Mollie O’Callaghan showed she has just as much class out of the water as she does in it by extending a sweet gesture to her mate Ariarne Titmus after beating her to gold in the women’s 200m freestyle in Paris.
The 20-year-old thwarted Titmus’ bid to become the only swimmer in Olympic history to successfully defend Olympic titles in both the 200m and 400m freestyles – and said she wasn’t racing for herself on Tuesday morning.
Both swimmers hugged as they were still in the pool after the thrilling race, which saw O’Callaghan leap out to an early lead, then fight hard down the last lap to break the Olympic record.
When they took their places on the podium to receive their medals, O’Callaghan invited Titmus onto the top of the dais with her and the pair embraced as they shared the limelight while the national anthem played.
Shortly after the race, O’Callaghan’s mum Toni revealed a shocking detail when she was asked what she told her daughter when they hugged.
‘I just told her how proud of her I am. I haven’t spoken to her for weeks because I’ve just let her be happy and do her thing,’ she revealed.
When O’Callaghan was interviewed, she broke down as she talked about her parents.
‘Seeing my mum and dad, it kinda hit me a little bit,’ she said.
Mollie O’Callaghan broke down in sobs as she talked about what her parents mean to her after taking gold – just after her mum revealed they haven’t spoken in weeks
‘I swim mainly for them, they’ve put a lot of time and dedication into my swimming and as a child, so I wouldn’t be here without them.
‘I probably shouldn’t cry now, it’s not the end of the meet, but I’m really fortunate to have them with me.’
Asked about what it was like to face her mate and arch rival, she replied, ‘It’s such an honour … Arnie, she is an absolute gun.
‘She races like an absolute beast and it’s an honour to train alongside her and have such a great team around us.
‘That was an amazing race … I did it for the country, I didn’t do it for myself.’
Asked how she came back from being pipped by Titmus at the Australian trials last month – where the Tasmanian broke the world record – O’Callaghan said she used the loss as fuel.
O’Callaghan invited her friend and training partner Titmus onto the top of the podium in a classy gesture after winning gold in the 200m freestyle
Titmus was over the moon for her fellow Aussie, who said after the race that she used the pressure of beating the world record holder as fuel to overcome her nerves
The two fastest women in the world are pictured saluting the crowd after the race
‘You’ve got to accept the challenge … You can either run from it or fight. I choose to fight.
‘I’m always striving for more and I always put a lot of pressure on myself. My expectations are very high.
‘I’m always wanting that little bit more. To be honest, I did it for the country, I didn’t do it for myself. I’m racing for all these people.’
The 20-year-old O’Callaghan clocked one minute 53.27 seconds in Monday night’s final at the Paris La Defense Arena with Titmus (1:53.81) taking the silver medal.
The victory is O’Callaghan’s first individual Olympic gold medal, adding to her three relay golds – two at the Tokyo Games three years ago and the 4x100m freestyle in Paris on Saturday night.
O’Callaghan was third with 50 metres remaining but powered to victory with a last lap some 0.66 seconds faster than Titmus, who made the last turn in second spot.
Her triumph delivers Australia a fifth gold medal at the Paris Games, including three at the pool.
The win saw O’Callaghan avenge her loss to Titmus in last month’s Australian trials
The 20-year-old described racing against her arch-rival as ‘an honour’ – and there was no trace of disappointment on Titmus’s face as they embraced in the water just after the finish
O’Callaghan (pictured left, embracing Titmus) said she didn’t race for herself – instead dedicating her Olympic record win to all Australians
Meanwhile, Australia’s defending women’s 100m backstroke champion Kaylee McKeown was the second-fastest qualifier through the semi-finals.
McKeown, seeking to repeat her golden 100-200m backstroke double at the Tokyo Games three years ago, clocked 57.99 seconds – just two hundredths of a second behind her chief rival, American Regan Smith.
The Dolphins’ 18-year-old Olympic debutant Iona Anderson (58.63, ranked fourth) will also feature in Tuesday night’s medal race.
Fellow Australian Ella Ramsey finished fifth in the women’s 400m individual medley final won by Canada’s Summer McIntosh.
And compatriot Max Giuliani was seventh in the men’s 200m freestyle final won by Romania’s David Popovici.
In Monday night’s other finals, which didn’t feature Australians, Italy’s Thomas Ceccon won the men’s 100m backstroke and Tatjana Smith from South Africa claimed the women’s 100m breaststroke gold medal.
