On the final night of the 2019 World Swimming Championships in South Korea, Cate Campbell has claimed two medals – bronze in the 50m freestyle and silver as part of the Women's 4x100m Medley Relay team.
In an extremely tight ‘splash and dash’, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist hit the wall in 24.11 to achieve third spot on the podium behind winner Simone Manuel (USA) and Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) who finished second. Posting times of 24.05 and 24.07 respectively, only six one hundredths of a second separated all three medallists. Bronte Campbell also competed in the final, recording a time of 24.48 to place eighth overall.
In the final race of the world championships, Australia achieved its seventh medal in a relay event, this time silver in the Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay. Campbell once again anchored the team in the final freestyle leg (51.96), Minna Atherton (59.06) dived in first for the backstroke lap, while breaststroker Jess Hansen (1:06.08) and butterflier Emma McKeon (56.32) held strong in the middle stages. Clocking 3:53.42, they finished behind the USA who won in a world record time of 3:50.40.
Speaking post-race, Campbell said she had been buoyed by her performances as she looks towards next year.
“I’ve been pleased with all of my performances, to get a podium on both of my individuals and have some really good relay swims shows that I’m in a really strong place,” Campbell said.
“My focus was always kind of on next year, we had a little bit of an upheaval earlier in the year moving to Sydney and I probably had a bit more time off at the end of last year than I would usually, so I’m really encouraged by the swims I’ve managed to put together and it’s good to be racing an eight-day program again.”
Prior to her relay race, Hansen also swum an individual event, placing sixth overall in the Women’s 50m Breaststroke final. Recording a time of 30.84, only one second separated first from sixth, with the USA’s world record holder Lilly King taking the gold in 29.84. Young Italian prodigy Benedetta Pilato received the silver (30.00) while Russia’s Yuliya Efimova nabbed the bronze (30.15).
In the Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay, the team of Mitch Larkin (53.16), Matthew Wilson (59.67), Matthew Temple (50.99) and Kyle Chalmers (46.60) recorded a time of 3:30.42 to place fifth overall. Great Britain claimed the gold (3:28.10), the USA received silver (3:28.45) and Russia attained bronze (3:28.81).
At the conclusion of the 2019 World Swimming Championships, Australia finished second on the medal tally with five gold, nine silver and five bronze medals.
