The last time the world had to wait this long for any exposure to Olympic swimming, there was a World War going on. But while there has been a Covid-induced five-year break between the customary final event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the men’s 4x100m medley relay, and the long-delayed opening session of swimming at the Tokyo Olympics, it is amazing how so many familiar Australian names have returned, hoping for even better returns than what they achieved in Brazil. However, it will be Olympic debutants that kick the program off for Australia. 

Men’s 400m Individual Medley Heats 

Sydney’s Se-Bom-Lee (20) will be the first Australian in the water at these Games just after 2010 AEST in heat 2 of the 400m individual medley heats. Melbourne’s Brendon Smith (21) who is also on his Olympic debut will swim in the fourth and final heat. Smith broke the national record at the Trials and comes into the Games ranked fourth in the world. 

Women’s 100m butterfly Heats 

Emma McKeon was Australia’s most successful swimmer in Rio, finishing with one gold and two silvers from the three women’s relays and an individual bronze in the 200m freestyle. Despite reducing her Tokyo schedule by dropping the 200m freestyle, where she won bronze in Rio, she will be one busy 27-year-old during the week that lies ahead. She starts her campaign on Saturday evening in the 100m butterfly, in which she is ranked third in the world.  

Happily, she is expected to be spared a heat swim of the Australian 4x100m freestyle, leaving her with only the butterfly heats on Day 1.  

Four swimmers are seeded under the 56sec mark – China’s Zhang Yufei, the USA’s Torri Huske and Maggie MacNeill of Canada being the only swimmers to have gone faster than McKeon over the past year. But all eyes will be on world and Olympic record holder Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden who comes in with the fifth-fastest time, a 56.22sec. Given that she fractured her elbow back in February, slipping on ice in Stockholm, it is amazing that she is even here to defend the title she won in Rio. McKeon, however, isn’t surprised. She predicted at the time she would keep her appointment in Tokyo and she is delighted for her Swedish rival. 

Australia’s other entrant in the event, 25-year-old Western Australian Brianna Throssell will be fronting up for her second Olympics, but she will be viewing her swim primarily as a full-dress rehearsal for her primary event, the 200m butterfly, in which she reached the final in Rio. 

Men’s 400m Freestyle Heats 

Meanwhile, rookie Olympian Elijah Winnington could land a massive blow for the men’s team if he is able to win the 400m freestyle final tomorrow, following in the footsteps of Murray Rose (1956, 1960), Brad Cooper (1972), Ian Thorpe (2000, 2004) and Mack Horton (2016).  

It is a fabulous history and Winnington, currently ranked No.1 in the world – just ahead of fellow Aussie Jack McLoughlin – are both very conscious of it. They edged out Horton at the selection trials in Adelaide but they are acutely conscious they have big shoes to fill.  

“We’ll be doing it for Mack, trying our best to honour what he has done,” Winnington said. 

Both Australians will go in the final heat at 21:00 AEST. 

Men’s 100m Breaststroke Heats 

It is a big night for Matt Wilson. The 22-year-old looked to have missed Olympic selection by just a whisker – for the second Games in a row – in the 200m breaststroke at the trials. But, in a stunning move the selectors decided that he had made the cut on compassionate grounds, and he will make his long-awaited Olympic debut in the heats of the 100m breaststroke tonight. 

He may yet play a pivotal role at these Games, given that he was chosen to swim the breaststroke leg of the mixed medley relay at the last world titles in Gwangju in 2019. He did his role magnificently, opening up a significant lead for McKeon and Campbell to get the job done over the second half of the race.  

Wilson who won the silver medal in the 200m at the 2019 Worlds will race in heat 6. 

Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay Heats 

Like McKeon, Cate Campbell will be allowed to put up her feet during the heats of the 4x100m freestyle relay, having been one of the Australian flag bearers at last night’s Opening Ceremony. Swimmers tend not to be given that honour, despite the fact they win more medals for Australia than any other sport, but Campbell was never going to pass up that opportunity. 

Campbell is chasing a place in Australian Olympic history. If she wins gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay on Sunday morning AEST she will eclipse Petria Thomas as Australia’s oldest Olympic swimming champion. Thomas was only a sprightly 28 years 356 days when she won the 100m butterfly gold in Athens in 2004. Campbell will be 29 years 67 days old if she helps Australian defend their Olympic relay title tomorrow. 

Who knows if this will be her final Olympics? The fact that Paris 2024 is only three years away is teasing her, she admits. Besides, she has a long, long way to go before she can match the feat of American freestyle sprinter Dara Torres who stood on the podium in Beijing in 2008 after winning the silver in the 50m freestyle as a 41-year-old. 

The Australian swimmers who will race in the second heat for Australia have been confirmed at Mollie O’Callaghan Meg Harris, Madi Wilson and Bronte Campbell. All four will be looking to impress and secure a place in the team for the final. Australia are the Olympic champions and world record holders. 

Wayne Smith 

#HaveAGo at Swimming