Backstroke queen Kaylee McKeown has become the second Australian to defend a gold medal in the pool at Paris, winning an epic 100m final.
McKeown turned in fourth and had to fight her way past American stars Regan Smith and Katharine Berkoff in a stirring finish.
The Tokyo champion recorded an Olympic record and a personal best of 57.33 seconds to claim gold.
Western Australian teenager Iona Anderson started impressively and finished fifth.
Berkoff and Canadian Kylie Masse hit the wall the first time dead even, with McKeown slipping behind late in the first 50.
It is Australia’s fourth gold medal in the pool at these games and fifth overall so far in Paris and another blow to the United States in the two nations’ fierce battle in the pool.
Elijah Winnington made a blistering start to the 800-metre freestyle final, swimming under world-record pace through the first 100, but the pace-setter was swallowed up by the field with 450 to race.
It meant he finished last, with Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen claiming his country’s first-ever swimming medal with an Olympic record.
Aussie machine Kyle Chalmers is right in the mix a second gold medal — eight years after his first — in the blue riband 100m freestyle.
Chalmers turned in fourth and launched a perfectly-timed second 50 metres to win his semifinal from Hungarian swimmer Nandor Nemeth and hometown hero Maxime Grousset, who led until the final stretch.
The 47.58-second swim was half-a-second faster than his effort in the heat on Tuesday night (AWST).
Fellow Aussie William Yang, who received a late reprieve into the semi, touched in eighth.
Chalmers’ side of the draw was considered the stronger semifinal coming in, but Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle finished first in the second semi in 47.21, a time that would have won him a bronze medal in Tokyo three years ago.
He will now swim in the final on Thursday morning.
The South Australian said he did what he had to do in the semi before chasing a second gold in the final, but was on high alert for some of the athletes around him that have improved since Rio.
“It’s going to be a big challenge, obviously there are three guys that now have a faster PB than I do, so it is going to take a lot to be there tomorrow night,” Chalmers said on pool deck.
“Just to be in the Olympic final again is very special … I am really proud and I gave my everything tonight and I will give my everything again tomorrow night for my country and try and make everyone proud.”
Australia has confirmed its line-up for the 4x200m freestyle relay, with Kai Taylor — the son of swimming great Hayley Lewis — left out of the four that swam in the heats this morning.
Max Giuliani comes into the group, with Flynn Southam, silver medallist Elijah Winnington and Tommy Neil.
Great Britain are the defending champions and are out to become the first relay team ever to win back-to-back gold medals with the exact same group.
