Mollie O’Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus have wowed the world with not only their sensational swimming in Pris but also their beautiful sportsmanship and friendship.
The pair went head-to-head in the Olympic 200m freestyle final on Tuesday morning (AEST), with 20-year-old O’Callaghan beating world record holder Titmus to gold in a thrilling finish.
Remarkably, the two fastest swimmers in the history of the event are close friends and training teammates who are both coached by Dean Boxall.
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And their pair showed their incredible battles in the pool have not got in the way of their relationship, with several classy acts from both swimmers proving the respect and affection between them,
The pair were quick to embrace in the pool after O’Callaghan’s win, with Titmus showing no hint of resentment at missing out on the 200m-400m freestyle double.
Swim legend Ian Thorpe then pointed out another classy act by Titmus on pool deck moments after the race.
“We can see on pool deck here Ariarne Titmus turned around as Mollie O’Callaghan raised her arms into the air in front of this arena, embracing each other,” Thorpe said.
“What a great showing of sportspersonship.”
O’Callaghan later created an iconic Australian Olympic moment when she gestured for Titmus to join her on the top step of the medal podium ahead of the national anthem being played.
“Another touch of class as Mollie shares the gold medal position on the dais,” Thorpe added.
Another telling moment came when Boxall — noted in the past for his outlandish and wild celebrations — was notably reserved as he clapped on the one-two finish — Australia’s first at the Olympics since Thorpe and Hackett in 2004.
“The reaction from Dean was quite subdued for him,” Thorpe said. “He has to respond to each of those athletes in a different way. But for both of them, this is a great result.”
Boxall faced the unique challenge of having to prepare O’Callaghan and Titmus to face each other and his reaction spoke of a deep admiration and respect for both swimmers.
Titmus paid tribute to the coach post-race.
“I think he should be so proud of his efforts. He is a brilliant coach. I believe the best in the world,” she said on Channel 9.
“To manage this and have the two fastest girls in the world is a credit to him. It’s not just us, opening night he contributed to every medal that we won as a coach.
“I just feel very blessed to have him in our corner. If you want anyone backing you, it’s Dean and we will be forever grateful for him.”
Source Agencies
