Australia continued their dominance at the World Shortcourse Championships with another three gold medals on a night where rising star Mollie O’Callaghan recovered from agonising cramps, which reduced her to tears in the warm-up pool, to help break another relay world record.
Lani Pallister’s first shortcourse meeting has gone from good to great as she added a gold medal in the 800m freestyle to her 400m crown from Tuesday before anchoring Australia’s women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team to Australia’s second world record in as many nights.
However, there was drama before the last event of the evening.
Minutes after O’Callaghan was pipped by Kaylee McKeown for a gold medal in the 100m backstroke, cameras spotted the youngster in tears after her race with coach Dean Boxall.
When the cramps kicked in, O’Callaghan panicked.
There were fears the 18-year-old wouldn’t be able to back up for the relay, meaning Australia would have to withdraw from the final.
But after pushing through the pain of the abdominal cramps, which tend to flare up after her races, O’Callaghan helped Australia from second to first during a wonderful second leg.
Australia (7:30.87) finished more than three seconds clear of Canada (7:34.47) and sliced almost two seconds off the world record to pocket another $37,000 bonus just like night one when Emma McKeon steered her 4x100m freestyle team to victory.
“I get really bad cramps. It comes and it goes. It’s something I’ve been working on and don’t know about,” O’Callaghan said. “There is definitely panic, there always will be panic. That’s something I’ve got to work through.
“I was more concerned about losing count [of my laps] to be honest. I don’t care if I’m absolutely dead, I have to get on that wall.”
Boxall added: “She was so happy. Kaylee and her are best mates. She has these huge cramps … she couldn’t move in the water. She was in tears. We didn’t know if we could get her to the [medal] dais. She was in a lot of strife.”
In the 100m backstroke final, O’Callaghan, who isn’t swimming individual freestyle events at these titles, turned in second place at the 50-metre mark before hitting the lead with 25 metres to swim.
Mollie O’Callaghan after her 100m backstroke silver medal and then celebrating a 4x200m freestyle relay victory with teammates. Credit:Nine/Getty
But it was McKeown who asserted her dominance when it mattered as the Olympic champion came from seemingly nowhere to touch the wall in 55.49, 0.13 seconds clear of O’Callaghan in second place.
“I knew I had to give it everything coming home,” McKeown said. “I had a lot of catching up to do. I got there.”
Meanwhile, Pallister made it two individual gold medals in as many nights with a superb performance in the 800m freestyle, more than six seconds clear of New Zealand rival Erika Fairweather.
Pallister (8:04.07) led from start to finish – she was ahead by 2.99 seconds at the halfway mark – in the 32-lap event to hold off Fairweather (8:10.41) just like she did in the 400m event a day earlier.
Lani Pallister won gold on Wednesday in the 800m freestyle.Credit:AP
The 20-year-old’s stocks continue to soar after bouncing back from the disappointment of missing out on selection for the Tokyo Olympics.
Pallister will also compete in the 1500m freestyle and is hoping to make it three individual gold medals.
“I think it’s something everyone dreams of,” Pallister said. “I definitely didn’t come into this meet thinking that I would win three gold medals in the first two days of competition. It’s almost a dream come true.”
However, it’s not always the gold medals that mean the most.
Isaac Cooper’s bronze medal in the 100m backstroke final, from lane one, was a great reward at the end of a brutal year.
Cooper said he had been to “hell and back” after being sent home from a training camp before the Commonwealth Games earlier this year due to a misuse of prescription medication.
“My mum is probably going to be crying right now,” Cooper said. “I know I’m proud of myself. I’ve gone through hell and back this year. My parents have been beside me and having to go through it. At the end of the day, whatever happens to me affects them as well. They and my coaches … I know they’d be proud of me coming back. I thought I was done … I was in a rough spot. Now I’m standing on the podium for the first time.”
Watch the World Swimming Championships on Channel 9 and 9Now from 7.30pm.
