Paris Olympics Day 5: Silver Lining for Olympic Champions Kyle Chalmers and Zac Stubblety-Cook on a Roller Coaster Day For Aussies
The roller coaster that is the Olympic Games was in full swing on a dramatic fifth day of competition for Australia in the pool at the Paris La Defense Arena.
A silver lining for Olympic champions Kyle Chalmers and Zac Stubblety-Cook – Chalmers claiming a rare third medal from three consecutive Olympic 100m freestyle finals – beaten by a Chinese young gun Pan Zhanle who he had inspired as an 11-year-old and who obliterated the world record with a chart-topping 46.40 on his way to the gold.
Chalmers had been forced to switch coaches and States earlier this year, leaving his beloved South Australia and twitching to a new training base on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast under close friend and emerging coach Ashley Delaney.
Kyle Chalmers of Australia stands with the silver medal after competing in the swimming 100m Freestyle Men Final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Defense Arena in Paris (France), July 31, 2024.
Before suffering back spasms in the lead up to the Australian Trials – requiring cortisone injections to get him onto and off the blocks – unable to dive.
“It sure has been a roller coast of a year as it so often is and being one of the older guys in the race now, I stayed calm, stuck to my race plan and to come away with a silver medal is something I’m going to remember forever,” said Chalmers.
“And to be on the podium for three consecutive times is something I’m going to be very, very proud of and something no one can ever take away from me.
“This race does mean a lot to me; it is really special and coming in and having three guys with faster pbs than me and being able to stay controlled and calm and know that the pressure and expectations are on me.
“But I’m really, really stoked with that…it’s amazing and I’m very, very honoured….it means so much and at the backend of my career.
“In Rio in 2016 for my first Games I was very young and naïve as to what it meant to be an Olympian or to be an Olympic champion.
“I had to work so hard and go through so much to get to Tokyo and to come away with silver there, that’s probably the highlight of my swimming career and then to back it up again this year; it’s so special to be an Olympian and to be recognized as an Olympic champion.”
Chalmers joining an exclusive club with two 100m freestyle legends in Alexander Popov (Russia) and Duke Kahanamoku (USA) to medal in three consecutive finals of swimming’s blue ribband event, with Popov winning gold in 1992, 1996 and silver in 2000 and Hawaiian waterman Kahanamoku winning back-to-back gold in 1912 and 1920 and silver to the great Johnny Weissmuller of Tarzan fame in Paris 100 years ago in 1924, who would defend his crown in 1928.
While defending 200m breaststroke champion, Stubblety-Cook, as hard as he pushed was unable to catch home-town hero Leon Marchand as a sea of a French tricolored blue, white and red flags and painted faces swamped a new superstar of the sport.
Stubblety-Cook saying: I can’t complain, and I’m absolutely stoked with the silver medal; I wanted to win, everyone wants to win.
“But it was just all about giving it my best and I stuck to my strength in that last lap, after Leon had taken it out really fast so it was about trying to stick with him and holding on for that last lap.
“I enjoyed the moment tonight to be honest and when I came out I knew it was going to be loud but not as loud as it was – I couldn’t even hear myself moving the block or anything.
Zac Stubblety-Cook Silver Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
“While Leon soaked up the moment and it’s absolutely his moment but for me it was about staying composed and getting the best out of myself and that’s all that I did….”
Which brings us to the women’s 100m freestyle and what a race it was – without doubt a thriller from go to whoa…a stacked field of Olympic champions, world record holders and Olympic medallists from 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Each one of the eight girls knew they had to be on and for Australian pair, St Peters Western training partners Mollie O’Callaghan and Shayna Jack, they were in the thick of the action – medals beckoned.
But Sweden’s veteran world record holder Sarah Sjostrom, out in lane seven, U.S. flyer Torri Huske further out in lane one and fastest qualifier Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey certainly spoiled the Aussie party – a Parisian thriller with fingernails between gold and eighth – O’Callaghan 0.01 outside bronze and Jack just behind n fifth.
Twenty-year-old O’Callaghan, the belle of the ball 48 hours earlier after her magical moment to win gold in the 200m freestyle had to manage that achievement and all the emotion knowing she had to backup for the 100mb heats the next morning.
“I’m very disappointed. I’m not going to lie,” said O’Callaghan, who admitted she hadn’t slept since winning the 200m.
“I had built up to this moment and there is nothing I can do about it; I got into an Olympic final in the 100m freestyle and I knew it was going to be hard.
“But I’m very proud of myself that I got to this stage; I was very nervous and tired after my 200m ..I haven’t really had any sleep so really proud of myself to back it up.
“Not many people get the chance to do that and I felt like there was a lot of expectation on this one, especially on me to back up …..”
While Jack, realizing her Olympic dream after surviving her botched two-year contamination ban that cost her a spot on the team for Tokyo, admitted she was very emotional coming to terms with what she had achieved.
“Just how proud I am of myself and to represent my country and doing them proud. I try to reflect and try to absorb the fact that I’m here as an Olympian; something I never thought would be possible,” said Jack, who along with Mollie O will have the 4x200m freestyle and the 50m freestyle with Meg Harris.
After five days Australia leads the gold medal tally with four gold; five silver and one bronze for a total of 10, from the USA (3-8-6-17); France (3-1-0-4) Italy (2-0-2-4) and China (1-2-2-5).
Seven other countries – Great Britain, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Romania, South Africa and Sweden have all won gold in a competition spread across the world.
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- DAY 1 PRELIMS RESULTS
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- DAY 3 PRELIMS RESULTS
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- DAY 9 FINALS HEAT SHEET
Jack Contamination Ban? She was found guilty by WADA and World Aquatics, stop trying to rewrite history it’s disgusting.