Priceless moment teammate told Harris she had won gold
She had won gold, but she didn’t know it.
Australia’s Meg Harris wasn’t aware she had snatched gold in the women’s 100-metre freestyle at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships on Friday (AEST) until her teammate in the final told her.
Meg Harris realises she’s won gold. AP Photo/Gregory Bull.
Some 30 seconds after the completion of the race, teammate Olivia Wunsch, who bagged bronze in a lane next to Harris, noticed on the big screen that the Dolphins star had claimed gold.
So she put a hand on Harris and told her.
Harris, gazing up at the big screen in Irvine, California, then pointed to herself with a bemused look, as if to say: “Me? I won?”
Indeed, Australia’s best-performing swimmer at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, who has flown under the radar right throughout her decorated career, captured gold in the two-lap dash in Irvine to continue her rich vein of form.
And she unleashed a thunderous closing lap to pinch gold, storming home to pip the USA’s Gretchen Walsh.
The local hope led Harris by 0.37 of a second at the turn – Walsh got there in 24.97 seconds – but Harris rocketed home to win by 0.18 of a second.
The Queenslander won in 52.60, ahead of Walsh (52.78) and Wunsch (52.98).
“My coach said to don’t leave anything in the water, so I put my head down and closed my eyes,” Harris said.
“I didn’t even realise I had won until Liv told me!”
Australia won eight medals on day two of the championships, including two golds.
After Harris’ triumph in the women’s 100m freestyle, Inez Miller, Lani Pallister, Hannah Casey and Milla Jansen combined to win gold in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay.
The Australians won in 7:42.40 to set a new championship record, beating the USA (7:43.10) and Canada (7:52.74).
Meanwhile, silver medals were won by Jenna Forrester in the women’s 400m individual medley, Isaac Cooper in the men’s 50m backstroke, and the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team.
Bronze medals were won by Wunsch (women’s 100m freestyle), Sam Williamson (men’s 100m breaststroke) and Iona Anderson (women’s 50m backstroke).
Cooper, the athlete who missed the final night of swimming competition in Glasgow to go out drinking and subsequently resigned from his leadership position, won silver in Irvine despite banging into a lane rope.
The gold medallist in the men’s 50m backstroke, American Quintin McCarty, also bashed into a lane rope.
Canadian teen sensation Summer McIntosh kicked off the session with an impressive swim in the women’s 400m individual medley, charging to gold in 4:28.01 to set a new championship record.