Olympic golden girl surfaces from dark hole
Swim star Mollie O'Callaghan has emerged from a self-described dark hole to prove she can remain a world-beater.
O'Callaghan has posted the fastest women's 100m freestyle time this year - 52.87 seconds - at Australia's selection trials for the looming world titles.
The 21-year-old who already boasts five Olympic gold medals has battled a post-Paris let-down, injury and illness in a troubled preparation for the trials.
"I have learnt so much mentally this time ... there was a lot of setbacks," O'Callaghan said after her Friday night feat.
"You have to always step in that dark place to get the best out of your self.
"That's what sport is about, it's putting yourself in that hole to see how mentally strong you are - and I've definitely done that this season."
O'Callaghan took five months off after being Australia's most successful athlete at last year's Olympic Games when winning three gold medals plus a silver and bronze.
After the journey of self-discovery to find an identity outside of swimming, she returned to the pool but suffered a knee injury, then illness, ahead of the trials for the world titles in Singapore starting July 27.
"You can't really predict injury, you can't predict sickness, you can't predict any of that," O'Callaghan said.
"You can try and prevent it all you want but sometimes those things just happen and it's just how you look at it.
"There was a lot of tears. But in the long run, I have learnt so much about myself and I wouldn't change a thing."
Her bumpy preparation is something compatriot Zac Stubblety-Cook can relate to after he secured his spot on the Dolphins team for the worlds.
Stubblety-Cook won his 200m breaststroke final in two minutes 09.09 seconds.
The time was well shy of his personal best of 2.05.95, which was a world record when set in 2022 until broken by China's Qin Haiyang a year later.
An Olympic gold medallist in the event at the Tokyo Games of 2021 and silver medallist last year in Paris, Stubblety-Cook was pragmatic about his latest performance.
"Last year, I had a lot of time off and a lot of time to reflect and see where I was at - and make sure I really wanted to commit to the next four years," he said.
"And it's year one out of four so we're taking it much more as a four-year approach (to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics)."
In the men's 200m backstroke, Josh Edwards-Smith (1:56.94) and Brad Woodward (1:57.14) earnt selection for the worlds.
In the women's 200m breaststroke, Ella Ramsay (2:23.92) and Tara Kinder (2:24.61) also made the team.
And Sam Short's return to form continued with victory in the men's 1500m freestyle - he touched in 14:52.43, just 0.56 seconds ahead of fellow 21-year-old Ben Goedemans.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tyreek Hill challenges Noah Lyles after running a 100-meter dash that wouldn't beat Noah Lyles
Tyreek Hill took his rivalry with track star Noah Lyles several steps further on Friday, throwing down a 100-meter dash time that had him at the front of the pack at the Last Chance Sprint Series. The Miami Dolphins wide receiver recorded a new personal best of 10.15 seconds in his first 100-meter dash since 2014, the best mark of the 91 sprinters to run in the heats at Sherman Oaks, California. Hill delivered a message immediately after the race: "Noah could never." The two have said they plan to race at some point before the U.S. outdoor championships in July. Let's make one thing clear: Hill returning to track at 31 years old and throwing down a time that wouldn't look out of place at the world championships is an outrageously impressive achievement and a strong reminder that all your favorite NFL players are simply mutants when compared to 99.9% of the population. Advertisement For perspective, Hill would have qualified for the semifinals of the 100 meter dash at the 2024 Olympics if he had run 10.15 seconds in Paris (Nigeria's Favour Ashe was the final qualifier with a time of 10.16 seconds). Hill did have a 1.2 mph of wind assistance in California, but there's no denying it, Hill looked like an elite track runner on Friday. It is a credit to him that we're even talking about him like this. Unfortunately, Hill is not in a feud with an elite track runner. He is in a feud with the elite track runner. Tyreek Hill's time is slow by Noah Lyles' standards Hill said "Noah could never," but the fact is that Lyles has, several times, for years. Advertisement Lyles ran a 10.14 in 2015, 13 days after his 18th birthday. Lyles won the Olympics with a time of 9.79 seconds and won the 2023 world championships with a time of 9.83 seconds. He has not run a time slower than 10.15 seconds in an event on World Athletics' ledger since April 2022. A difference of a quarter of a second doesn't sound like much, but it can separate a first- and last-place finish in an elite track event. And it takes an enormous amount of training and natural gifts to close the gap. Granted, Hill might beat Lyles if they raced tomorrow, but that's because Lyles is currently dealing with an ankle injury. Tyreek Hill is one of the fastest men in the world. He still has to make up some ground to catch Noah Lyles. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) (Diamond Images via Getty Images) None of that means Hill is incapable of beating Lyles in a future race. Track is all about training and Hill could still make up some ground there, and/or have a really a good day while Lyles has a bad day. It just needs to be said, Hill isn't there yet. Advertisement Hill probably knows that, because he told reporters last month he was planning to run a 10-flat on Friday. He also said he hopes to race Lyles soon and compete in the 2028 Olympics — as a track runner, not a flag football player — so this isn't close to over. It's been an eventful offseason overall for Hill, who opened it by saying he wanted out of Miami after their season-ending loss. He later walked those comments back and apologized. There was also a domestic incident in April, in which his wife called police and said she feared for their daughter's safety.
Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Fox Sports
USC, Texas A&M share NCAA track & field title after USF rallies to win 1,600 relay
Associated Press EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — South Florida ran a brilliant 1,600-meter relay to close the NCAA men's outdoor track and field championships Friday night, leaving Southern California and Texas A&M tied for the team title. The Trojans, who won the indoor title earlier this year but hadn't won an outdoor title in 49 years, and the Aggies, both finished with 41 points, one ahead of Arkansas. That came after a late surge by the USF anchor to edge Texas A&M in the final race, winning in 3 minutes, 42 seconds. Arkansas was third with the Trojans a disappointing eighth to earn just one team point. The Aggies earned eight points in the relay — a win would have been worth 10 points — and the Razorbacks got six. Arkansas protested after the race that a USF runner hindered a Razorback but the protest was denied. If successful, Texas A&M would have won the title and Arkansas and USC would have tied for second. The women's title will be decided Saturday at Hayward Field on the Oregon campus. Sam Whitmarsh of Texas A&M, runner-up a year ago, beat indoor champion Matthew Erickson of Oregon to capture the 800 in 1:45.86, the second-fastest in school history. Jordan Anthony of Arkansas, the NCAA champion in the indoor 60, added an outdoor title, winning the 100 in 10.07 from Lane 9. Ja'Kobe Tharp, who won the 60r hurdles at the indoor championships for Auburn, added the 110 hurdle title to his resume with a personal-best time of 13.05. Tharp ran the fifth-fastest time in NCAA history, only 0.07 off of Grant Holloway's record. Auburn also won the 400 relay in a time of 38.33. Samujel Ogazi of Alabama raced to a dominant win in the 400 with a time of 44.84, more than six-tenths faster than the runner-up. The sophomore, who made the Olympic finals in Paris, became the first Nigerian athlete to win the 400 NCAA title in 26 years. James Corrigan of BYU, a 2024 Olympian, won the 3,000 steeplechase in 8:16.41, grabbing the lead at the last water jump. His time is the fourth fastest in college history. Nathan Green of Washington, the 2023 champion, won the 1,500 meters in 3:47.26 with the top 11 finishing within 0.68 of Green. Brian Masau on Oklahoma State added the outdoor title in the 5,000 to the indoor title he won earlier this year, finishing in 13:20.59. Ezekiel Nathaniel of Baylor lowered his Nigerian record to 47.49 in the 400 hurdles, the second-fastest time in the world this year. Carli Makarawu of Kentucky took the 400 in 19.84 seconds, a Zimbabwe national record, edging countryman Makanakaishe Charamba of Auburn, who ran 19.92. Oklahoma's Ralford Mullings, who returned to the championship for the second time in his career, took the discus title by launching a meet-record and person-best 227 feet, 4 inches. Brandon Green Jr. and Floyd Whitaker gave Oklahoma a 1-2 finish in the triple jump with Green soaring 55-2 to win by more than a foot. Green led from the first jump and had it wrapped up after five rounds and then had his best leap to end it. Arvesta Troupe of Mississippi cleared 7-5 1/4 to win the high jump. ___ AP college sports: recommended
2 hours ago
USC, Texas A&M share NCAA track & field title after USF rallies to win 1,600 relay
EUGENE, Ore. -- South Florida ran a brilliant 1,600-meter relay to close the NCAA men's outdoor track and field championships Friday night, leaving Southern California and Texas A&M tied for the team title. The Trojans, who won the indoor title earlier this year but hadn't won an outdoor title in 49 years, and the Aggies, both finished with 41 points, one ahead of Arkansas. That came after a late surge by the USF anchor to edge Texas A&M in the final race, winning in 3 minutes, 42 seconds. Arkansas was third with the Trojans a disappointing eighth to earn just one team point. The Aggies earned eight points in the relay — a win would have been worth 10 points — and the Razorbacks got six. Arkansas protested after the race that a USF runner hindered a Razorback but the protest was denied. If successful, Texas A&M would have won the title and Arkansas and USC would have tied for second. The women's title will be decided Saturday at Hayward Field on the Oregon campus. Sam Whitmarsh of Texas A&M, runner-up a year ago, beat indoor champion Matthew Erickson of Oregon to capture the 800 in 1:45.86, the second-fastest in school history. Jordan Anthony of Arkansas, the NCAA champion in the indoor 60, added an outdoor title, winning the 100 in 10.07 from Lane 9. Ja'Kobe Tharp, who won the 60r hurdles at the indoor championships for Auburn, added the 110 hurdle title to his resume with a personal-best time of 13.05. Tharp ran the fifth-fastest time in NCAA history, only 0.07 off of Grant Holloway's record. Auburn also won the 400 relay in a time of 38.33. Samujel Ogazi of Alabama raced to a dominant win in the 400 with a time of 44.84, more than six-tenths faster than the runner-up. The sophomore, who made the Olympic finals in Paris, became the first Nigerian athlete to win the 400 NCAA title in 26 years. James Corrigan of BYU, a 2024 Olympian, won the 3,000 steeplechase in 8:16.41, grabbing the lead at the last water jump. His time is the fourth fastest in college history. Nathan Green of Washington, the 2023 champion, won the 1,500 meters in 3:47.26 with the top 11 finishing within 0.68 of Green. Brian Masau on Oklahoma State added the outdoor title in the 5,000 to the indoor title he won earlier this year, finishing in 13:20.59. Ezekiel Nathaniel of Baylor lowered his Nigerian record to 47.49 in the 400 hurdles, the second-fastest time in the world this year. Carli Makarawu of Kentucky took the 400 in 19.84 seconds, a Zimbabwe national record, edging countryman Makanakaishe Charamba of Auburn, who ran 19.92. Oklahoma's Ralford Mullings, who returned to the championship for the second time in his career, took the discus title by launching a meet-record and person-best 227 feet, 4 inches. Brandon Green Jr. and Floyd Whitaker gave Oklahoma a 1-2 finish in the triple jump with Green soaring 55-2 to win by more than a foot. Green led from the first jump and had it wrapped up after five rounds and then had his best leap to end it. Arvesta Troupe of Mississippi cleared 7-5 1/4 to win the high jump.
