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It’s a couple of hours after the Commonwealth Games swimming meet. The Australian team converges on a back pavilion to hoot and holler and hand out a few gongs in an in-house presentation ceremony. The late-night silence is broken by the old refrain of Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi oi. It sounds less grating when athletes do it. Of the 52 finals at Birmingham’s Sandwell Aquatics Centre, Australia won 25, grabbing 20 silver and 20 bronze for good measure. On closing night Mollie O’Callaghan finished her evolution from rising star to shooting star by grabbing her fifth gold in the medley relay. “Pretty epic,” the 18-year-old said. “We all crushed it this week.”

The finishing line at the 2022 Commonwealth Games is rapidly approaching, and so is a 1000th gold medal for Australia. No Commonwealth nation has won 1000 gold medals since the whole shebang started at the British Empire Games way back in 1930.

Schoolgirl sees off idol McKeon to seal epic victory The giant-killing moment that brought down Emma McKeon could well be the making of Mollie O’Callaghan . McKeon is now the most decorated athlete in Commonwealth Games history, but O’Callaghan showed little respect for reputation. The 18-year-old Queenslander’s stunning win over her idol in the prized 100m freestyle was a clear shot fired in a potential changing of the guard.

The Aussies have added 17 medals to their tally, with four gold, six silver and seven bronze on Day 6 in Birmingham. Our swimmers capped off their dominance in the pool with nine more medals, three each of gold, silver and bronze.

Chris McHugh and Paul Burnett have topped their pool at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, after a hard fought win over Rwanda 2-0 (21-16, 21-18). The Aussie duo will head into the quarterfinals as one of the top ranked teams, and their eyes firmly set on a podium finish. Commonwealth Games debutant Burnett said he was pleased to be able to deliver another win. “They played really well, they didn’t give up and they didn’t give it easy to us,” Burnett said “When our backs are against the wall, we don’t really have a choice but to push hard. It’s good to see that we were able to respond to that pressure today too,” McHugh said.

In what was a history-making night in Birmingham, the Australian Swimming team picked up a staggering 17 medals, six of which were gold.“It feels amazing – it was so good to execute that race when I needed to, I’m so happy,” Dekkers said. “I’m extremely happy. It’s still sinking in, but I’ve definitely still got a long way to improve. This is just the beginning for me,” O’Callaghan said.

IT took another superstar to beat her, but Kaylee McKeown can hold her head proud after delivering one of the gutsiest performances of her career. Battling injuries and exhaustion, McKeown came agonisingly close to completing the hardest double in elite swimming – winning the 200m backstroke and 200m individual medley – within a 40-minute spanIT took another superstar to beat her, but Kaylee McKeown can hold her head proud after delivering one of the gutsiest performances of her career. Battling injuries and exhaustion, McKeown came agonisingly close to completing the hardest double in elite swimming – winning the 200m backstroke and 200m individual medley – within a 40-minute span.

McKeon is a woman of contrasts. She looks like the most timid swimmer on the pool deck but then competes until her last breath. She’s ambitious and motivated but then becomes politely embarrassed by the attention her successes attract. “I love her,” Titmus said after anchoring the McKeon-less 4x200m freestyle relay team to a sensational world record and gold medal on night three of the swimming finals at Sandwell Aquatics Centre. “When I first made the Dolphins team as a young 16-year-old, she kind of took me under her wing. “We were roomies and I learned a lot from her. She’s probably the most humble athlete around. She’s so understated and just goes about her business. I believe she deserves it more than anyone. She’s a silent assassin. She goes out there and does her job, and we’re all so proud of her. No one deserves it more.”

Australia has cracked the ton, surpassing 100 medals at Birmingham. Day 5’s events saw 11 gold, 12 silver and 12 bronze added to the tally, bringing the total to 106 medals.

Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar kept the momentum rolling into their second game of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The Aussie pair were all class, with a convincing straight sets win over Trinidad and Tobago 2:0 (21-6, 21-7). “It felt like another step forward from our last game, which is good, that’s what we want to do,” Clancy said.