stunning victory in the 100m freestyle final over world record holder Sarah Sjöström.

“I was actually really, really nervous before the free 100 final,” the 18-year-old told the SwimSwam website.

“I was so scared that I cried a little in the warm-up.

“My legs started to cramp in the warm-up and then I started to panic even more.”

However, he came back from sixth place on his turn to become world champion, doubling the back-end speed he showed in the semi-finals, where he recorded the second fastest 50 meters in history.

Taylor said he was not surprised by O’Callaghan’s performance after his strong showing at the June trial.

“The combination of Mollie’s form, the way the race goes – you know the rear is really strong – so she’s in attack range at the right time,” said Taylor.

This makes for a tantalizing showdown at the Commonwealth Games between the new world champion and Olympic Champion Emma McKeon.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Emma McKeon became Australia’s most-awarded athlete.(Getty: Brendon Thorne)

McKeon chose to skip the world championships but came to the Commonwealth Games as the undisputed women’s sprint swimming champion after claiming four gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics.

Taylor said he was looking forward to high-profile fights between training partners.

“[O’Callaghan] stands under the pressure of the world championships quite well and I think this is another opportunity for him to step up against Emma,” he said.

“Emma is the reigning Olympic champion and rightfully so, so it’s going to be a good challenge for Mollie, and we love that competitive pressure.”

Adding McKeon to the final of the 4x100m freestyle relay that won gold at the world championships makes for a seemingly invincible team.

Shayna Jack docked the team in Budapest and wanted to make an impression after sitting on the sidelines for two years for a drug ban.

The Commonwealth Games will be a homecoming of sorts for Jack – on the Gold Coast in 2018 he first announced himself, helping the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay to gold and a world record.

He made a superb comeback at the Australian championships in May, winning the 50m freestyle final and finishing second only to O’Callaghan in the 100m freestyle final.

Jack broke his hand in a freak accident after winning that relay gold but has returned after undergoing surgery to repair the fracture.

The women’s 4x200m freestyle relay is second behind the US at the world championships, but Canada’s bronze, less than a second behind, suggests they will be formidable opponents at the Commonwealth Games.

The good news for Australia is the addition of the world’s fastest women’s middle-distance swimmer, Ariarne Titmus, who also missed the world championship.

After his stunning performance at last year’s Olympics, Titmus missed this year’s world championships to prepare for the Commonwealth Games.(Getty Images: Quinn Rooney)

Titmus will return to the international stage after winning two gold medals in Tokyo and setting a new 400m freestyle world record at the Australian Championships.

She won’t have everything in her own way: 15-year-old Canadian superstar Summer McIntosh pushed US athlete Katie Ledecky all the way to the line in the 400m freestyle final at the world championships.

Olympic gold medalist Kaylee McKeown will be competing in her favorite 100m and 200m backstroke and is considering adding one of the individual medley events to her program after finishing second in the 200m IM at the world championships.

Add long-distance swimmers Lani Pallister and Kiah Melverton (who finished second in the 800m freestyle at the world championships), and chest swimmer Jenna Strauch (second in the 200m) and you have the backbone of the dominant women’s swim squad.

Chalmers returns to strong men’s team

As for the Australian men, there are some good signs after going strong at the world championships.

Olympic gold medalist Zac Stubblety-Cook continued his impressive form, winning the 200m breaststroke final in Budapest.

But the biggest story is one of redemption for Elijah Winnington, who became world 400m freestyle champion, setting a personal best record for winning a gold medal after finishing seventh in the final at the Tokyo Olympics.

Elijah Winnington won gold on the first night of the recent world championships.(Getty Images: Tom Pennington)

“To turn things around after his disappointment really speaks to him and his character and his coach, Dean Boxall,” Taylor said.

“To come back and be in that position again and execute, it’s fantastic and I’m very happy for him.”

Winnington said his first world title was a timely confidence boost for a move to the Commonwealth Games.

“The Commonwealth has a special place in my heart – this was the first Australian senior team I’ve ever made and it’s in my hometown on the Gold Coast and those are actually some of the best memories I have of swimming,” he said at the Australia team’s preparation camp in France last weekend. then.

Winnington told SwimSwam he went into the world championship feeling confident after a strong showing at the Australian test in May.

“I was able to achieve something very special in the men’s 400m freestyle,” he said in warning to his rivals at the Commonwealth Games and with the nod to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

As usual, all eyes will be on Rio’s 100m freestyle gold medalist Kyle Chalmers, who is doing very well in the Australian championship despite only eight weeks of training.

But his results were overshadowed by a media storm over his decision to compete in the world championships, meaning pop star Cody Simpson lost his individual spot.

Chalmers has taken some time away from the sport to deal with his mental health, but Taylor says his presence is positive for the team, as demonstrated when he helped Australia win gold in the 4x100m mixed freestyle relay at the world championships.

Mixed relays are the latest inclusion for many large gatherings.(Getty Images: Maddie Mever)

“He was an asset to us in the relay, he thrived in that environment,” Taylor said.

Taylor said Chalmers would compete in the 100m freestyle and butterfly at the Commonwealth Games as well as the relay.

“I just want to see him contribute to our relay like he always does,” Taylor said.

“His ability to put together some training gave him the chance to rise up in the Commonwealth Games.”

Last hurray Ellie Cole

Australia will also be well represented in the para swimming event, with 27 athletes going to the Olympics after a successful world championship in which the team won 31 medals, including seven gold.

Ellie Cole will be swimming in her final Commonwealth Games and is desperate to make up for one flaw in her glittering career.

Despite winning six Paralympic gold medals and three world championships, he has not won gold at any of the three previous Commonwealth Games.

Timothy Hodge will feature in the major Olympics after capturing two gold and one silver at the world championships, while Emily Beecroft won one gold and two silver including one in her Commonwealth Games event, the S9 100m freestyle.

Expect to see strong performances from the likes of Katja Dedekind, Keira Stephens and Matthew Levy.

Despite Taylor’s reluctance to make any medal predictions, you can be sure that the Australian swimming team will come home with plenty of medals, many of them gold.

“It really boils down to the fact that this is a very talented athlete,” Taylor said.

“The training, the coaching, the work they do together is really impressive. [We’re] very lucky to have such a good group together.”

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