Australia seek to rediscover post-Olympic momentum at world swim titles

On the final day of the Tokyo 2020 swim meet last year, after the most successful Australian Olympic swimming campaign in history, head coach Rohan Taylor was asked about the secret to the Dolphins’ golden performances. “When you get on a roll, momentum gets going and people start believing,” he said.

At the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, individual talent, meticulous preparation and that elusive intangible – momentum – carried the Australian team to nine gold, three silver and eight bronze medals in the pool. It was an emphatic return to the pool after disappointment at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Eleven months later, the momentum has largely dissipated. Following a tumultuous and Covid-interrupted five-year journey to Tokyo, the majority of the Dolphins squad took lengthy breaks from the pool. Training sessions were replaced with sponsor appearances, early morning starts with sleep-ins.

Now the Australians must go again. On Saturday, the world championships begin in Budapest. The meet marks the start of a frenetic quarter for Australian swimming, with the world titles followed in quick succession by next month’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and in August the much-anticipated Duel in the Pool, a two-nation meet involving the USA to be held in Sydney. The next three months will provide an early indication of whether Tokyo was a high point for Australian swimming or the start of a new golden era.

There are plenty of promising signs that the momentum will continue. Swimming Australia has sent 39 athletes to Budapest, including 11 debutants. Surprise Tokyo gold medallist Zac Stubblety-Cook was in flying form during the recent Australian trials, breaking the 200m breaststroke world record. His remarkable backend speed will make