Commonwealth Games: Aussies Chasing Freestyle Dominance in Glasgow 36 Years After the Golden Glow of Auckland in 1990
Australia swimmers have the chance to turn the clock back 36 years as they chase a freestyle clean sweep at the 23rd Commonwealth Games, starting in Glasgow on Friday.
Auckland hosted the 1990 Games with legendary head coach Don Talbot back at the helm – steering his team to a dominant performance.
Australia winning every male and every female freestyle event – 14 events in all – including four relays – a feat which has collectively never been done since.
Although the Australian women did sweep all before them in Birmingham in 2022 – and now, four years later they will be joined by a rejuvenated men’s team fired up to match them in what is now an expanded program featuring 17 freestyle races.
A freestyle program that will feature the 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500m for both men and women for the first time – plus three relays – the 4x100m Mixed Freestyle in for its second appearance alongside the 4×100 and 4x200m.
A far cry from the first Games in Hamilton, Ontario in 1930 with just five women’s events – the 100- and 400-yards freestyle, 100 yards backstroke, 200 yards breaststroke and the 4×100 yard freestyle relay.
MUM’S THE WORD: Lani Pallister will line up in the 400 and 800m freestyle and 4×200 relay just like her mum Janelle did at the Auckland Games 36 years ago. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
The Aussies have arrived into Glasgow with a women’s roster more than capable of remaining undefeated – and with a new-look team without Emma McKeon, Ariarne Titmus, Maddie Wilson and Kiah Melverton and a Canadian team minus their superstar Summer McIntosh.
But an Aussie women’s group led by an exciting fab five – Lani Pallister, Meg Harris, Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack and Alex Perkins.
Pallister chasing a mammoth program with the 200, 400, 800, 1500 and 4x200m freestyle as is ironman Sam Short on the men’s side – the 1500m added for the women and the 800 for the men.
Short alongside veteran sprinters Olympic champions and “Super Dads” Cam McEvoy and Kyle Chalmers, who have a real chance of completing another spectacular freestyle sweep.
FREESTYLER: Sam Short has one of the busiest schedules in Glasgow. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
McEvoy, the 50m freestyle World record holder and two-time world and Olympic champion from Paris, will be joined in the one-lap dash by Jamie Jack and Flynn Southam – who could well give Australia a freestyle first.
No country at the last nine Games have swept the men’s 50 free and a full podium would be a special celebration of the 10th anniversary of its addition to the program.
Gold to Chalmers in the 100m freestyle and “The Big Tuna” will only become the second Australian to defend his title. The only other was Michael Wenden in 1966, 1970 and 1974. Wenden, like Chalmers in 2016 was the Olympic champion in 1968.
Chalmers to be joined by Southam and Kai Taylor whose mum Hayley Lewis was the individual star of the Auckland Games in 1990 – winning five gold medals as a 15-year-old schoolgirl.
TAYLOR MADE: Kai Taylor following in Mum Hayley Lewis’ footsteps. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
Hayley, under the guidance of her coach Joe “Mr” King, winning the 200 and 400m freestyle, the 200m butterfly and 400IM – adding gold number five in a 4x200m freestyle relay that also included Janelle Elford – Lani Pallister’s mum.
Elford also adding silver behind Julie McDonald in the 800 and bronze to Lewis over the 400m freestyle.
HAYLEY’S COMET: At just 15, Brisbane schoolgirl, Hayley Lewis won five gold medals at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. 36 years later son Kai Taylor will also wear the green and gold at the Commonwealth Games. Photo Courtesy Commonwealth Games Australia.
Looking back to 1990, it was Gold Coast Olympian Andrew Baildon who snatched the 50 and 100m freestyle double and the 100m butterfly after the 50m had been added to the Games program after its Olympic debut in 1988 in Seoul.
Seoul finalist Baildon winning that inaugural men’s 50m gold ahead of 1982 Brisbane Games high jumper Angus Waddell and adding the 100m ahead of rising sprint star Chris Fydler – with Baildon, Fydler, Ian Van Der Wal and Jason Cooper winning the 4x100m freestyle relay.
It was Fydler’s first of three consecutive silver medals in his pet event behind Canada’s Stephen Clarke in 1994 and Aussie teammate Michael Klim in 1998.
They joined a women’s team that featured comeback queen Lisa Curry-Kenny – back on her first swim team since the 1984 LA Olympics – and winning the 50m freestyle, 100m butterfly and featuring in Australia’s 4x100m freestyle and 4 x 100m medley relay triumphs.
GAVE ‘EM SOME CURRY:Lisa Curry made a golden return to swimming, winning four gold at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland. Photo Courtesy Commonwealth Games Australia.
