Mollie O'Callaghan stuns in 100m final at Australian swim trials
Champion swimmer Mollie O'Callaghan has made a major statement with a spectacular time in the 100m freestyle final of the Australian trials.
The 21-year-old, who won Olympic gold in Paris for the 200m freestyle and finished fourth in the 100m race, was unstoppable as she swam a time of 52.87 seconds to add to her Singapore World Championships schedule.
She was happy with her swim despite a challenging period of preparation.
'This is probably my fourth 100m of the season for freestyle and it was definitely a tough one,' she said.
'I probably have to be a bit nicer on myself to get to this point.
'I think when you're at your weakest it's always worth it to step up.'
O'Callaghan had experienced a challenging time after Paris and leading into the trials, revealing she struggled with her mental health after coming down from the highs of the Olympics.
'I've had a rough past couple months, it was really stressful for me,' she said.
'There hasn't been anything as hard as this, coming back and trying to race after the Olympics.
'I have had a lot of pressure on myself to get to this point and to make the team, especially in the 200 freestyle — I put a lot of pressure on myself.
'Externally, people expect a lot of me but they don't see the work that goes behind it and what I've been through.'
The 100m result is O'Callaghan's second major triumph at the trials after she also took out the 200m freestyle final with an impressive 1:54.43 time, ahead of St Peters Western squad mate Lani Pallister in second.
With the weight of making the team for the World Championships now off of her shoulders, O'Callaghan said she was looking forward to enjoying herself in Singapore alongside her teammates.
'Dean (Boxall) and I have spoken about it this year, there have been some curveballs thrown at me but it's now about having fun,' she said.
'I think making the team and having that pressure taken off, just to go race, meet new people, enjoy myself and train alongside my buddies in this team – that's the whole purpose of this.'
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