Aussie Meg Harris captures sprint gold
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The Australian
3 hours ago
- The Australian
Meg Harris wins 50m freestyle gold at World Swimming Championships
Australian sprinter Meg Harris gambled on herself and came up a world champion. The 23-year-old was one of the big underdog stories of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, bolting from an outside lane to claim a shock silver medal in the 50m freestyle. Inspired by that moment and the success of Australia's unique sprint king Cameron McEvoy, Harris decided to all but shelve the 100m event and focus on being a pure sprinter. It was a huge risk, given she had collected two Olympic and five world titles gold medals by being part of a relay ensemble with her 100m strength, but Harris knew she had potential to stand atop the podium on her own if she went all in on the 50m. Meg Harris celebrates after winning the women's 50m freestyle final. Picture: AFP) So committed was Harris to her new life as a one-lap specialist, she pulled out of the 100m event after swimming a heat at the national trials and coaches needed to twist her arm just to line up for the 4x100m freestyle relay on the opening night of these world titles where she also won a gold medal. But Harris has proven she could have her cake and eat it too. Harris executed a near-perfect race to take Australia's eighth gold medal of the world titles, with a stunning start and underwater to come up clearly ahead of the field and hold on to win in 24.02 seconds from China's Qingfeng Wu (24.26s) and Yujie Cheng (24.28s). She is Australia's first women's 50m freestyle world champion in a decade, joining Bronte Campbell as a one-lap hero after she won the title in Kazan in 2015. It also means Australia boasts the fastest man and woman in the world after Cameron McEvoy also won the 50m freestyle earlier in the meet. Meg Harris was part of five world championship-winning relay teams, with this her first individual title. Picture: AFP 'I still don't have the words to process this, but this is a dream,' Harris said. 'I felt really good the first 15m and that's been my weakness so far. I knew if I got that right I just had to hold on.' Harris said she made the bold call to focus on the 50m after struggling to get back into the grind of swimming life post Paris. 'It was a bit of a tough one. I felt such a high coming off that, and then starting out this year I had to find a new motivation, not just coming in and doing the exact same thing,' she explained. 'I tried for the first couple months, but something just wasn't working. I needed to find a new way to do it. So I stripped everything back and started with the basics, all the things… like the reasons I started swimming. I love sprinting, I love racing. 'So we just took that all back, did everything that I love. I'm excited now to put together the rest when I get home. But yeah, cannot be happier.' Meg Harris takes off, on her way to a world championships gold medal. Picture: Getty Images In a post-Olympic year Australia's eight gold medals is perhaps a stronger return than expected for a swim team that was tipped to struggle with Ariarne Titmus taking the year off, Zac Stubblety-Cook out injured and Olympic great Emma McKeon retired. But it is one more gold medal than the Dolphins secured at the Paris Olympics and importantly there were fresh faces like Harris showing they were ready to stand up as individuals in the path towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Meg Harris reacts after winning the women's 50m freestyle final. Picture: AFP The emergence of Lani Pallister as a serious threat to Katie Ledecky in the 800m freestyle, the arrival of Alexandria Perkins as a 50m-100m butterfly medallist and the 'dirty gold' Harrison Turner in the 200m butterfly have given Australian optimism about regenerating a swim team that is still powered by greats like Kaylee McKeown, Mollie O'Callaghan, Cameron McEvoy and Kyle Chalmers. While it wasn't quite the 13 gold medal haul from Fukuoka's 2023 world titles, the signs are promising enough that the Dolphins are keeping the US swim team honest in the medal table battle ahead of their home Games in three years. Sam Short climbed out of his sick bed just three days after a horrendous bout of gastro for a gallant fourth place in the 1500m freestyle final in 14:43,06. Samuel Short was fourth in the 1500m freestyle final. Picture: AFP 'I just wanted to get out there and see how hard I could push myself,' he said. 'I was pretty sick three days ago ... fourth I will take that. 'I didn't have to do the 1500 but there was no way I would sit in the stands without giving it a crack.' Jenna Forrester secured a shock silver medal in the women's 400m medley, fighting back over the final 25m to deadheat for second behind Canada's superstar Summer McIntosh who won in 4:25.78 for her fourth gold medal of the titles. Jenna Forrester shared silver behind Summer McIntosh in the women's 400m medley. Picture: Getty Images Forrester looked to be battling to hold on for bronze when she turned third at the 350m mark, but somehow found another gear down the final lap to tie for second with Japan's Mio Narita in 4:33.26. That final lap surge also denied China's 12-year-old Yu Zidi an individual medal, she touched fourth in 4:33.76. 