Australian swimmers to face United States rivals as Duel in the Pool returns

Anyone with a memory that stretches back to the Sydney 2000 Olympics will recall it as one of the highlights.

In the men's 4x100 metres freestyle relay — an event the United States had won every time it had been contested since the 1964 Olympics — Australia ended the unbeaten record of the Americans on the opening night of the swimming program.

The Australian quartet's celebration gave the event its own name, known both in Australia and the US as the «air guitar race».

Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim, Chris Fydler and Ashley Callus had strummed imaginary guitars as they looked over to the beaten Americans, particularly Gary Hall Jr.

When asked about the Australian swimming team in the lead-up to the Sydney Olympics, Hall Jr — known for his outgoing personality and ability to generate headlines — said he believed the US would «smash them like guitars» when they met in the pool.

How words can come back go bite. The packed-to-the-rafters pool deck in Homebush was pumping, with everybody there that night on their feet.

It was swimming's equivalent of an AC/DC concert. In true sportsmanship, Hall Jr was the first to congratulate the Australians after their victory.

From that moment emerged a biennial series known as the Duel in the Pool, with Australia's best taking on their US rivals on three occasions between 2003 and 2007.

The US later competed against teams from Europe and the rest of the world.

The Duel in the Pool will be brought back to life at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre in August. It will feature a few innovations, including an open-water relay at the iconic Bondi Beach.

In announcing the news from Bondi, Swimming Australia (SA) chief executive Eugenie Buckley described it as a «return of swimming's most celebrated rivalry».

«A