Australia’s women’s 4x200m freestyle relay squad secured the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
This marks Australia’s eighth gold medal at the Games.
The Dolphins team, consisting of Mollie O’Callaghan, Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell, and Ariarne Titmus, finished the race in seven minutes 40.33 seconds.
The United States captured the silver, while China took home the bronze.
Queen Mary of Denmark, a Tasmania-born royal distantly related to Ariarne Titmus, was present for the race and joined the team in celebration as they approached the stands to greet friends and family.
Just before the Games, Titmus shared, ‘We’re actually cousins in a distant, roundabout sort of way.’
‘One of my dad’s cousins is married to Mary’s cousin, which is quite amusing considering the long-standing joke that everyone from Tasmania is somehow connected!’
Mary also shared a heartfelt hug with O’Callaghan and took photos with the gold medallists. Aussie swimming legend Cate Campbell noted during Channel Nine’s coverage that the usual royal gestures of curtsying and handshaking were dismissed in the excitement of the moment.
Australia have won gold again in the swimming pool in the 4x200m women’s freestyle final
The quartet had a very famous fan in Queen Mary of Denmark – a distant relation of Ariarne Titmus – who celebrated with the gold medallists after the race (pictured)
Queen Mary shared a long hug with Titmus (left) and the pair were all smiles as the Aussies rushed to the stands to embrace their friends and loved ones
Ariarne Titmus brought the gold medal home as the Aussies smashed the Olympic record
O’Callaghan has now claimed three gold medals in Paris, previously winning with the women’s 4x100m freestyle team and in the 200m freestyle event, bringing her total Olympic golds to five.
Titmus, who triumphed in the 400m freestyle on Saturday, has two golds in Paris and four overall in her Olympic career.
‘Moll [O’Callaghan] was saying some strong words in my ear behind the block, and I feel really proud of this group,’ Titmus expressed following their victory.
‘We’ve been aiming for this for a long time. I was frustrated with how I performed in Tokyo; I felt like I let the team down, so this was personal for me to return and truly contribute to the team, but also to do it for our country.’
At the Tokyo Games, the Australians finished behind both China and the USA, trailing the Americans by nearly a second.
This relay win represents the first Olympic gold for Pallister, who is debuting at the Games and overcame COVID-19 that had forced her to withdraw from the 1500m freestyle earlier in the competition.
‘I cried my heart out. When I got COVID, I genuinely thought I’d be completely out of that relay,’ Pallister admitted.
Pictured left to right: Mollie O’Callaghan, Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell and Ariarne Titmus salute the crowd as they take to the podium to receive their medals
Titmus said winning the race turned into a ‘personal vendetta’ for her after she felt she let the team down in the event at the Tokyo Games in 2021
Titmus is embraced by Brianna Throssell following the team’s victory in Paris
Throssell, a veteran of national swim teams for the past twelve years, is a dual Olympic gold medallist.
However, she feels like a first-time champion, having previously earned gold only for a heat swim during Australia’s winning women’s 4x100m medley team at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
‘Standing on the podium makes it extra special being part of the final team,’ she remarked.
Queen Mary exhibited her Australian spirit when she visited the green and gold athletes in the village before attending the opening ceremony.
Despite her official commitment to Denmark, the Australian-born royal took time to show her support for Team Australia.
At 52, Mary renounced her Australian citizenship in 2004 after marrying King Frederik X.
Queen Mary took time out to visit Aussie athletes in the village (pictured) before she and her husband King Frederik X attended the opening ceremony
She met with her husband in the lead-up to the opening event but made a special visit to greet the Australian team.
Photos shared by the Australian Olympic Team’s official Instagram page showed Queen Mary mingling with the athletes in the village.
The post stated, ‘Royalty in the Village! Australian-born Queen Mary of Denmark joined the athletes in the Olympic Village.’
Chef de mission Anna Meares added, ‘Once an Aussie, always an Aussie… and the Danish Queen,’ alongside a photo of her with Mary.
Australia’s swimming team has claimed five of the nation’s eight golds in Paris.
The 4x200m team joins Australia’s women’s 4x100m freestyle relay squad, Titmus (women’s 400m freestyle), O’Callaghan (women’s 200m freestyle), and Kaylee McKeown (women’s 100m backstroke) as gold medallists in Paris.
