Kaylee completed the 100m-200m Backstroke double three years ago and can add to her medal tally with victory after qualifying as second fastest in 57.99s at the Paris La Défense Arena. 

It shapes as an intense battle, with world record holder Regan Smith from the USA in lane four as the fastest qualifier 57.97s.

Iona Anderson, the 18-year-old from WA, will also hope to be in medal contention after clocking the fourth fastest time 58.63s to give the Australians a two-pronged assault on the podium.

Elijah Winnington will be the Dolphins’ hope in the men’s 800m Freestyle while the Australian quartet of Kai Taylor, Zac Incerti, Flynn Southam and Tommy Neill punched their finals ticket to be the fourth-fastest into the 4x200m Freestyle Relay.

Reigning Olympic champion Zac Stubblety-Cook produced a signature backend surge to cruise into the semi-finals of the 200m Breastroke as the second-fastest qualifier (2:09.49), with Joshua Yong also progressing in 14th place (2:10.68). Matt Temple was ranked 23rd after the heats of the 200m Butterfly and wasn’t able to progress.

Australia’s sprint stars were in strong form to start the preliminary rounds of the men’s and women’s 100m freestyle. Newly-crowned 200m Freestyle champion Mollie O’Callaghan (53.27s) was fifth-fastest and Shayna Jack (53.40s) sixth as they safely navigated the morning heats.

Kyle Chalmers produced a controlled and confident swim to win the last race of a marathon 10-heat session, moving him through to the semis as the sixth fastest qualifier in 48.07s.

He feels in better shape than Tokyo, when he took silver. The heats and semis had an element of ‘mind games’ as athletes tried to make it through without spending excess energy.

“It doesn't matter about times. It’s about who wins,” Kyle said. “I feel like I am in the best possible shape for an Olympic Games, definitely better than Tokyo.”

Kyle isn’t concerned about some of the slow times being recorded, with no world records falling across the opening days of competition. All he hopes for is to have his hand on the wall before his competitors.

“I’m a racer, whether it’s here in Paris or a country pool in South Australia, it’s all about winning that race. Everyone has the same opportunity, we’re all swimming in the same pool,” he said. 

“It’s going to be a good race tomorrow night, there’s a lot of depth.”

Will Yang was a late addition to the men’s 100m Freestyle semi after the withdrawal of Korea’s Sunwoo Hwang. Will had initially qualified 17th in 48.46s but the withdrawal elevates into a semifinal swim.

Phil Lutton