SINGAPORE -- If Mollie O'Callaghan was exhausted after anchoring Australia to relay gold on night five of the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, then by the time she had powered her way from fourth to second in the dying stages of the women's 100m final just 24 hours later, her eighth and likely final swim of a jam-packed program, there couldn't have been a skerrick of energy left in the tank.
Despite the incredibly taxing nature of her week in Singapore, O'Callaghan very nearly collected a fourth gold medal, only losing out by a blink-and-you-would-have-missed-it 0.12s to defending champion Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands. But hey, silver's not so bad!
"I'm tired," confessed O'Callaghan to broadcaster Nine, moments after pulling herself out of the pool. "I'm not going to lie, last night was a big night. None of those girls [racing in the 100m freestyle final] did what I did last night.
"I'm happy to walk away with a medal. Honestly, I always want to win, but to get on the podium after such a s--- show of a year ... I'm pretty happy."
The fact this result may, to some, feel like a miss for O'Callaghan only highlights the remarkable run she has been on at these world championships and the hefty weight of expectation she now carries, and will continue to carry, into every major race she contests. And that's something that's not going to change any time soon.
Through the first five days of competition, O'Callaghan made three trips to the podium, each time to celebrate a gold medal swim. On opening night, she led Australia to victory in the women's 100m freestyle relay. On night four, she captured the women's 200m freestyle crown, backing up from that famous individual gold in Paris last summer. Then, 24 hours before her swim to silver in the 100m freestyle final, O'Callaghan held American superstar Katie Ledecky at bay to steer Australia to gold in the women's 200m freestyle relay.
At just 21 years of age, O'Callaghan has already built a resume that doesn't look out of place on a shortlist of Australia's greatest swimmers. Her three gold medals in Singapore brought her world championship tally to 11, tying the great Ian Thorpe for the most by an Australian. It seems inevitable she'll continue growing that figure. Where she sets the new bar is anyone's guess.
The same can be said for her Olympic gold medal count. That's currently at five, tied with Thorpe and backstroke star Kaylee McKeown, 24, and just one behind Australia's most decorated Olympian: Emma McKeon. Could she reach seven? eight? 10!? Who knows?
Time is firmly on O'Callaghan's side. There's likely two Olympic cycles in her future: Los Angeles in 2028 and potentially a home Games in Brisbane in 2032. There's an abundance of opportunity to continue building her already jaw-dropping swimming resume. There's seemingly endless possibilities as to the legacy she will leave behind when the day comes that she does decide to hang up the goggles.
But as things stand, O'Callaghan is on 'greatest Australian swimmer of all time' trajectory. It's undeniable.
O'Callaghan's silver wasn't the only medal Australia captured on night six in the pool. The crew of Flynn Southam, Kai Taylor, Maxi Giuliani, and Charlie Hawke winning a brilliant bronze medal in the men's 200m freestyle relay. Great Britain took out the race, just as it did at the championships in Fukuoka two years ago, while the team from China touched just 0.07s ahead of Australian in second.
McKeown qualified fourth-fastest for the final of the women's 200m backstroke. The five-time Olympic champion is looking to complete the world championship double this week, having taken out the 100m race on night three of competition. She will race the likes of American pair Regan Smith and Claire Curzon, as well as China's Xuwei Peng for gold in Saturday evening's final.
Australian 50m freestyle specialist Cameron McEvoy also punched his ticket to the medal race of his pet event, qualifying with the best time across the two semifinals.
Here's how night six in Singapore unfolded: