Swim star Mollie O’Callaghan has emerged from a self-described dark hole to prove she can remain a world-beater.
O’Callaghan has posted the fastest women’s 100m freestyle time this year – 52.87 seconds – at Australia’s selection trials for the looming world titles.
The 21-year-old who already boasts five Olympic gold medals has battled a post-Paris let-down, injury and illness in a troubled preparation for the trials.
“I have learnt so much mentally this time … there was a lot of setbacks,” O’Callaghan said after her Friday night feat.
“You have to always step in that dark place to get the best out of your self.
“That’s what sport is about, it’s putting yourself in that hole to see how mentally strong you are – and I’ve definitely done that this season.”
O’Callaghan took five months off after being Australia’s most successful athlete at last year’s Olympic Games when winning three gold medals plus a silver and bronze.
After the journey of self-discovery to find an identity outside of swimming, she returned to the pool but suffered a knee injury, then illness, ahead of the trials for the world titles in Singapore starting July 27.
“You can’t really predict injury, you can’t predict sickness, you can’t predict any of that,” O’Callaghan said.
“You can try and prevent it all you want but sometimes those things just happen and it’s just how you look at it.
“There was a lot of tears. But in the long run, I have learnt so much about myself and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Her bumpy preparation is something compatriot Zac Stubblety-Cook can relate to after he secured his spot on the Dolphins team for the worlds.
Stubblety-Cook won his 200m breaststroke final in two minutes 09.09 seconds.
The time was well shy of his personal best of 2.05.95, which was a world record when set in 2022 until broken by China’s Qin Haiyang a year later.
An Olympic gold medallist in the event at the Tokyo Games of 2021 and silver medallist last year in Paris, Stubblety-Cook was pragmatic about his latest performance.
“Last year, I had a lot of time off and a lot of time to reflect and see where I was at – and make sure I really wanted to commit to the next four years,” he said.
“And it’s year one out of four so we’re taking it much more as a four-year approach (to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics).”
In the men’s 200m backstroke, Josh Edwards-Smith (1:56.94) and Brad Woodward (1:57.14) earnt selection for the worlds.
In the women’s 200m breaststroke, Ella Ramsay (2:23.92) and Tara Kinder (2:24.61) also made the team.
And Sam Short’s return to form continued with victory in the men’s 1500m freestyle – he touched in 14:52.43, just 0.56 seconds ahead of fellow 21-year-old Ben Goedemans.
