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3 months ago
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Aussie swimming superstar Mollie O'Callaghan has hung her latest gold medal around the neck of teammate Jamie Perkins in a touching gesture recognising her friend's role in making the triumph possible.
O'Callaghan was seen hanging the 4x200m freestyle relay Olympic gold medal, the third she has collected from the Paris Games and fifth overall, around the neck of Perkins after which the pair hugged at the edge of the pool.
Perkins was part of the four swimmers in the qualifying heat on Thursday to get Australia into the final but then she and Shayna Jack were replaced by O'Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus for Friday's medal race.
O'Callaghan, Titmus, Lani Pallister and Brianna Throssell swam the final on Friday morning claiming gold and setting a new Olympic record of seven minutes, 38.08 seconds (7:38.08).
After the medal presentation the four Australian women ran from podium to the two teammates who had dropped out for the final and they gave each other hugs.
It was then that O'Callaghan - who herself swam heats for two gold medal relay teams at the Tokyo 2020 but dropped out for finals and did not receive a medal on the podium - hung her gold on Perkins and the two shared a long embrace.
'(This team) means the world to me,' O'Callaghan told Nine afterwards.
'The opportunity to swim alongside the girls and have two [other] girls who swam the heats means the world to me.
O'callaghan (pictured left) along with other finalist teammates Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell and Ariarne Titmus celebrate their triumph on the podium
Australian swimming star Mollie O'Callaghan has hung her latest gold medal around the neck of teammate Jamie Perkins
'I've dreamed of this moment ever since Tokyo, striving to get on this team and doing whatever I can, and to have these girls by me and have their support means the world — I've said that a lot.
'Jamie is my best friend at training. She's there for me. She's been my roommate this whole meet. She has trained her a*** off to get here. She's gone through a back injury, [and] done everything possible.
'I think that gold medal means a lot for me to give to her because it represents what she's been through and she's well deserving of it and they make up the team. If I count, it's all six of us.'
Perkins, who swam in the x200m freestyle relay but dropped out for final was later seen sporting the medal given her
Although heat swimmers do not get a podium presentation at the Olympic Games they are subsequently awarded the medal their team wins.
The 4x200m freestyle relay triumph continues a stellar meet for the Australian women in the pool.
The team has claimed five gold medals out of the eight so far won by Australia at Paris 2024.
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