This had been the one that had eluded the Dolphins since gold in Beijing in 2008. They collected silver in London, silver in Rio and bronze in Tokyo when they were overwhelming favourites to salute.

The gold represents unfinished business. From the moment Mollie O’Callagan speared into the water to set up a lead after the first leg, it was Australia’s race to lose.

Mollie looked a picture of calm on the blocks compared to the 100m Freestyle final, where she finished fourth and said she succumbed to nerves. Her time told the story; a lead-off of 1:53.52 was exactly what the doctor ordered.

From there they were never headed. First-time Olympian Lani Pallister split 1:55.61 to hand over to Brianna Throssell (1:56.00), who fought doggedly to hold off the challenge from USA great Katie Ledecky, whose 1:54.93 put them within striking distance.

But nobody was going to get past Ariarne. She laid down a rapid 1:52.95 finale to pull clear of Team USA’s Erin Gemmell and get her team on the wall in 7:38.08, short of their world mark of 7:37.5 but good enough for a new Olympic record.

It was a relay with storylines as unique as the individual athletes. For Ariarne, it was redemption for a Tokyo relay they didn’t go to plan, while for Lani it was an Olympic dream realised after she had to withdraw from the 1500m after overcoming COVID.

Mollie conquered her nerves and Brianna was able to stand atop the Olympic podium for the first time after 12 years as a Dolphin. It was her final race in the green and gold and the perfect farewell for one of the team’s best servants.

“It is a huge honour. I was fortunate enough in Tokyo to swim in the relay heats that did manage to bring home medals but to stand on top of the podium was extra special,” Brianna said.

“Credit to Shayna (Jack) and Jamie (Perkins), who did an incredible job this morning. We wouldn’t be getting gold without them. 

“I made my first senior team in 2012. Being at my third Olympics and standing on the podium for the first time, in my final Olympic race, is an honour and I wouldn’t want to finish my Olympic career any other way.”

Lani said she “bawled my eyes out” when relay coach Dean Boxall told her she had made the team. With her emotions unburdened, she played a vital role after a determined swim in the heats that made her selection a formality.

“When Dean came and told me I bawled my eyes out. When I got COVID I thought I would be out of that relay completely, I didn’t think I would have the opportunity to race let alone stand on the podium with the girls.

“I’m really proud of what I put together. Just to look at my family and friends in the stands and wave and be a proud Australian, I’m really stoked with the experience.”

Aussie renaissance man Cam McEvoy produced another blistering swim in the semis of the 50m Freestyle, dead-heating for first with Team GB’s Ben Proud to be the equal-fastest man through to the final.

It’s an incredible return to the big stage for the 30-year-old Gold Coaster, who wasn’t able to fire as the 100m Freestyle favourite in Rio 2016. After completely reinventing his training methods to focus on short bursts of speed instead of racking up the kilometres, he now finds himself in another Olympic final at his fourth Games.

The science and physics enthusiast has been watching The Big Bang Theory to keep himself level between races and said he feels like a new athlete compared to the version of himself that went to Rio.

“I think the biggest thing is understanding the whole context is different (at an Olympics). Now as a person and an athlete, I’m very different,” Cam said. 

“Two years ago, I wouldn’t have thought I would be here and in the position I am in. And very grateful for that as well.” 

Ben Armbruster put his head down and went for broke in the first semi, finishing fourteenth overall in 21.94 and wasn’t able to progress to the final.

Kaylee McKeown has set herself up for another gold medal shot with a commanding swim in the 200m Backstroke semi-finals, qualifying second fastest for the final in 2:07.57 behind the USA’s Phoebe Bacon (2:07.32).

Elizabeth Dekkers finished fourth (2:07.11) in a stacked 200m Butterfly final, won by Canada’s teen whiz kid Summer McIntosh in a new Olympic record of 2:03.13, while William Petric (1:58.13) and Tommy Neill (1:58.77) finished sixth and seventh in the first semi-final of the men’s 200m IM, ending the session ranked 10th and 11th to fall short of the final.

Phil Lutton