Australia have been stunned in the final of the women’s 4x200m freestyle with China and the USA hunting down the strong favourites and the country’s Golden Girls.
Ariarne Titmus confusingly led the race followed by sprint queen Emma McKeon, Madison Wilson and Leah Neal – none of whom featured in the heat.
Aussie swimming legend Ian Thorpe said he was ‘a little curious’ about the team’s order just before the race with Titmus starting, and China led after the first change.
McKeon took over at the first change and within the first 50m had overtaken her Chinese opponent, but China still were in the lead at the halfway mark with both teams way ahead of world record time.
Wilson handed over to Neal for the final change still behind China, with Ledecky motoring trying to catch up.
Neal could not overcome the Chinese and Americans, with the Aussies devastated behind the blocks.
Ledecky posed a lightning fast final 200m to push China all the way to the wall.
Australia have been stunned in the final of the women’s 4x200m freestyle with China and the USA hunting down the strong favourites and the country’s Golden Girls
Aussie swimming legend Ian Thorpe said he was ‘a little curious’ about the team’s order just before the race with Titmus starting, and China led after the first change
Ariarne Titmus confusingly led the race followed by sprint queen Emma McKeon, Madison Wilson and Leah Neal – none of whom featured in the heat
Kyle Chalmers, who touched in an agonising 0.06 seconds behind USA’s Caeleb Dressel in the 100m freestyle less than an hour before their relay was supporting from the stands as the girls brought home another gold medal.
Molly O’Callaghan, just 17-years-old, was unlucky to miss out on the final after posting the 18th fastest time in history in their heat.
McKeon has already won gold with the women’s 4x100m relay team and is the red hot favourite to win the individual 100m race as she chases immortality.
The 27-year-old needs three more medals to tie Ian Thorpe as Australia’s most decorated Olympian, still with three events remaining.
Titmus meanwhile will face-off with Ledecky one more time for the 800m freestyle.
Aussie sprint king Kyle Chalmers has finished second in the final of the 100m freestyle with America’s Kyle Dressel taking gold
Dressel claimed gold 0.06 seconds ahead of Chalmers in the final of the 100m freestyle
Earlier Aussie sprint king Chalmers touched the wall an agonising 0.06 seconds behind America’s Caeleb Dressel to finish second in the final of the 100m freestyle.
Chalmers, who came from nowhere to win gold as an 18-year-old at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was looking to become the first Aussie to repeat as the fastest man in water.
Chalmers said he was re-watching his 100m freestyle win at the 2016 Olympics this morning in the lead up to the race for inspiration as he attempted to pull off the historic achievement.
The 23-year-old from Port Lincoln touched in behind the USA’s world champion by the length of a fingernail for Australia’s second silver medal at the Tokyo Games.
‘Obviously winning isn’t everything… but it’s pretty nice,’ the devastated swimmer said post race. ‘If the games were last year, I wouldn’t be here’.
‘I’m grateful for the support, my family and friends who have been there since day one. They’ve always been there for me.’
The Aussies have continued to dominate in the pool with Zac Stubblety-Cook winning gold at the 200m breastroke final on Thursday
Australia’s Zac Stubblety-Cook has won gold and broken an Olympic record in the men’s 200m breaststroke final at the Tokyo Games
Zac Stubblety-Cook won gold and broke an Olympic record in the men’s 200m breaststroke final earlier Thursday.
The 22-year-old from Queensland touched the wall in record time at two minutes and 6.38 seconds followed closely behind the Netherlands’ Arno Kamminga and Finnish swimmer Matti Mattsson.
Stubblety-Cook had been a favourite to win after taking out first place in the semis with the fastest time of two minutes and 7.35 seconds.
No Australian had won the 200m breaststroke final at the Olympics since the previous Games in Tokyo in 1964.
Speaking after his sensational swim to Channel 7, Stubblety-Cook said he was ‘lost for words’ while his family and long-term girlfriend Ella Martinkovic cheered him on from home.
‘Unbelievable, without their support I wouldn’t be here but it’s been a tough five years and I’m lost for words to be honest,’ he said.