Article by Julian Linden courtesy of the Courier Mail.
The celebrations never last long in swimming.
Given a night off to party hard in Japan after dominating the world championships, Australia’s swimmers were also given a reminder that the hard work will start all over again once they get home.
After finishing the championships as the number one team in the world – winning 13 gold medals and a record 25 in total – the Dolphins deserved their chance to let their hair down. And they sure did that, spotted kicking up their heels at some of the hottest night clubs in Fukuoka on Sunday.
They had every reason to kick up their heels after eight days of intense competition because their performances – which included five world records – were exceptional.
And Australia’s head coach Rohan Taylor, who has been around for a while so seen it all, said he wanted all the swimmers to forget about raining for a while and soak up all the accolades they deserve.
“We want to celebrate these moments. We actually want to live in the moment when we actually achieve things, particularly the athletes,” Taylor said. “We want to make sure that they are recognised and they do take those moments to celebrate. And that’s not being complacent because we will embrace the opportunities that are on us for next year.
“We want to be as good as we can and we’re not shying away from that now.”
But Taylor also had a sobering reminder for the Australian team. While statistically, the current Dolphins could be the best swim team Australia has ever produced – winning nine gold medals at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and now 13 at the world titles – nothing is guaranteed at next year’s Paris Olympics. All the signs right now indicate the Dolphins will clean up in France after six different swimmers – Mollie O’Callaghan, Ariarne Titmus, Kaylee McKeown, Sam Short, Kyle Chalmers and Cam McEvoy – all won individual world titles and the Dolphins medalled all seven relays that will be held in Paris.
