SWIMMING: An excited Aussie swim team used the momentum from a double gold opening night to carry them through day two heats at Rio's Olympic Aquatic Centre, with three Australians qualifying for finals tonight.
There was a sense that something special had happened and that there was more to come as each Aussie swimmer made their way through the media mixed zone after their races.
The team was on a high, revelling in the performances of 400m freestyle champion Mack Horton and the world record-breaking women’s 4x100m freestyle team of Emma McKeon, Brittany Elmslie, Bronte and Cate Campbell.
Three Australians will race in individual finals on Sunday night (Rio time): Emma McKeon (100m butterfly), Jessica Ashwood (400m freestyle) and Tamsin Cook (400m freestyle), and it’s the men’s turn to take on the 4x100m free relay and after a strong heat swim that qualified them third fastest.
A golden dream was also ignited for Australia’s backstroke power couple Mitch Larkin and Emily Seebohm who, after cruising through to the semi-finals of their respective 100m events, could be on track for a repeat of last year’s world championship efforts that saw them both leave Kazan with two golds from their individual events.
In finals action tonight:
Women’s 100m Butterfly
After a stunning display on the first night of finals in which Emma McKeon qualified second fastest for the 100m butterfly final, and then backed up to help set a new world record in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay, the 22-year-old has had a taste of success and will be hungry for another podium finish.
With her confidence growing by the day McKeon will be one to watch in the 100m fly final as she comes up against hot favourite Sarah Sjostrom from Sweden, Japan’s Rikako Ikee and defending Olympic champion from the USA, Dana Vollmer.
Women’s 400m Freestyle
Australia will take two swimmers into the final with both Jessica Ashwood and Tamsin Cook successfully progressing from heats.
Ashwood finished in a time of 4:03.58, just outside her Australian record of 4:03.34 set last year at the world championships in Kazan.
Her teammate Cook proved her potential swimming a solid morning time of 4:04.36 to sneak into the final as the eighth fastest qualifier.
"I’m am so buzzing right now and so excited," Cook said.
"Just to make the final I really feel as though I’ve done myself proud and done my country proud as well no matter what happens tonight.
"I was really nervous but I was happy that I was able to stay composed on the big stage and really showed what I have got."
Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay
The Australian team of James Magnussen, Kyle Chalmers, James Roberts and Matthew Abood got the job done in the heats, qualifying third fastest for the final.
James Magnussen led the team off, splitting a 48.85 from the dive, but feels like he has more to give.
"It was alright. It's good to get that out of the way and settle into my stroke a bit. It felt good. It felt a bit rusty but definitely some good signs. I faded a bit towards the end but that can happen first swim of the meet," Magnussen said.
After withdrawing from the 2015 World Championship team to have shoulder surgery Magnussen is grateful to be here competing.
"So good. A year ago I was knocked out on painkillers and it seemed a distant fairy-tale. It just shows with a great team around you, you can get back to an Olympic Games within a year."
With the Brazilian team also swimming in their heat, Kyle Chalmers (47.04 split), who swam the second leg, said he had to maintain focus on himself to ensure he wasn’t distracted by the deafening cheers from the crowd.
"It was a good morning swim. I'm happy with that. I had to control myself on the way out. It was fairly loud and my first Olympic Games, it was pretty daunting but very exciting. I had a look into the crowd and looked for my parents but I couldn't pick them out," Chalmers said.
"I executed the race I wanted to and should go a bit faster tonight," he added.
The third changeover saw James Roberts (48.33 split), who has also overcome injuries and surgery, dive in to help maintain the Aussies promising position in the race.
Roberts said this time it felt different and he was excited about the potential of this team.
"There's a very different feel from four years ago, it's very relaxed. We're all very happy to be back on pool deck together and having young Kyle swim so quick, Maggie (Magnussen) back from surgery... it's pretty special," Roberts said.
The team will need to be on target tonight with tough competition coming from the USA and Russia.
Meanwhile six Aussies will swim in the following semi-finals tonight:
Women's 100m Backstroke
Reigning World Champion Emily Seebohm (58.99) and Kazan silver medallist Madison Wilson (59.92) both cruised through to the semi-finals together after qualifying second and eighth fastest respectively.
Seebohm, who had the top time in the world going into the heats, said she held back a bit this morning to help conserve energy.
"I feel like if I can’t improve on what I did this morning then that wouldn’t be very good!" Seebohm joked.
"The last 25 metres I definitely tried to turn it off as much as I could. I obviously wanted to touch first, but that did give me a little bit more in the tank and it felt good.
"It was just good to get out there and do one. Now I’m in the semi I can relax a bit today and come back tonight and fire again," Seebohm said.
As the first swimmers back in the water following last night’s double gold with Mack Horton and the women’s 4x100m freestyle team, Wilson said everyone in the Aussie team was now itching to get out and race.
"Last year at worlds when Jess swam so well on the first day it helped everyone get up and get more motivated," Wilson said.
"I think everyone is really looking forward to racing. So many people have said, ‘I want to race today, I want to race today’ – so everyone is just ready to go."
Wilson will be looking to maintain a top eight finish tonight and secure a finals berth at her first Olympic Games.
Men's 200m Freestyle
One of the most hotly contested events at this Olympic Games.
China’s Sun Yang set the standard, returning to the pool after taking silver in the 400m freestyle behind Australia’s Mack Horton last night, to clock the fastest time for the 200m semi-finals tonight.
Yang’s 1:45.75 was only slightly quicker than the current world record holder Paul Biedermann’s 1:45.78 with Chad Le Clos from South Africa rounding out the top three qualifiers in 1:45.89.
Fraser-Holmes backed up following his 400m individual medley final last night to qualify in ninth with a time of 1:46.49 and said it was going to take a top time tonight to make the final.
"Absolutely, I mean I went 1:46.4 and finished ninth I mean, it’s going to be a sub-1:46 to make the final I think," Fraser-Holmes said.
Meanwhile his teammate McKeon, who took up the spot following Cameron McEvoy’s withdrawal, finished 30th overall in 1:48.38 and will not progress any further.
Men's 100m Backstroke
Mitch Larkin swam a controlled heat to move through to the semi-finals ranked third with a time of 53.04.
Melbourne’s Joshua Beaver took a leaf out of his training partner Travis Mahoney’s book and left nothing to chance, setting a new personal best time of 53.47 in the heats to join Larkin in the semis tonight.
Women’s 100m Breaststroke
Sunshine Coast swimmer Taylor McKeown progressed as eighth fastest for the semi-final after posting a time of 1:06.73 in the heats this morning.
Lilly King from the USA will move through on top after recording a speedy 1:05.78 to get the better of Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova in 1:05.79 while fellow Aussie Georgia Bohl, swimming at her first Games, finished 23rd overall.
If McKeown can improve again tonight she is in with a shot at a spot in the final.
The finals will commence at 10pm Rio Time, (11am AEST) and will be broadcast live on Network Seven.
Kathleen Rayment
olympics.com.au