FULL OLYMPICS SCHEDULE: When the top Aussie medal hopes are in action

US RIVALRY APPROACHES BOILING POINT

Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel spearhead the United States’ bid to retain supremacy in the Olympic pool against a formidable and confident Australian squad.

The mighty USA have long dominated Olympic swimming, collecting 30 medals, including 11 gold, to top the table at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games, ahead of Australia with nine gold and 20 in total.

The last time Australia beat the United States in the swimming medal tally was the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne.

“Sixty-eight years of them topping the Olympic medal tally,” Australian swimming coach Rohan Taylor declared last month.

“It’s like an America’s Cup type of thing, no one has been able to take them down.”

The USA’s swimmers are unbeaten on the gold medal front since 1988, but Australia stunned them by doubling their gold medal tally at last year’s world championships, setting up a blockbuster showdown over an intense nine days in La Defense Arena.

Adding spice, the US contested that they won the duel at the worlds in Fukuoka, claiming they were best courtesy of their higher overall medal count.

That saw recently-retired Australian legend Cate Campbell brand them “sore losers”, which prompted 23-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps to encourage his compatriots to “make them eat every word” in France. Channel 9 presenter Karl Stefanovic fanned the flames by calling Phelps a “tosser” on national television.

The deep-seated rivalry dates back to a war of words at the 2000 Sydney Olympics when Gary Hall Jr. claimed the Americans would “smash them like guitars” ahead of the 4x100m freestyle relay final. Australian quartet Michael Klim, Chris Fydler, Ashley Callus and Ian Thorpe celebrated their unforgettable triumph by mimicking playing guitars on the pool deck.

Asked by an American journalist overnight whether the current Australian team had shown that moment to their swimmers to motivate them, Bronte Campbell had a hilarious response.

“There’s people on our Olympic team who weren’t even born yet – to them, it’s like ancient history and I had to dig it out and show them,” she said.

“We’ve been an incredibly successful team and I’m proud to have been part of that team for a really long time and I think the reason we have been successful for a really long time is because we focus on ourselves.

“That’s what we have done and that’s what we will continue to do. I really respect American competitors, I’ve known a lot of them for many years and raced against a lot of them for many years and looking forward to doing it again.”

OPENING NIGHT’S MOUTH-WATERING THREE-WAY CLASH

You might want to set your alarms for 4.55am AEST on Sunday morning.

A three-way clash between Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, America’s Katie Ledecky and Canadian prodigy Summer McIntosh looms as one of the defining swimming races at this year’s Olympics.

The trio are so dominant in the 400m freestyle event, they share the 27 fastest times in history with New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather the only other current swimmer that has managed to breach four minutes.

Their showdown headlines the opening night of action at Paris La Défense Arena, with defending champion Titmus considered the favourite after clocking the event’s second-fastest time ever last month.

The Queenslander also set the current world record at last year’s world championships, snatching the record from McIntosh.

Ledecky’s best time of the year is nearly three seconds slower than Titmus, but the seven-time Olympic gold medallist fancies her chances of causing an upset this weekend.

Notably, Ledecky refused to utter Titmus’ name when probed about her Australian opponent.

“I’m looking forward to the 400 free, day one. I like my chances,” Ledecky told reporters in Paris on Wednesday.

“I feel like I’m prepared and ready to race and that’s all you can ask for.

“So I’m gonna give it my best shot and it’s obviously a great field, top to bottom. Lots of people that have a chance so I’m just gonna put up a great race in the morning and at night and see where that lands me.

“They’re great athletes and I’ve had the chance to race them quite a few times over the years now, especially Summer being in the US training in the US and we’ve raced a lot the last couple of years.

“It’s always fun to race the best and we have the top three times ever in that race so that just makes for a great field, great race.

“Those two have continued to raise the game, raise my game.

“I know that I have to bring my best. I think they know that they have to bring their best.”

DOLPHINS DROWNING IN ‘EXPECTATION AND PRESSURE’

The Dolphins arrive in Paris with the weight of expectations on their shoulders.

After winning 13 gold medals at last year’s 2023 FINA World Championships, Australia’s swimmers will be desperate to replicate that dominant performance in Paris.

In London 12 years ago, the Dolphins were left suffocated by the pressure of carrying Australia’s medal tally, with their underwhelming results making the 2012 Games a disappointment.

However, Chef de Mission Anna Meares has emphasised there is no expectation for Australia’s swimmers to break records over the coming fortnight, encouraging the Dolphins not to let others define their Olympic legacy.

“I went from my first Games loving trying to win to my last Games fearing what happened when I didn’t,” Meares said in Paris on Monday.

“A lot of that was what you guys were going to write and what those headlines were, and what that failure was going to be perceived as.

“I came home from my last Games with a sixth medal, a bronze medal, and I was actually greeted by people back home saying we’re sorry, we’re disappointed you didn’t win gold in your last campaign.

“Sometimes we forget how many people are in the competition and how hard it is to win and how rare the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games and be an Australian is, let alone being able to bring home a medal, let alone being able to bring home gold.

“That has probably shaped my philosophy around what the measure of success is for this team.”

Meares delivered a reassuring message to the Dolphins after they arrived in Paris on Wednesday.

“I know that just being a Dolphin carries a lot of expectation and pressure, and I hope that here you feel like a member of this Australian Olympic team, this is your space to feel comfortable and safe, and know that whatever happens out there, know that we’re in your corner,” Meares told the 44 athletes.

“We’re here to support you and do as much as we can in that process. The rest of the time we’re going to get out of the way.

“We know that you have been preparing extremely hard.

“We know that you’re ready to battle and the fights that are coming, and we’re also really excited about that.”

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MEN?

In Tokyo, only six of Australia’s 21 swimming medals were won by the men.

Although there will be plenty of attention on the women’s squad, the Dolphins will feel confident their men’s athletes can improve on their output from three years ago.

Of the Australian men heading to Paris, Sam Short and Elijah Winnington loom as the leading medal contenders, along with Cameron McEvoy.

Short and Winnington will go head-to-head in the men’s 400m freestyle, but Germany’s Lukas Martens remains the favourite for the middle-distance event.

That Aussie duo were caught up in controversy this week when Dolphins coach Michael Palfrey delivered a bizarre interview with Korean media where he said he hoped South Korea’s Kim Woo-min would win that event.

Palfrey has coached Woo-min this year alongside his duties with the Australian team, but his comments – which included saying “Go Korea” were labelled “Un-Australian” by Dolphins head coach Rohan Taylor.

Following the withdrawal of Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui, the reigning world champion, Short is also a podium chance in the 800m freestyle, topping the seedings.

Meanwhile, McEvoy has notched five of the nine fastest times in the 50m freestyle this year, including the two fastest.

Elsewhere, Zac Stubblety-Cook will need to produce something special to defend his 200m breaststroke crown against China’s Qin Haiyang.

PARIS 2024 SWIMMING SCHEDULE

All times AEST. Heats typically begin at 7pm, Finals at 4.30am.

Saturday, July 27