Golden joy for Meg Harris as Aussie teammate denied history in world record drama
Harris' silver medal at the Paris Games was one of the great underdog stories of last year's Olympics, but she went one better in Singapore after winning the women's 50m freestyle final in 24.02 seconds. Harris touched in first ahead of Chinese pair Qingfeng Wu (24.26s) and Yujie Cheng (24.28s) to claim the first world title of her career, after shifting her focus from the 100m freestyle to become a one-lap specialist.
The 23-year-old pulled out of the 100m freestyle after swimming the heat at the national trials. And Harris even had to be convinced by Australia's coaches to swim in the 4x100m freestyle relay on the opening night of the worlds, where she helped the Aussie team win gold.
Harris' focus on the 50m free was a huge risk, considering she'd already won two Olympic golds and five at the world titles as part of Australia's dominant relay teams. But the decision paid off handsomely for Harris in Singapore as she emulated men's sprint specialist Cameron McEvoy, to give Australia golds in both 50m freestyle events.
'I still don't have the words to process this, but this is a dream,' Harris said. 'I felt really good the first 15m and that's been my weakness so far. I knew if I got that right I just had to hold on.' Victory also saw Harris become Australia's first female 50m freestyle world champion since Bronte Campbell in 2015.
Really enjoyed watching the swimming World championships. Meg Harris wins gold in the 50 metres final. pic.twitter.com/WZsm1WdYU9
— The Oracle (@BigOtrivia) August 3, 2025
Her first individual WORLD TITLE! 🙌🇦🇺Meg Harris was the fastest in the Women's 50m Freestyle today! 🚀#AQUASingapore25 #Swimming pic.twitter.com/bl5oYrcRW9
— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) August 3, 2025
What a legend 😍Meg Harris dominates the 50 free final clocking 24.02 to claim her first ever World gold medal 🥇She looked like she couldn't believe it 😆#AQUASingapore25 #Swimming pic.twitter.com/nX5t8xrQWh
— tsveye (@tsv3y3) August 3, 2025
WORLD CHAMPION!! 👑🌏Meg Harris rocketed her way down the 2025 World Championships pool to win her first ever individual world title 🚀🥇👏The 50m freestyle crown is yours Meg! 💚💛 📸 Delly Carr pic.twitter.com/SLjVqFnsLR
— Australian Dolphins Swim Team (@DolphinsAUS) August 3, 2025
Mollie O'Callaghan denied 12th gold as USA set new WR
Meanwhile, O'Callaghan's quest to set a new national record of 12 golds at the world championships came up short in a dramatic women's 4x100m medley final. O'Callaghan is tied with Ian Thorpe on a national record 11 gold medals at the worlds but she was denied a historic 12th as the powerful American team broke the world record in the relay final.
Team USA combined superbly to set a new world benchmark of three minutes 49.34 seconds, with the Dolphins' team of Kaylee McKeown, Ella Ramsay, Alex Perkins and O'Callaghan taking silver in the last race of the championships. It saw Australia finish the meet second on the standings with eight gold, six silver and six bronze, behind the formidable USA (nine, 11, nine).
Australia's Jenna Forrester also picked up a silver medal for the green and gold on the final night of competition after finishing second behind Summer McIntosh in the women's 400m medley final. Victory saw the Canadian megastar sign off her incredible campaign with four gold medals in Singapore.
Sam Short's illness-plagued meet finished with fourth place in the men's 1500m, while Isaac Cooper was seventh in the men's 50m backstroke and Brendon Smith came last in the men's 400m medley. O'Callaghan was Australia's most successful swimmer of the meet with three gold medals and two silvers, while backstroke queen McKeown repeated her feat from the Paris Games with a 100-200m backstroke golden double.
with AAP
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