Silver linings on final night as Australia end Olympic swim meet just behind USA

Ever since they stunned the world at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia has longed to return to the top of the swimming medal tally. The sport is an ingrained part of the national psyche and a desire to win the Games meet has fuelled a longstanding rivalry with the United States.

The USA have topped the medal tally at each subsequent Olympics bar two, and on an the enthralling final day at La Défense Arena, the duel in the pool went down to the wire.

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At the beginning of the night, the Dolphins held a lead of one gold medal. By the final race of the night, the countries were even – thanks to an American gold in the men’s 1500m freestyle – before they nosed ahead in the tally with victory in the women’s medley relay in a world record time.

American backstroke star Regan Smith out-touched Australia’s Kaylee McKeown for the first time in a final this meet, before Lilly King built a commanding gap in the breaststroke. Gretchen Walsh held the lead over Australia’s Emma McKeon in the butterfly leg, giving Torri Huske a sizeable advantage for the freestyle leg. The Dolphins were fourth at the last change, but a flying swim from Mollie O’Callaghan won the silver medal for Australia – albeit almost three and a half seconds back.

It is the closest Australia has come to matching the USA in the Olympic pool (barring the 1980 Games in Moscow, which the Americans boycotted) in 68 years. In Tokyo, two gold medals separated the teams; in Paris, just one – eight golds for the USA, seven to Australia.

In the opening final of the night, Meg Harris won silver in the women’s 50m freestyle – beaten to gold by Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström. The Australian has been a stalwart of Australia’s relay teams in recent years, but the one-lap splash and dash was the 22-year-old’s Olympic debut in an individual event. Harris beat her more-fancied teammate Shayna Jack, who touched eighth.

“I’m proud of that,” said Harris, who went below the 24 second mark for the first time in her career. “I got out there with the goal to enjoy myself and I did – that was the most fun race I’ve been a part of, so I’m happy with that.”

Afterwards, Harris and Jack embraced on the pool deck. Five years ago, Jack’s world came crashing down after testing positive for a banned substance. Her career seemed over when she was handed a four-year ban from the sport, later reduced to two years after an arbitrator determined any consumption had been accidental and unintentional. On Sunday evening, she completed her return to the top of the sport – with two relay gold medals and two individual finals.

The Australian had tears in her eyes when asked if she thought she would make it back to the top of international swimming. “No – and I think that’s why I’m so emotional about it all,” Jack said. “I just didn’t think I would ever be here, let alone swimming again.”

Jack, 25, immediately pledged that Paris was not the end of her journey. “I definitely have that motivation to come back in four years’ time,” she said. “This is just the start of me, this was my redemption chapter.”

The Australian men’s team – consisting of Isaac Cooper, Joshua Yong, Matthew Temple and Kyle Chalmers – finished sixth in a thrilling medley relay, won by China. That left Australia and the USA locked on seven gold medals apiece ahead of the final race of the night. But in the end the depth and breadth of the American women’s medley relay team was too much for Australia.

The Dolphins’ haul in Paris – seven gold, eight silver and three bronze – represents a remarkable improvement over the past 12 years, from the lows of London 2012 when the team won just one gold and a handful of other medals. The heroics of backstroke star McKeown , freestyle queens O’Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus and sprinter Cameron McEvoy headlined the meet for Australia, while the nation’s relay strength showed again; Australia won medals in all but one relay.

But for another Olympics, the US will remain on their perch as kings and queens of the pool.