'I feel like from 2023 it's been such a hard battle, to be up on the podium I am so stoked,' Forrester said. The battle to see which nation wins the medal tally came down to the final event of the world titles - with USA and Australia both tied with eight gold medals ahead of the women's 400m medley. In the end it was the US team, powered by a dominant breaststroke leg by Kate Douglass, that won comprehensively in a new world record time of 3:49.34 ahead of Australia in silver in 3:52.67. It meant Australia ended the meet ranked No.2 on the leaderboard with eight gold, six silver and six bronze medals, behind the United States with nine gold, 11 silver and nine bronze medals. Todd Balym Codes Editor Todd Balym is the Codes team editor leading the team of reporters covering all the non-footy sports. He is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years experience in media and covered major sporting events around the world including three Olympic Games. Todd Balym
West Australian
8 hours ago
- West Australian
Mollie O'Callaghan, Meg Harris, Harry Turner and Sam Short: The faces of Aussie swimming's next generation
Australia is cooking up another golden generation in the pool. And our new crop of swimming superstars have just had a coming-out party at the World Aquatics Championships, which has them primed to dominate next year's Commonwealth Games. The Aussies finished second only to their powerhouse rivals the United States in the swimming leg of the championships and second only to China overall. It lays down a marker for major international tournaments on the horizon, including next year's Games in Glasgow - broadcast live and fee on Channel Seven - and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. There are new faces leading the way for the Aussies too. At just 21, Mollie O'Callaghan — who Australia was introduced to during last year's Olympics — has already equalled Ian Thorpe's record gold-medal haul at 11. The Brisbane-born jet now has time on her side. While a life in swimming is short, O'Callaghan is already shaping as one of the faces of her home Olympics in 2032. She is on track to become the greatest Australian swimmer of all time and is a strong chance to break Emma McKeon's all-time Aussie gold-medal collection at the next Olympics. McKeon's six golds came largely as a mainstay of the country's relay teams. O'Callaghan anchors Australia's teams, but also has an individual presence. O'Callaghan claimed the blue-riband 200m freestyle gold — the event she took Ariarne Titmus' mantle in at Paris last year — again in Singapore this week as well as steering home two relays. 'I look at her, and I see the gold medallist,' Thorpe said of O'Callaghan. 'She will go far beyond 11 (golds). 'And looking … beyond for Mollie O'Callaghan, is the opportunity not only at the world championships but multiple Olympics.' Fellow Aussie freestyler Meg Harris also broke into the individual realm on the final night of the titles, powering to the 50m freestyle crown. Harris — who is deaf in one ear — even won the race with her eyes closed, literally. 'It's normal for me,' Harris said of her shut-eye habit. 'I do it a lot in the 50m and in the 100m, I always do it on the second lap. So I'm not quite sure what it is, I do it in training as well, but I guess it's just like trying to focus on my stroke … not 100 per cent, that's just what happens.' The Aussie that captured the nation's hearts during the championships was knockabout Queenslander Harrison Turner, who was just as stunned as everyone else when he claimed a bronze medal and shaved three seconds off his personal best in the 200m butterfly. He described his medal as 'dirty gold' in a hilarious poolside interview. After sneaking in to the final in lane eight, Turner said his mentality was: 'I've got a lane, I've got a chance.' 'If you told me I was gonna win a gold — I mean, sorry, a bronze medal — at the start of the year … I'd tell you you're dreaming,' he said. If O'Callaghan looms as the Cathy Freeman-like face of the Brisbane Games, Turner has all the potential to be a hometown cult hero. His mullet sits comfortably and he spends as much time fishing, surfing and on the water with mates as he does between lane ropes. Queensland's swimming production line has also made Sam Short a star of the future. The 21-year-old battled serious illness — which threatened to spoil his week — to claim silver in the 400m freestyle. Backstroke queen Kaylee McKeown still looms large. She has already competed at two Olympics and is poised to tear up the Commonwealth Games, clear of American rival Regan Smith.
Perth Now
8 hours ago
- Perth Now
Meet the fresh faces of Aussie swimming's golden generation
Australia is cooking up another golden generation in the pool. And our new crop of swimming superstars have just had a coming-out party at the World Aquatics Championships, which has them primed to dominate next year's Commonwealth Games. The Aussies finished second only to their powerhouse rivals the United States in the swimming leg of the championships and second only to China overall. It lays down a marker for major international tournaments on the horizon, including next year's Games in Glasgow and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. There are new faces leading the way for the Aussies too. At just 21, Mollie O'Callaghan — who Australia was introduced to during last year's Olympics — has already equalled Ian Thorpe's record gold-medal haul at 11. The Brisbane-born jet now has time on her side. While a life in swimming is short, O'Callaghan is already shaping as one of the faces of her home Olympics in 2032. She is on track to become the greatest Australian swimmer of all time and is a strong chance to break Emma McKeon's all-time Aussie gold-medal collection at the next Olympics. McKeon's six golds came largely as a mainstay of the country's relay teams. O'Callaghan anchors Australia's teams, but also has an individual presence. Mollie O'Callaghan. Credit: instagram/Mollie O'Callaghan / supplied O'Callaghan claimed the blue-riband 200m freestyle gold — the event she took Ariarne Titmus' mantle in at Paris last year — again in Singapore this week as well as steering home two relays. 'I look at her, and I see the gold medallist,' Thorpe said of O'Callaghan. 'She will go far beyond 11 (golds). 'And looking … beyond for Mollie O'Callaghan, is the opportunity not only at the world championships but multiple Olympics.' Meg Harris. Credit: instagram/Meg Harris / supplied Fellow Aussie freestyler Meg Harris also broke into the individual realm on the final night of the titles, powering to the 50m freestyle crown. Harris — who is deaf in one ear — even won the race with her eyes closed, literally. 'It's normal for me,' Harris said of her shut-eye habit. 'I do it a lot in the 50m and in the 100m, I always do it on the second lap. So I'm not quite sure what it is, I do it in training as well, but I guess it's just like trying to focus on my stroke … not 100 per cent, that's just what happens.' The Aussie that captured the nation's hearts during the championships was knockabout Queenslander Harrison Turner, who was just as stunned as everyone else when he claimed a bronze medal and shaved three seconds off his personal best in the 200m butterfly. He described his medal as 'dirty gold' in a hilarious poolside interview. After sneaking in to the final in lane eight, Turner said his mentality was: 'I've got a lane, I've got a chance.' 'If you told me I was gonna win a gold — I mean, sorry, a bronze medal — at the start of the year … I'd tell you you're dreaming,' he said. If O'Callaghan looms as the Cathy Freeman-like face of the Brisbane Games, Turner has all the potential to be a hometown cult hero. Harrison Turner. Credit: instagram/Harrison Turner / supplied His mullet sits comfortably and he spends as much time fishing, surfing and on the water with mates as he does between lane ropes. Queensland's swimming production line has also made Sam Short a star of the future. The 21-year-old battled serious illness — which threatened to spoil his week — to claim silver in the 400m freestyle. Backstroke queen Kaylee McKeown still looms large. She has already competed at two Olympics and is poised to tear up the Commonwealth Games, clear of American rival Regan Smith. Sam Short. Credit: instagram/Sam Short / supplied
