Paris Olympics: Inside Australia’s ‘Redemption Relay’ for 800 Free Relay Gold

REDEMPTION RELAY: Australia' Olympic champions in the 4x200 free (L-R) Mollie O'Callaghan, Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell and Ariarne Titmus. Photo DeepBlueMedia.

Paris Olympics: Inside Australia’s ‘Redemption Relay’ for 800 Free Relay Gold

It was a redemption story that meant so much to six young Australians – four chosen to do battle on swimming’s biggest stage and two others who had played key parts in a carefully orchestrated gold medal campaign, cheering from the Paris La Defense Arena grandstand.

In the wash up of Australia’s emphatic gold medal winning 4x200m freestyle relay on night six of a hotly contested swimming program, emerged this story of Olympic proportions – a story of teamwork, pride, selflessness, determination, gratitude and striving to overcome fears – and ultimately the chance to redeem yourself.

This was Australia’s “Redemption Relay” – August 2, 2024 – the day had come to set the record straight; to deal with a three-year hangover from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when “on paper” Australia was supposed to win gold in that relay.

Instead, they walked away with bronze – pondering what if?

Bronze behind a Chinese team that broke the Aussies spirit, their hearts and the world record and a US team led by the greatest female swimmer in history – Katie Ledecky.

Fast forward to 2024 and again the Australians arrived in Paris with a stacked deck – six girls who had all played their parts in building a team that would finally live up to all the hype, all the expectation.

China came in spearheaded by two of its big guns and a US team, again with Ledecky at the helm.

HUG TIME: Australian Athletes celebrate after receiving their gold medals in the swimming women’s 800 free relay final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Defense Arena in Paris; Photo Courtesy DeepBlueMedia

Australia, under master coach Dean Boxall, who has built this team mainly from within his own St Peters Western program – a man described by his triple Olympic champion, Ariarne Titmus as “the best coach in the world” and in charge of arguably from one of the best programs in world swimming.

Titmus herself – the 2020 Olympic champion and 2024 Olympic silver medallist and current world record holder – was the only survivor of the final four from Tokyo– one of two aces in a winning hand.

And Titmus was joined in the final by two heat swimmers from 2020, newly crowned Olympic champion and former world record holder and world champion, the second ace, Mollie O’Callaghan and triple Olympian and relay specialist Brianna Throssell – a mainstay in Australia’s world record-breaking relay teams since 2019 but because of the depth in this group had to fight to assure her place in the top four.

“We have really wanted this relay; I was really disappointed with how I swam in Tokyo ..I felt like I let the team down,” revealed Titmus to Channel 9s Ellie Cole on pool deck after the race.

“So it was a personal vendetta for me to come back and really play my role in the team, but also do it for our country, it was a gold medal we really knew could be ours,”

Throssell, at 28, really wanted “in” but knew her final trial, to finish her Olympic career, would come via the heats – alongside her other St Peters club mates, Olympic rookies Jamie Perkins and Shayna Jack – who along with Throssell had been part of the only club team to represent Australia to win a world relay title in the 4x200m and in world record time in Fukuoka in 2023.

“I had to fight for my spot,” said Throssell, “I had to stay cool, stay healthy and stay fit until Day Six and when I was told I was in the (final) team it was pretty special because I knew it would be my last ever swim at the Olympics…..so to finish with an Olympic gold is everything I could have dreamed of.

“I was fortunate to come home from Tokyo with (three) medals as a heat swimmer (Gold 4x100m medley; bronze 4x200m freestyle, 4x100m mixed medley) but to actually stand on the podium alongside these incredible girls and knowing that Jamie and Shayna did such an incredible job; it was just such an honor to stand up and sing the anthem and to be wearing the gold medal.”

Jack had played a crucial role in the final make-up of the triumphant 4x100m freestyle relay gold medal on the opening night, ticking her own redemption box after spending two years fighting to clear her name from a doping appeal that was dismissed with a ruling from CAS that she did not knowingly digest a banned substance.

MOLLIE”S GENEROUS GESTURE: Mollie O’Callaghan presents Jamie Perkins with her medal. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr.

Swimming her part in the 800 free relay heats squad that showed the extraordinary depth in Australia’s women’s freestyle.

Add in Lani Pallister, who had to overcome her own demons, including an eating disorder, and a heart operation which had forced her to walk away from the sport after missing the team for Tokyo.

Finally fulfilling a dream of joining her mother Janelle Elford (Seoul,1988) as an Olympic swimmer in this golden era for the Australian team – but then two days before competition, COVID struck again (as it did during the 2022 World’s in Budapest) forcing her to withdraw from the 1500m freestyle – heartbroken but not finished.

“I would not have wanted to put these girls in a position where I ruined their Olympics but the medical staff on the Australian Olympic Team has done an incredible job looking after me and the other athletes on the Australian team with COVID,” said Pallister, blasting off the blocks in the opening leg of the heats to confirm her place alongside Throssell, O’Callaghan and Titmus in Australia’s final make up

“I didn’t think I’d be part of this relay at the start of the week…to be standing here with these girls; I don’t think I could not ask for anything more for this Olympic experience…”

And finally, to Mollie, who has taken these Games by storm, a rough little diamond, who knew deep down she deserved her place on the 800 free relay finals team in Tokyo after emerging in the heats as “the X factor.”

MOLLIE’S MEDAL: Jamie Perkins with Mollie O’Callaghan’s gold. PHOTO COURTESY: Delly Carr Swimming Australia.

Declaring after today’s race, after winning her third Olympic gold medal: “This means the world to me; this opportunity to swim alongside these girls….and the two girls who swam the heats (Jamie and Shayna).

“I have dreamed of this moment ever since Tokyo, striving to get on this team and doing whatever I could (to make it happen).”

And in a touching moment after receiving her gold medal, Mollie O presented it to her “bestie”, roommate and heat swimmer Jamie Perkins.

“Jamie is my best friend at training and is always there for me; she has been my roommate this whole meet with me, and she has trained (so hard) to get here,” said Mollie.

“She has had a back injury and has done everything possible, and that gold medal means a lot for me to give to her.

“It represents what she has been through; she is well deserving after overcoming those hurdles and her and Shayna make up this team…. it’s about all six of us.”

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