SINGAPORE -- Australia didn't have the luxury of rolling out superstar Ariarne Titmus in the women's 200m freestyle relay final on Thursday evening; the world record holder in the individual event taking a much-publicized swimming hiatus in 2025. But had they done, it would have been exactly that: a luxury. They simply didn't need her.
Instead, the reshaped Dolphins team of Lani Pallister, Jamie Perkins, Brittany Castelluzzo, and Mollie O'Callaghan emulated what was achieved by the Titmus-anchored team in Paris last summer, stopping the clock in a time of 7:39.35 to continue their recent dominance in the 16-lap event.
It wasn't a blowout by any stretch, the American team of Katie Ledecky, Claire Weinstein, Erin Gemmell, and Anna Peplowski riding shotgun early and even leading late. They touched the wall just 0.66s adrift, ahead of the Chinese squad in third place. But the Australians never panicked, nor did they appear flustered. And they always seemed to have the answers to whatever challenge their old rivals in the pool threw down.
Pallister out-split Weinstein, the bronze medallist in the 200m freestyle individual final just 24 hours earlier, in the lead-off leg. A lightning final 50m from Castelluzzo then ensured O'Callaghan, the champion in that aforementioned 200m race, would dive into the pool with a comfortable body-length lead over American great Katie Ledecky. It's bold to ever claim Ledecky has no chance in a swimming race, but when she's starting behind O'Callaghan over the 200m distance, it's simply game over.
"In my mind, as soon as Mollie dives in, I know we've won it," said Pallister. "I have so much confidence in her and her abilities and seeing her do her thing in the 200m is always so wicked. Having her anchor was the best thing for our confidence."
Australia's latest triumph was the nation's fifth gold medal in the pool at this meet, and the third that's come courtesy of a relay team. Both Australia's men and women prevailed on night one in the 100m freestyle relay finals.
JUST LIKE AT the Olympic Games 12 months ago, Kyle Chalmers didn't win the men's 100m freestyle final in Singapore. But what he did on Thursday evening at the world championships was further cement himself as Australia's greatest swimming sprinter.
Chalmers, the oldest man in an incredibly deep field, once again showed up when his number was called upon in a major international race. The South Australian won bronze with a swim of 47.17s, beaten only by Romanian David Popovici, who produced the second-fastest time ever seen in swimming's blue-riband event (46.51s), and American Jack Alexy (46.92s).
Few have represented the green and gold, in any sport, with more pride over the years than Chalmers, who inevitably rises for the sport's grandest of occasions. We witnessed it on opening night in Singapore, the 27-year-old anchoring Australia to an unexpected gold in the men's 100m freestyle relay with a scintillating split of 46.53s. In the 100m final, he produced again, ensuring he earned yet another trip to the podium.
"It's incredible. 46.5 is insane. It was the fastest race in history to make it through that final, and I really believe that anyone could have won that race," said Chalmers. "To get on the podium is so special."
It's been almost a decade since Chalmers burst onto the swim scene, winning gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Since then, he's backed it up with silver medal swims in Tokyo and Paris, just the third man in history to stand on the podium three times for this event at the Games. He also won the event at the world championships in Fukuoka two years ago.
His performance on Thursday evening continued a streak of never missing the top three in the race at major international meet level, a remarkable feat in what's arguably swimming toughest and most competitive event.
Also on night five in the pool, French superstar Leon Marchand stormed to gold in the men's 200m individual medley. The four-time Olympic champion from Paris had obliterated Ryan Lochte's world record in the semifinals 24 hours earlier with a 1:52.61, but settled for the second-fastest time in the event's history in the final: a 1:53.68.
Summer McIntosh continued her golden run in Singapore, winning her third race of the meet. The Canadian blew the field away in the women's 200m butterfly, winning by three seconds from American Regan Smith, who also finished runner-up in the women's 50m backstroke later in the program. Australia's Elizabeth Dekkers took bronze in the butterfly for the second world championships in succession.
McIntosh is looking to emulate Michael Phelps' achievement of winning five individual events this week in Singapore, now only requiring gold in the 800m freestyle -- where's she'll square off with Ledecky -- and 400m individual medley.
Here's how night five at the world championships unfolded: