The sky has not yet fallen in on Australian swimming. Nor does a public debate, one well worth having, about who races where in relays equate to a gigantic chasm between athletes and coaches.
But Australia's performance at the FINA World Championships in Hungary over the past week has raised valid questions as Swimming Australia ploughs ahead towards the Commonwealth Games, then another world titles, then the Tokyo Olympic Games in three years.
![Emma Mckeon broke the record for number of medals won by an Australian female swimmer at a world championships.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803041510im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/l/x/l/n/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxm5ab.png/1501495468321.jpg)
On the face of things, the numbers don't appear hugely encouraging. When the clock stopped for the final time in Budapest, Australia finished with 10 medals; one gold, five silver and four bronze. That left them eighth and out of the top five for the first time since 1986, where the swimmers didn't collect a single medal of any colour.
On top were the Americans, whose dominance in the pool continues to show no sign of abating. Their depth is unsurpassed, with Caeleb Dressel the perfect example. Out goes Michael Phelps, in steps Dressel to finish the meet with seven golds and equal the record of their recently retired legend.
To provide some context, this was one of their most successful World Championships of all time, with 38 medals surpassing the 36 the collected in 1978 and 2007 (there are two more events this time around (mixed relays), however, and the 2007 tally was 20 gold, not 18).
Next best was 10, with Australia hitting that mark behind Russia and China, who both won three golds.
Even scarier, the average age of American gold medal winners was a tick over 20. So when Australia talks about 'rising stars' in their late teens or early 20s, the Americans already have them out swimming, winning and breaking records. There's your benchmark for Tokyo.
The Australians almost went through the meet without a gold medal and it fell to Emily Seebohm, who had such a wretched time in Rio going in as a reigning world champion in the 100m and 200m backstroke, to break the duck.
![Australia's Bronte Campbell, Emma McKeon, Taylor McKeown and Emily Seebohm from left, show off their bronze medals for ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170803041510im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/l/x/l/e/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxm5ab.png/1501495468321.jpg)
Hers was a deserved win and a victory for getting up and soldiering on after poor returns in Brazil. It's clear she has thrived under Swimming Australia's new approach of more racing to harden its athletes for major meets, even if a few other still managed to leave their worst performances for the finals.
To say this was a transitional meet for the Dolphins was true to a point, although most of the key absences were by choice or injury, not retirement. Kyle Chalmers was the most notable, with the Olympic champion recovering from heart surgery.
In his absence, Dressel would belt the field in the 100m freestyle, the race won by Chalmers in such breathtaking style in Rio. Also on the sidelines was James Magnussen, Cate Campbell and Maddy Groves, all of whom elected not to swim as they plotted their best course to the next Games.
Had all three dipped their feet in the water in Hungary, there was the potential for at least two more gold medals (women's 4x100m relay, 200m butterfly), while Magnussen may have well helped the men's relay (DQed in the final) onto the podium.
Whether paid athletes should be allowed to simply bypass events should be closely examined by swimming officials, particularly given the rest of the world kept little to nothing in reserve. Now that trio must prove they were worth the wait, starting at the Commonwealth Games, the next FINA World Championships and Tokyo.
The mini-spat between Magnussen, who questioned the relay management from his TV gig in Sydney, and Campbell, poolside for Seven in Hungary, shouldn't be interpreted as trouble in paradise. If anything, swimming needs to have more robust debates in front of its fans, especially before its return to prime time on the Gold Coast next year.
And the rise of Emma McKeon, an undoubted star unlucky to have genuine superstars in her pet events, should be lauded. Her haul of six medals was the most by any Australian women at a world champs. At 23, Tokyo will be her best shot at a deserved major breakthrough.
For all of the despair after Rio and again after these championships, the end game, as always, is the Olympics. With an approach now tailored to individual athletes, a bigger racing workload and trials moved closer to big meets, only then will Swimming Australia find out if their plan has come together.
1 comment
New User? Sign up