Commonwealth Games, Day Four Finals: Meg Harris Lifts Like A Hydrofoil to Lead Third Aussie Sweep in Glasgow Pool in 100 Freestyle
Lifting like a hydrofoil, Meg Harris has spearheaded Australia’s third clean sweep in the Glasgow Games pool tonight, winning her first major individual 100m freestyle gold medal in 52.90.
The 24-year-old Queenslander held off her fellow swim team sisters, defending champion Mollie O’Callaghan (53.25) and Shayna Jack (53.38). The swimmers pushed each other to the podium, and Harris won Australia’s 18th gold medal at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre.
It was a stunning performance from Harris, the reigning world champion and Olympic silver medalist in the 50m freestyle, who used her speed to zoom down the first lap, splitting 25.53. Coming off the wall, Harris knew she would have to find something with her teammates O’Callaghan and Jack coming to get her.
With 25 meters to swim, it was a line of three gold caps across the pool, but it was Harris who lifted in the closing stages, finding that little bit extra to turn her 50m speed into Glasgow 100m gold.
Triple Olympic gold medalist Ariarne Titmus, in television commentary for Channel 7 in Australia, declared: ”Meg Harris was like a hydrofoil coming out of the water…what a swim!”
Australia’s men – Sam Short, Elijah Winnington and Ben Goedemans – landed the first sweep in the men’s 400m freestyle on the opening night before Cam McEvoy, Flynn Southam and Jamie Jack swept the 50m freestyle.
In Games history, this was the first sweep in the 100 free – and all four have come from the Australian team. The first time in Cardiff in 1958 when the great Dawn Fraser and Lorraine Crapp won gold and silver with Alva Colquhoun the bronze.
Then 2014 in Glasgow when the Campbell sisters Cate and Bronte won gold and silver with Emma McKeon the bronze. Bronte turned the tables on Cate four years later, winning gold in a Games record time of 52.27.
Australia swept again in Birmingham four years ago when O’Callaghan, Jack and McKeon landed the trifecta. The Aussie girls remained unbeaten since 2002 in Manchester when Jodie Henry won gold, two years before she won Olympic gold in 2004. After Henry, winners have included Libby Trickett (2006), Alicia Coutts (2010), the Campbell sisters (2014 and 2018) and O’Callaghan.
