Meg Harris could only wonder how her year was going to pan out when she went over the handlebars of a scooter and broke her arm with the world championships and Commonwealth Games on the horizon.
Six medals – three gold – across the two meets suggests the 20-year-old would be happy with her return. Now, after Australia fell short against the United States in the Duel in the Pool at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on Sunday night, it’s time to come up for a breath.
The arrival of Shayna Jack added firepower to a Dolphins team already boasting no shortage of motivation as para-swimmers Ellie Cole and Matt Levy brought down the curtain on their storied careers with a standing ovation.
But for the eighth time in as many attempts, the United States prevail in a duel, this time winning 309-283. A slice of history was still made with the first para and able-bodied relay swum at an international event, and Australian ace Emma McKeon is already calling for more.
And so, while some Australian stars will turn out in a matter of days for the national short course championships, the rest can come up for air.
“A lot of us are just tired and are just on overdrive at the moment,” Harris said.
Shayna Jack bolstered the Australian line-up on day three.Credit:Getty
“You don’t really prepare [for an event like this]. It’s more mental, you just have to enjoy and have fun. That’s what a lot of us have been on a massive journey, eight weeks, nine weeks away, and this is just a lot of fun to end this journey.
“I broke my arm in January so I didn’t know how the year was going to go. I put in the work and I’m just happy, this year, with how everything has gone.”
The United States took a 13-point lead into the final day of competition, desperate to retain the crown they had never lost in seven editions. A European team went closest in 2013, losing by a solitary point in Glasgow. Beyond that, blowouts in the USA’s favour had become the norm.
The duel is a made-for-television product boasting wild rules and points systems that even event organisers were still trying to wrap their heads around as the competition went on.
But that mattered little to the thousands of fans who had filtered through the doors of the home of the Sydney Olympics, who relished the chance to see Australia’s swimming stars in action as officials look to capitalise on a golden period for the sport.
Dolphins coach Rohan Taylor would have understood had more of his star pupils turned their back on the duel. Plenty have been looking forward to a breather following a gruelling schedule at the world championships and Commonwealth Games.
Yet the Australians were able to deploy a team stacked with world champions who relished the chance to compete in front of a raucous home crowd.
“It’s been pretty sparse. COVID obviously drove people away and the guys who went away overseas for worlds and Comm Games, it was the first time they’d swum in front of crowds for a while. Some of the younger ones probably never swim in front of a crowd,” Taylor said.
“To just have some noise, some excitement, some enjoyment, you could see they’re just loving it. There are some young people on this team who just want the opportunity to represent the Dolphins and they just want opportunities to get more racing. We always talk about it, we always say we want more racing.
“I think it’s exceeded my expectations as far as the atmosphere and the way I felt. I would suspect it’s the same for them.”
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