Australia's swim team ended the six-day Commonwealth Games meet in Glasgow with a record 37 gold, 16 silver, and 23 bronze medals across able-bodied and para-swimming disciplines, surpassing the previous record of 28 gold medals set at the 2018 Gold Coast Games.
Unprecedented dominance
Australia won more gold medals than all other nations combined, and some Australian states would have topped the medal tally themselves. Swimmers Lani Pallister and Sam Short each won four gold medals, placing them fifth on the medal tally ahead of New Zealand and Canada if they were countries. Australia also won all eight relay events, setting Commonwealth Games records in five of them.
However, the dominance comes with a caveat: the Commonwealth Games are not as competitive as the Olympics or world championships. Australia has topped the medal tally for four decades, and Great Britain's division into England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland reduces the relay challenge. Canadian star Summer McIntosh also skipped the Games.
Changing of the guard
Despite the caveat, the medal haul masks a changing of the guard. An emerging generation of swimmers is stepping up, such as Flynn Southam, who beat Kyle Chalmers in the men's 100m freestyle. Chalmers had never lost to a fellow Australian at an international meet before. Kai Taylor, 22, won gold in the men's 200m freestyle, while Pallister, 24, and Short, 22, dominated middle-distance freestyle. Iona Anderson, 20, impressed in backstroke, and 17-year-old Sienna Toohey won two individual medals in breaststroke.
According to the article, the upcoming Pan Pacific Championships in California and next year's world championships in Budapest will be a sterner test for Australia, with the United States and a stronger Canadian team competing. The two years until the Los Angeles Olympics are a long time in swimming, and much can change.
Financial boost and future prospects
The Commonwealth Games provided good competition experience for the new generation and a cash injection, with patron Gina Rinehart paying over $1.3 million in medal bonuses to individual swimmers. With Kaylee McKeown expected to return from illness and Mollie O'Callaghan likely to take time off to recover from injury, the Australian team heads to Los Angeles with a blend of established stars and emerging talent.
