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2 months ago
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Aussie swimming star Cate Campbell's Olympics sledging of the US team has got her into a war of words with American pool legend Michael Phelps - and she's pretty happy about it.
Australia got the better of their rivals at last year's world championships, but were left upset when American broadcaster NBC changed their own medal tally graphic to put the US on top, despite Australia boasting a superior gold medal count of 13 to seven.
Campbell, who recently just missed out on qualification for Paris, took aim at the Americans in an interview with Channel Nine's Today show after the world championships, calling the Americans 'sore losers'.
With the US team kicking off their trials last week, American swimming star Lily King and Phelps were shown the clip as NBC hyped up the rivalry.
Cate Campbell (pictured) ignited a feud with the US following the world championships - and she says the fiery rivalry is good for the sport
Michael Phelps (pictured) said he would watch Campbell's sledge 'every single day' to get motivated if he was swimming in Paris
And an astonished Phelps revealed what he would do as an athlete after watching the clip.
'Wow. That's the first time I saw this,' said Phelps.
'I would watch that thing every single day to give me that little extra [motivation].'
King said: 'It's just funny to me that it gets on their nerves that much. That's amusing.
'Is it going to be worse if they beat us than somebody else? Yeah. I'm glad everyone is jealous of the pride that we have for our country.
'We like each other, but we want to kill each other when we're in the pool.'
On Monday morning, Campbell appeared on Today once again and kept stirring up the Americans.
'Who knew a couple of comments said in jest [could] have stirred up all this trouble. But ultimately, that's kind of what we love about sport,' she said.
Campbell said she regrets mentioning the Star Spangled Banner, but maintains that 'a little bit of trash talk never hurt anyone'
'It's the rivalries that get everyone going that gets the fire in the belly.
'Australia has had such a long rivalry with the US and a little bit of trash talk never hurt anyone.
'We're up against a country of 350 million people – there's 27 million people here in Australia.
'It's so satisfying when we can get one up over the big dogs … and Australia loves being the underdog. We thrive on that.
'Maybe the Americans thrive on the fire in their belly and getting really patriotic.'
'I know I brought in the Star Spangled Banner, and that was a big mistake, but if you want to have a go at Advance Australia Fair, I kind of don't mind.
'We have one of the least sexy words in the English language in it - girt. That probably only comes behind words like moist and secrete. Go for your life.
'But you know what? I'm still a very proud Australian and I will sing that anthem so proudly for the rest of my life.'
Today host Karl Stefanovic called Phelps an 'absolute tosser' and asked Campbell to send the swimming great one last final message.
'There's no message ... I'm doing the talking, he's doing the talking, but the Australian Dolphins and the US swim team, they're going to be doing the action in the swimming pool,' Campbell said.
Australia has beaten the US twice at the world championships, but haven't managed to top their Olympic Games medal haul since Melbourne 1956.
English (US)