Aussie swim sensation Mollie O'Callaghan breaks down in sad poolside revelation

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Aussie swimming star Mollie O'Callaghan broke down in tears at the Australian world championship trials on Wednesday night, after shedding light on her personal struggles and the weight of expectation that comes with her 'status' as an Olympic champion. It came after O'Callaghan qualified for the world championships in Singapore by winning the women's 200m freestyle in Adelaide.
The Paris Games gold medallist clocked a time of 54.43 seconds (1:54.43) to beat teammate and fellow Olympian Lani Pallister, who set a new personal best time of 1:54.89 in stunning scenes. O'Callaghan was Australia's most successful athlete at last year's Olympics with three gold medals, plus a silver and bronze.
But 21-year-old took a five-month break from the pool in a bid to balance her competitive instinct with having fun after admitting that she's struggled with the pressures that have come with her success. And describing her swim as 'awful' in a poolside interview with Aussie great Cate Campbell after the race, the emotions came flooding out as O'Callaghan revealed what she had been going through.
"Look, I've had a rough couple of past months," a tearful O'Callaghan said. "Tonight was really stressful for me, and I think even though it's not exactly the time I want, it's (been) hard to like come back (after the Paris Games).
"I would say this lead-up has been the hardest thing that I've experienced so far, so I'm happy I can make the team (for the Singapore world titles) this year. I don't think there's been anything as hard as this, coming here and trying to race and trying to defend my Olympic, I guess, status in a way."
O'Callaghan said her rise to stardom came with an enormous burden of expectation and the plan to enjoy herself a bit more hadn't exactly panned out as she battled a knee injury this year. "After the Olympics, I achieved everything I wanted to and I needed that mental recovery after that," she said. This year is about having fun but there's been a lot of curve balls thrown at me so it's making it very hard to have fun."
Fellow Olympic champion Cam McEvoy issued a warning to his rivals after posting the fastest 50m freestyle time in the world this year to beat Kyle Chalmers in the final. The 21-year-old clocked 21.30 seconds to edge out Chalmers - who set a personal best time of 21.68, but McEvoy said there's room for even more improvement.
"I definitely think I can go faster before the world champs; how much though I'm not sure," said McEvoy, who won last year's Olympic final in 21.25. "But longer term, like more LA (2028 Olympic) levels to the future, I think, yeah, there's a lot more I can improve."
Also on Wednesday night, Sam Short's return to form continued by winning the men's 800m freestyle in 7:40.95. While 16-year-old sensation Sienna Toohey won again in the women's 50m breaststroke, one night after selection for the worlds by winning the 100m breaststroke. Harry Turner also booked his ticket to Singapore by winning the men's 200m butterfly in 1:54.90.
with AAP