Injury rocks record-breaking Aussie team ahead of Pan Pacs
Updated . First published
Australia may have sent a fierce warning to America ahead of the Pan Pacific Championships, but the nation will dive into the competition without the threat of Mollie O’Callaghan.
O’Callaghan, who was part of Australia’s team at the Commonwealth Games, hinted earlier this week that she may not travel to compete at the upcoming meet due to a back injury she has been managing. She has pulled out of the competition, as per Sydney Morning Herald reporter Tom Decent.
Mollie O'Callaghan. nna\zgates
The 22-year-old had declared before competition in Glasgow that medical professionals were unsure if she would be able to compete due to her injuries.
But despite carrying both a shoulder injury and having been told she had stress fractures in her back, she safely competed at the Commonwealth Games.
O’Callaghan will not be the only star out of action for Australia at the Pan Pacific Chanmpionships, with the likes Kyle Chalmers, Flynn Southam, Matt Temple and Shayna Jack will all not make the trip for varying reasons.
Chalmers, who won two relay gold medals, will be travelling to support his wife, Norwegian swimmer Ingeborg Løyning, as she competes in the European Championships. Jack, meanwhile, has officially called time on her swimming career.
Cameron McEvoy, the champion of the Commonwealth in the 50m freestyle, is also skipping the Pan Pacs due to his decision to focus on the Games in Glasgow.
Australian backstroke star Kaylee McKeown has been medically withdrawn from the meet due to glandular fever.
Still, the next generation of Australian swimmers put to bed any doubt about what the next chapter for the squad would look like on the global stage, with the retirements of Ariarne Titmus and Emma McKeon leaving a large hole in the team.
Glasgow wasn’t the first meet without the duo, but it was one of the many tests for Australia’s young guns ahead of the LA Olympics in 2028.
And Australia was simply unbeatable in the pool, recording a clean sweep in the relay events and collecting a record-breaking 37 gold medals overall.
Gina Rinehart, a billionaire mining mogul and long-time supporter of Australia’s swimmers, gave out $1.2 million in prize money to the nation’s medallists.
Meg Harris will collect one of the biggest pay cheques from Rinehart, with a sum of $60,000 set to hit her bank account after winning six gold medals.
Ben Armbruster and Kyle Chalmers embrace after their gold medal-winning dead heat Getty Images
Southam was one of the standouts in the men’s events, pipping long-standing sprint king Chalmers to win gold in the men’s 100m freestyle.
Ben Armbruster also put Chalmers on alert when he touched in at the exact same time as his star Australian teammate to share the gold in the 50m butterfly.
Kai Taylor was another who impressed in the men’s finals, delivering a stellar swim in the men’s 200m freestyle from lane one to win the gold medal.
While Australia swept the pool in style in Glasgow, the Commonwealth Games didn’t serve up the level of competition that awaits in the Pan Pacific Championships, with the Dolphins fierce rivalry with the USA to be reignited.
The Pan Pacific Championships has often been a tougher competition to stand atop the podium for Australia due to the involvement of the USA.
The Pan Pacific Championships will begin on August 12.
Australia’s Pan Pacific Championship team
*Denotes swimmers racing in relays only
Iona Anderson, Ben Armbruster, Hannah Casey, Brittany Castelluzzo, Isaac Cooper, Elizabeth Dekkers, Jenna Forrester, Hannah Fredericks, Matthew Galea, Max Guiliani*, Ben Goedemans, Meg Harris, Charlie Hawke*, Jamie Jack, Milla Jansen*, Tara Kinder, Se-Bom Lee, Bailey Lello, Inez Miller, Mollie O’Callaghan, Lani Pallister, William Petric, Alex Perkins, Ella Ramsay, Ella Ramsay, Sam Short, Brendon Smith, Edward Sommerville, Zac Stubblety-Cook, Stuart Swinburn, Kai Taylor, Sienna Toohey, Harrison Turner, Molly Walker, Amelia Weber, Sam Williamson, Elijah Winnington and Olivia Wunsch*.