South Australia’s Martin Roberts spearheaded an Australian men to a clean sweep in the 200m free, ahead of WA pair Ian Brown and Tom Stachewicz with Brown taking out the 400m ahead of Queensland’s Glen Housman who would hold on to heir apparent Kieren Perkins in the 1500m – both boys swimming under 15 minutes – Perkins for the first time – in a history-making finish.
(Housman held the fastest time ever swum – his hand-held time of 14:53.59 at the Games Trials in December of ’89, under the previous world record held by Russia’s Vladimir Salnikov – but when the scoreboard at the North Adelaide Aquatic Centre failed to stop, the time would not be ratified as a world record).
It’s the 200m where the Aussie boys will face their greatest challenge with the Paris Olympic silver medallist Matt Richards led English squad and Scotland’s defending champion Duncan Scott waiting to strike.
The Brits have been a dominant force over the 4x200m winning back-to-back 4x200m freestyle gold at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics – although Australia has won the last four Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Glasgow, the Gold Coast and Birmingham.
Queensland trio, Taylor, Dolphins man-of-the-moment Short and World Championship 200m butterfly bronze medallist Harrison Turner leading the Aussie attack.
GAMES DEBUT: Jamie Jack will join sister Shayna in Glasgow. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Much will fall on Short’s broad 23-year-old shoulders, and word from inside the Dolphins camp when they arrived into Glasgow today is that “he’s deadest up for it!”
Short was the star of the Aussie Trials, winning all four freestyle events – the 200m in 1:45.16; the 400m in a sizzling 3:40.67; the 800m in a Commonwealth and Australian Record time of a 7:36.73 and the 1500m in 14:42.09.
In 1994 Perkins delivered a spectacular four gold medal haul – winning the 200, the 400, the 1500 and as a member of the 4×200 team – a determined Perkins breaking the world records for 800 and 1500m in the one race – disobeying coach John Carew’s instructions to back off over the final 700m.
(The wily coach wanting his charge to save himself for the world championships in Rome some two weeks later – unnerved, an inspired Perkins went on to win the 1500m world title after setting a new world record in the 400m).
Short also setting himself to win the very first 800m across the busiest of programs with teammate, Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist and 2022 World and Commonwealth champion Elijah Winnington swimming for his own slice of Games history.
Australian pioneer, Manly’s Noel “Tiger” Ryan (1930 and 1934) and the legendary Ian Thorpe (1998 and 2002) are the only other swimmers to defend their Commonwealth Games 400 crowns.
While in the 1500m Short will join illustrious Australian company if he can defend his Birmingham gold, with three Australians – Ryan (1930, 1934), Max Metzker (1978, 1982) and Grant Hackett (1998, 2002) all going back-to-back.
The 4x100m freestyle relay with Chalmers, Jack, Taylor and Turner at the helm aiming to maintain Australia’s unbeaten record since New Delhi in 2010.
While the 4×200 foursome of Short, Taylor, Turner and Ed Sommerville will face the might of the Richards led England, who love nothing more than to sink the Aussies hopes.
DYNAMIC DUO: Shayna Jack and coach Dean Boxall – one last campaign. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Meanwhile it will also be a special farewell for Shayna Jack who is joined by brother Jamie in their first team together– with the brother-sister act both qualifying for the 50m freestyle.
Shayna just last week announcing her retirement from professional swimming – a girl who has featured so prominently in Australia’s freestyle relay teams since making her debut on the Gold Coast as the rookie on the team alongside Cate and Bronte Campbell and Emma McKeon and with McKeon, Mollie O’Callaghan and Wilson in Birmingham four years ago.
In Glasgow it will be Meg Harris, Jack, O’Callaghan and Perkins who will line up in Australia’s flagship relay – as Jack chases three straight.
LEADER OF THE PACK: Meg Harris will lead Australia’s 4x100m girls into battle in Glasgow. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Harris, the world champion and Olympic silver medallist over 50 freestyle, who has graduated with flying colours into an individual star and will also join Mollie O in the 100m.
And there will be no underestimating Mollie, who has battled to make the Games team despite stress fractures in her back and shoulder problems, but no one rac es like Mollie O races.
In Birmingham the team of Titmus, O’Callaghan, Wilson and Melverton set a new world record in winning gold in the 4x200m – four years on O’Callaghan and Pallister will be joined by rookies Inez Miller and Hannah Casey in a new look foursome.
There has been no stopping Pallister since her move to supercoach Dean Boxall and she showed at the Trials with her wins in the 400m freestyle (3:59.72), the 800 (8:13.41) and the 1500m (15:40.01) and her second to Olympic champion O’Callaghan in 1:53.65 in the 200m that she is certainly the real deal.
Just like her mum was 36 years ago in Auckland.
LANI’S TIME: Lani Pallister will chase Glasgow gold in the pool and emulate the feats of Mum Janelle Elford some 36 years ago in Auckland. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).