SWIMMING: The Australian Dolphins swim team completed a stellar Pan Pacs campaign, coming home with eight gold, 13 silver and eight bronze medals, as well as shattering six Championship records over the four-day competition in Tokyo.
In total, the Aussie team won 29 medals and finished second to world number one USA who won 43 (18 gold, 13 silver, 12 bronze) with Australia's largest medal haul coming from Emma McKeon who added four gold and two bronze to the total and the Aussie women claiming a clean sweep of all three relays.
The team of Ariarne Titmus, McKeon, Mikkayla Sheridan and Maddie Groves took out gold in the Women's 4x200m freestyle relay - along with the Championship and Australian Record, while Emily Seebohm, Jessica Hansen, McKeon and Cate Campbell claimed gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay and Seebohm, Shayna Jack, McKeon and Campbell made it a golden Aussie triple in the 4x100m medley relay.
But the most inspiring story came from Rio Olympian Cate Campbell. After competing in Rio 2016 and missing out on a podium place in the final of the 100m freestyle, Campbell almost considered giving up swimming altogether. Then, after a post-Olympic hiatus during 2017, Pan Pacs was well and truly redemption time for the determined Olympian who bolstered her teams tally with five gold medals.
Across the 400m mixed medley relay, 100m freestyle, 4x100 women's freestyle relay, 50m freestyle and the women's 4x100m medley relay, Campbell broke multiple Championship, Commonwealth and Australian records.
She told Swimming Australia;
"I think that this team has performed way beyond expectations and we've really stuck it to the people.
"It just goes to show the grit, determination and spirit that is really alive within the team and it is wonderful to be a part of it again."
Mitchell Larkin, Jake Packard, Seebohm and Campbell also collected the mixed 400m medley relay gold.
Kyle Chalmers, Alex Graham, Jack Cartwright and James Roberts took out the silver in the 4x100m mens freestyle relay, with Chalmers also defeating world champion Caeleb Dressel in the 100m freestyle for some more Aussie gold.
Clyde Lewis, Chalmers, Graham and Cartwright then grabbed silver for a second time in the 4x200m freestyle relay.
Up and coming superstar Titmus finished just behind Olympic champion Katie Ledecky for silver in the 800m freestyle, adding to her 4x200m relay gold.
The 17-year-old also swam the fastest 800m freestyle ever by an Australian female and her silver performance in the 400m freestyle made her only the third woman in history to ever break four minutes in the event.
Kiah Melverton claimed silver in the 1500m freestyle, with Ledecky again just outswimming Australia for the gold.
Zac Subblety-Cook and Matthew Wilson took out silver and bronze behind world record holder, Japan's Ippei Watanabe in the 200m breaststroke final, both with PB's of 2:07.89 and 2:08.22, while Larkin claimed silver along with a new Australian and Commonwealth record to boot in the 200m individual medley final.
Jack McLoughlin claimed gold in the 400m freestyle final, followed by team mate Mack Horton with silver and USA's Zane Grothe taking the bronze.
McLoughlin also swam a PB of 7:47.31 in the 800m freestyle, finishing with bronze behind silver and gold US swimmers Jordan Wilimovsky and Grothe with Horton placing fifth, while the men's medley team of Larkin, Jake Packard, Grant Irvine and Chalmers added another bronze to the Australian tally.
Larkin claimed bronze in the 100m backstroke with silver going to Japan's Ryosuke Irie and gold to USA's world record holder, Ryan Murphy.
In the 10km open water marathon Noosa duo Kareena Lee and Nick Sloman took out silver and bronze.
Over in Cairns, it was also raining medals for our friends at the Para Pan Pacs who finished at the top of the medal tally with a whopping 43 gold, 30 silver and 21 bronze medals.
GOLD
Women's 4x200m freestyle relay - Titmus, McKeonm Sheridan, Groves
Women's 4x100m freestyle relay - Seebohm, Hansen, McKeon, Campbell
Women's 4x100 medley relay - Seebohm, Jack, McKeon, Campbell
Mixed 400m medley relay - Larkin, Packard, McKeon, Campbell
Women's 50m freestyle - Campbell
Women's 100m freestyle - Campbell
Men's 400m freestyle - McLoughlin
Men's 100m freestyle - Chalmers
SILVER
Men's 4x100m freestyle relay - Chalmers, Graham, Cartwright, Roberts
Men's 4x200m freestyle relay - Lewis, Chalmers, Graham, Cartwright
Men's 100m breaststroke - Packard
Men's 200m breaststroke - Subblety-Cook
Men's 400m freestyle - Horton
Men's 200m individual medley - Larkin
Men's 100m freestyle - Cartwright
Women's 10km open water marathon - Lee
Women's 100m backstroke - Seebohm
Women's 800m freestyle - Titmus
Women's 400m freestyle - Titmus
Women's 1500m freestyle - Melverton
Women's 100m backstroke - Hansen
BRONZE
Women's 50m freestyle - McKeon
Women's 100m butterfly - McKeon
Men's 10km open water marathon - Sloman
Men's 1500m freestyle - McLoughlin
Men's 800m freestyle - McLoughlin
Men's 100m backstroke - Larkin
Men's 200m breaststroke - Wilson
Men's 4x100m medley relay - Larkin, Packard, Irvine, Chalmers
Liana Buratti
olympics.com.au
