The women’s 4x100m medley relay was on a knife-edge when Campbell took centre stage. To be honest, the three earlier swimmers – Kaylee McKeown (backstroke), Chelsea Hodges (breaststroke) and Emma McKeon (butterfly) had done remarkably well to keep Australia in the contest, Hodges especially.

All of her Australian team-mates were multiple Olympic champions but Hodges, just 20 years old and competing in her first Games, would have known that everything hinged on how she performed in the breaststroke leg. Lydia Jacoby, the American swimmer whose goggles came down over her face in the mixed medley relay, had taken her team to the front with a 1.05.03 split. But importantly, Hodges did not allow her to get away, posting a career-best split of 1.05.57. 

That helped to keep the American lead within bounds. Still, as Campbell hit the water, chasing Abbey Weitzell, the USA was ahead and on target for a third straight Olympic title in the event. 

She was, with Patty Mills, one of the two Australian Flag Bearers at the Opening Ceremony a fantastic choice. Campbell is the leader of the Australian swim team - who are the most high-profile section of the Australian Team. Campbell is articulate, confident and compelling, she makes great sense every time she speaks. But the time for talking was over. Campbell had to deliver. 

Weitzell, 24, had won gold in this event five years ago at the Rio Olympics and she clearly was intent on another. Even when Campbell pulled up alongside her, she refused to buckle, fighting back to regain the lead. If this was to be the last race of Campbell’s career, it seemed that it was about to end on a note of disappointment but by sheer willpower, she forced herself to make one last effort. 

She surged again, and her height – which always works against her at the start of her individual races – for once worked in her favour as she hit the wall for Australia in 3:51.60, just 0.13sec ahead of the Americans. Her split was 52.11sec, the fourth-fastest in history. Those four times all belong to Campbell. Indeed, she has the sixth fastest relay split of all time and 10 of the 15 fastest. 

The 29-year-old veteran had bookended the gold medal onslaught by Australia in the pool at these Games. She won on the opening session of finals in the 4x100m freestyle with sister Bronte, Meg Harris and McKeon. And she had done precisely the same thing in the anchor leg today, in the process delivering Australia its third win in this relay. And if it had seemed that it was a very much race in two, well, that is precisely how it has played out at every Olympics going back to Atlanta in 1996, Australia v the USA. Over that period, the results for Australia have gone as follows – 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1. 

Asked how that race compared to all the other cliff-hangers she has been involved in, Campbell admitted:  

“That was pretty good. It meant a little bit more coming from behind and getting a win over the Americans. I have been in some incredible battles with them over the years, when they have gotten the better of me, so to do it on the world stage is very special,” she said. 

That it also secured the most successful Olympics ever for the Dolphins made it doubly so.  

“Full credit to the incredible job Australia have done this week. I am so, so proud of being a member of this team. 

“It is still sinking in that we did that. We all knew we had to be at our absolute best." And they were.... 

No-one knows whether Campbell has reached the end of her career. If it is, she will grieve over the fact that she never won an individual Olympic title. But while she admitted she was disappointed that her last solo race, the 50m freestyle, delivered only a seventh placing – a mere quarter-second away from silver – it didn’t leave her emotionally devastated. 

She left all that behind her in Rio when she came into the meet as the new world-record breaker in the 100m freestyle and placed only sixth. “The worst choke in Australian swimming history,” she bitterly declared at the time. Her coach, Simon Cusack, didn’t even know if she would continue in the sport. 

But with support from Australians everywhere, she came to see herself in a different light. She came to see herself the way they saw her – a brilliant role model, a person of grace and charm, and a ferocious fighter. At these Games she won the 100m freestyle bronze and was very happy for McKeon who won the gold. Back at her first Games as a 16-year-old she won bronze in the 50m. 

Her career Olympic tally stands at four golds, one silver and three bronze, her return from 29 races spread over four Olympics. That puts her on par with Dawn Fraser, Susie O’Neill and Petria Thomas. Three great ladies, champions all. What better company could she keep? 

Wayne Smith

#HaveAGo at Swimming