The Australian swimming team are back on top after a blockbuster opening night at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland, with the Women’s 4×100 relay taking the gold and smashing the world record.
Australia won three gold medals on the first night of racing with the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team’s record breaking win in a time almost a full second ahead of the record set by the Netherlands five years ago. The team included Bronte Campbell, Melanie Schlanger, Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell who won in a time of 3:30.98.
“To quote Muhammed Ali, we are the greatest,” Cate Campbell said. “I said if we ever broke the world record that would be the line to use.”
Australia’s newest swim star, Emma McKeon who swam the third leg of the relay in her third race of the night, also claimed victory in the 200m freestyle and qualified fourth fastest in the 100m butterfly.
It was a family affair for the McKeon’s with Emma following in the footsteps of her father Ron McKeon who won the 200m freestyle gold medal at the Commonwealth Games exactly 36 years ago in Edmonton. Emma’s older brother David McKeon added to the tally with a silver medal swim in the 400m freestyle.
Australians who will race for gold tonight night include 100m backstrokers Mitch Larkin, Josh Beaver and Ben Treffers and 50m butterflyers Jayden Hadler and Chris Wright.
Image credit: via news.com.au