Source : ABC NEWS
The conclusion of an Olympic swimming cycle always has the potential to be turbulent.
It’s after that four-year slog where veterans opt to move on, hanging up their goggles and venturing into a life not constrained by the long black line at the bottom of the local pool.
Post-Paris, that’s exactly what has happened with the Australian swimming team, with Emma McKeon, Cate Campbell, Maddi Wilson and Brianna Throssell all among the women’s stars to have stepped away from the sport.
But the more things change, the more things stay the same, and with such a conveyor belt of talent coming through, the talent drain has been limited.
Both Emma McKeon and Brianna Throssell have retired from competitive swimming. (Getty Images: Dean Mouhtaropoulos)
Yet with so many experienced swimmers retiring, there is a leadership gap at the top.
It’s one that two-time Olympian Meg Harris is only happy to step into.
“Yeah, definitely,” 23-year-old Harris said when asked if she saw herself in that role within the Dolphins set up.
“I’ve watched so many people … my best friend [Maddi Wilson] was one of the leaders past, so I got to see like how everyone looked up to her.
“And that’s one of the things that I want to get out of this team, is for people to see me as a role model and someone that they can, not necessarily be like in the water, but as a person.”
Harris might not be the most high-profile Dolphins squad member, but her subtle, calming and mature demeanour is obvious from a distance, just in the way she reacts with her teammates and handles herself in interviews.
And it’s hard to argue she doesn’t have the credentials.
A two-time Olympic 4x100m relay champion and 50m freestyle silver medallist from the Paris Games, on Tuesday Harris beat out a high-quality field to claim the Australian title in Brisbane.
Meg Harris won silver in Paris in the 50m freestyle. (Getty Images: Adam Pretty)
Even with the added pressure of being an Olympic medallist, Harris powered down the single length of the Brisbane Aquatic Centre with a oxymoronic degree of thunderous serenity to claim gold.
“I actually didn’t think of it like that,” Harris said with a smile when asked if she felt like she had a target on her back.
“I love getting up and racing a 50.
“It’s a 50: It either goes right or it goes wrong at the end of the day.
“We can train for it, but there’s not much you can fix if the start goes wrong.
“But I enjoy it every time I get up and swim it.”
A quick glimpse of the start list tells you all you need to know about the depth of talent in Australian swimming at the moment.
Harris (24.57) beat 24-year-old Alex Perkins into second place (25.00), who was a fingernail ahead of five-time Olympic champion and 100m winner from Monday Mollie O’Callaghan (25.01), with defending champion Shayna Jack in fourth (25.13).
“I’m definitely happy with that,” Harris said.
“I raced just over a month ago in America and I think I just wanted to better that, prove my training is going well, in the right direction.
Meg Harris says she hopes younger swimmers will look up to the way she conducts herself. (Getty Images: Chris Hyde)
“I’m pretty happy with how that went.
“It’s definitely exciting,” Harris said of the depth of talent in the field.
“Especially with Brisbane 32 being here in Australia.
“But I mean, even our [training] camp that we just had, it’s so nice seeing all the young ones coming through, and it’s just enjoyable getting up and racing with new people all the time, and at this level. It’s amazing.”
Perkins, who won silver as part of the 4x100m medley relay team in Paris, is one of the swimmers who could step into the gap created by the swimmers ahead of her moving away from the sport.
“I wasn’t too worried about the position,” Perkins said after her second-place finish.
“You know, some of these girls have had some big breaks after Olympics, but it’s always good to be in the mix and I guess do well.
“I think the 50 free will still definitely be a tough ask [to qualify for the world championships team] and a very tough event, but makes it exciting.”
