US-Australia rivalry to light up Paris pool

Paris — American swimming, be warned: Australia are coming for the crown at the Paris Olympics.

A rivalry that has burnt for decades may be set to explode at La Defence Arena from Saturday as the two swimming superpowers duel for supremacy in the pool.

Usually distant runners-up to the mighty US on the swimming medal table, Australia were only two titles short of them at Tokyo three years ago when they grabbed a national record nine gold medals.

The Australians have landed in France with great expectations after winning 13 titles at the World Championships in Fukuoka in 2023, six more than the US team.

“They’ve earned the expectations, I believe,” Australia’s head swim coach Rohan Taylor said. “They thrive on that.”

Australia has topped the swimming medal table only once in Olympic history, in their home pool at the 1956 Melbourne Games.

The last time the US finished off the top was at the 1988 Seoul Games where they finished second behind an East German team whose swimmers were later implicated in doping.

In public, swimmers from both the Australian and US camps have made cordial comments, speaking of mutual respect and healthy competition.

For US swimmer Kate Douglass, racing Australia at Fukuoka was “super fun”.

“The way they were able to get out on top in most of the relays has really helped boost our motivation going into the games,”   the 200m medley world champion said.

In private, the competitive spirit may have a sharper edge.

“We always want to smash them when we get up on the blocks,” Australia’s distance swimming great Grant Hackett said of racing the US.

A powerful women’s contingent offers Australia hope of doing just that, three years after Ariarne Titmus toppled the great Katie Ledecky from her 400m freestyle throne.

Titmus is the favourite for their 400m rematch in Paris, while Australia’s backstroke queen Kaylee McKeown will fight to keep her titles from American challenger Regan Smith.

Australia has scooped more than 40% of its total Olympic medals from the pool.

But beating a top US swimmer to get one often has extra relish, as five-times Olympic gold medallist Gary Hall Jnr found at the 2000 Sydney Games.

Hall’s declaration that the unbeaten US 4x100m relay team would “smash [Australia] like guitars” set up a grudge match with the hosts’ swimmers anchored by Ian Thorpe.

The Australians duly upset them and celebrated by strumming air guitars by the pool.

Australia’s sweetest wins have often been the most unlikely ones when outsiders have humbled superstars.

Fans of a certain vintage have fond memories of Queenslander Duncan Armstrong taking down American Matt Biondi, then the world’s most dominant swimmer, in the 200m freestyle at the 1988 Seoul Games.

Swimming as close to Biondi’s lane as the rope would allow, Armstrong “surfed” the American’s wake and then overtook him for a famous gold. Biondi ultimately faded to third.

It was Australia’s only gold from the Seoul pool, compared with the US team’s eight, but the David-vs-Goliath triumph inspired generations of Australian swimmers.

Thirty-six years on, the narrative has shifted. Australia are no longer the plucky underdogs.

The US are no longer quite so dominant — and it does not sit well with some on the team.

“I feel like there’s been a rising narrative in the past few years about USA swimming being challenged,”   Drew Kibler, a 200m freestyle specialist, said.

“There’s a lot of energy coming from the coaches and from the leaders of the team to respond to the doubts.

“We’re ready to go in and show what we can do.”

Reuters