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Ammon News - Last month, at Australia’s Olympic swim trials in Brisbane, former 200m freestyle world champion Mollie O’Callaghan broke her own world record. There was just one problem – teammate and rival Ariarne Titmus went even faster. O’Callaghan, only 20, just about kept it together on camera in the post-race interview. But once the broadcast was over, the tears flowed.

There were more tears on Monday evening in Paris. Only they were happy tears, tears of jubilation and tears of relief. O’Callaghan may have lost the battle last month, but at a packed La Défense Arena she won the war. In one of the most anticipated encounters of the meet, O’Callaghan got her revenge, winning her first individual Olympic gold in a frenetic four-lap battle with Titmus. It is the first time in 20 years that Australian swimmers have gone one-two at the Olympics, as the pair followed in the footsteps of Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett.

The starting gun went. O’Callaghan was slightly quicker off the blocks. And then they raced. Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey touched first at 50m; by the second turn Titmus had moved up to second, while O’Callaghan was back in fifth. Then the Australians came to the fore. By the final turn, they were neck-and-neck, before O’Callaghan exploded in the final 50m. She had touched in third at the last turn, before finishing with an Olympic record – bettering Titmus’s time from Tokyo.

O’Callaghan looked up, stunned. The pair embraced in the water, and then again on land. The Australians held their hands aloft together in a touching display of camaraderie.

“I can’t explain it, there are no words to explain,” an emotional O’Callaghan said afterwards. “I’ve got to stay steady and calm, I have the 100m free tomorrow. I need to stay collected, calm and cool for this week. I’m swimming for the country. I’ll let it settle in at the end of the week.

“I had a few tears, and a few tears with Arnie,” she admitted. “It’s just great to race alongside my teammate and be on the podium with her.”

Tears also flowed from Titmus. “These are happy tears,” she said after winning silver. “It’s really hard to hold your emotions in, in these situations. I know what it’s like to be Olympic champion – I’m honestly happy for her, I’m really happy to be on the podium. I had nothing to lose tonight.”

The Guardian