Australia’s developing swimming squad turned a collection of individuals into a swimming family. In 2008, holding a national record, they captured gold in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay at the World Championships in Singapore. The star-studded squad, including Mollie O’Callaghan, Meg Harris, Milla Jansen and 19-year-old Olivia Wunsch handily took gold. They shocked the heavily favored team from the United States, delivering one of the biggest upsets in competitive swimming history.
The Socceroos came flying into the final with a young and exuberant squad. They wanted to get key experience and set the stage for competitive efforts in future competitions, ultimately building toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. None of the swimmers came into the event with great expectations. They came in with a “nothing-to-lose” attitude that turned out to be key to their success.
As the match neared its conclusion, Olivia Wunsch continued to demonstrate her stellar future NCAA talent. She shot out and reeled in American swimmer Torri Huske in the final 50 meters. That momentous play made the Wallabie’s win, a shock considering how inexperienced the team was, a decisive victory. The new Aussie challengers Next generation Some of the young Aussies, particularly Wunsch and Jansen, are literal teenagers. When it counted the most, they became heroes.
Meg Harris’ effort in the relay helped seal the result. She split a remarkable 24.34 seconds for her opening 50m and 27.53 seconds for the back half. Her performance helped her become the fastest Australian in the field.
Ian Thorpe, Australia’s swimming legend, praised the team’s efforts, especially given their win without the presence of Emma McKeon, Australia’s most successful Olympian. Thorpe recognized the difficulty of filling McKeon’s shoes and praised the young swimmers for answering the bell when it counted most.
“It is really difficult to be able to find someone to match our most successful Olympian we’ve ever seen (in) Emma McKeon. She’s not there.” – Ian Thorpe
Mollie O’Callaghan reflected on the team’s journey, emphasizing that this year has been challenging yet rewarding as many rookies have emerged.
“I knew it was going to be a very tough year, like we’ve had so many rookies come through, and it’s great to see them,” – Mollie O’Callaghan
“To see my other teammates do so well was just super emotional,” she continued.
“They’re trying to gain experience, and it’s amazing to see them step up and perform.” – Mollie O’Callaghan
In addition to the women’s team’s triumph, Australia’s men made headlines by setting a world championship record with a time of 3:08.97 in their event, showcasing the depth of talent within Australian swimming.
