The 10 Australian swimmers you must know about at the Tokyo Games
The Adelaide native stunned the world when he charged through the pool to win gold in the 100m freestyle in Rio. Five years later, he returns to defend his crown in the blue-ribbon sprint. But those seeking his title are supremely talented, among them American star and world champion Caeleb Dressel, who beat Chalmers into silver in a ridiculously fast final at the 2019 FINA World Championships. Others have emerged; a 16-year-old from Romania named David Popovici has come from the clouds to own the sharpest time this year. But Chalmers knows how to get to the wall as well as any of his major rivals. Can he win again? Of course.
Kaylee McKeown (left) and Ariarne Titmus are among the names to watch out for.Credit:Getty Images
Zac Stubblety-Cook: 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststrokeBrisbane product Stubblety-Cook is another athlete who has made the most of the extra year of training, with the 22-year-old putting it all together brilliantly at the Olympic trials to set a world-leading time in the 200m breaststroke. His talent was never an issue but Stubblety-Cook stumbled at his first major meet, the 2018 Commonwealth Games, before beginning the long climb towards Tokyo. Having no crowds may work in his favour given one his major rivals is Japanese hero Shoma Sato, as well as Russian world record holder Anton Chupkov. Stubblety-Cook will also step out in the 100m but with Great Britain’s Adam Peaty making it a one-horse race, a medal would be a stretch.
Cate Campbell: 50m freestyle, 100m freestyleCampbell’s return to the top after Rio has been one of the great redemption stories of Australian sport. After such a public low in Brazil, she carries the flag for the Australian team and remains a key player in the pool. She will anchor the 4x100m freestyle relay that should win gold on day one, and remains firmly in contention in both the freestyle sprints. What she would love to do is simply swim to her potential at the Games. If she does, it means medals. At 29, she’s still lightning fast.
Madi Wilson: 200m freestyleWilson is one of the unsung heroes of the Australian team. A former backstroker who has turned into a brutally effective 100m and 200m freestyler, Wilson will be a key member of two relays that both stand on the blocks as unbackable gold medal favourites. She also gets a deserved individual swim in the 200m after McKeon withdrew from the event. It’s only Australia’s excellence in the 100m ranks that has denied Wilson a swim there as well. She has the ninth-fastest time in the world this year over that distance but the next eight spots all belong to McKeon and Campbell, her Dolphins teammates. When she’s in the water in the team events, you can watch her legs with the utmost confidence.
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Mitch Larkin: 100m backstroke, 200m IMThe affable Queenslander is one of the nice guys of Australian sport and enters his third Games with more medals up for grabs after a silver in the 200m backstroke in Rio. He made the difficult call to drop that event to focus on the 200m IM instead, with the timing meaning it was impossible to compete in both. He will have to improve dramatically to win a medal in the 100m backstroke but he stands a good chance of getting on the podium in the medley, with America’s Michael Andrew and Brit Duncan Scott among the men he must try to get past.
Brendon Smith: 400m IMThe 21-year-old from Nunawading could be one out of the box in an event that has proven difficult for Australia. Since 1964, when the race was included on the Olympic program, only Rob Woodhouse (1984, Los Angeles) has been able to bag a medal. But Smith put it all on the line to break the Australian record at the trials and only six swimmers have gone quicker this year. It’s an exceptionally tight race, headlined by Japanese great Daiya Seto, but any improvement from Smith puts him right in the contest for a medal.
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Source: | This article originally belongs to smh.com.au
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