McIntosh: “Our Big Goal Was To Break That World Record” (World Championships Flash Quotes)

2025 World Championships

• July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
• Singapore, Singapore
• World Aquatics Championships Arena
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• How To Watch
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Entry Book
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

The 2025 World Championships are in full swing, and tonight in Singapore, finals unfolded in the women’s 200 butterfly, men’s 200 IM, men’s 100 freestyle, women’s 50 backstroke, and women’s 4×200 freestyle relay.

Hear what the medalists had to say after their races, with quotes courtesy of World Aquatics. For SwimSwam’s full session recap, refer to the bullet points above.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Record: 2:01.81, Liu Zige (CHN) – 2009
• World Junior Record: 2:03.03, Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2024
• Championship Record: 2:03.41, Jessicah Schipper (AUS) – 2009
• 2023 World Champion: Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2:04.06
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2:03.03

1. Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2:01.99 CR
2. Regan Smith (USA), 2:04.99
3. Elizabeth Dekkers (AUS), 2:06.12
4. Yu Zidi (CHN), 2:06.43
5. Helena Rosendahl Bach (DEN), 2:07.47
6. Caroline Bricker (USA), 2:07.59
7. Emily Richards (GBR), 2:07.99
8. Ellen Walshe (IRL), 2:08.34

GOLD – Summer McIntosh (CAN):

On aiming for a world record:

“Going into tonight, my coach and I, our big goal was to break that world record. It’s what I’ve been training for. To see that I missed it by that little, and I know that I messed up the last 15 metres of my race… Overall, happy with the time and a PB, but I didn’t reach my goal tonight. Happy with the gold, happy with the win, just going to keep pushing forward.

“It’s still a PB, and PBs are hard to come by when you reach this level of the sport. Have to be happy with that. This gives me a lot of confidence with my fly, and I felt so strong throughout the entire race. Heading into the 800m tomorrow and of course the 400IM on the last day, I’m really excited for it.

“It was a night in which we were aiming for the world record, which often I don’t really focus on, but to see how close I was to breaking it and not getting it, I mean, I’m a little bit frustrated, but I can’t be too hard on myself. It’s still a personal best time, and I’m dropping time for a time that I went just over a month ago, so I have to be decently happy with it.”

SILVER – Regan Smith (USA):

On a tight turnaround between her races: 

“Doubles are never easy, but I’m grateful that it was just a 50m backstroke, not 100m or 200m. And the ready room for the 50m is really fun. There are a lot of great girls in there and I love swimming with Katharine, so they gave me the energy to do what I needed to do. And I’m just excited to hear the anthem tonight.”

On her time:

“I thought that 2:04 was going to be my ceiling this year because I’ve been really candid about my lack of aerobic training this year and I’ve been dealing with a lot of the crap that we went through in Thailand, so I didn’t know what I would be able to put together because sometimes my 200 fly can be a little all over the place anyway. But again, I was just thinking if I could put together a really good race, I think I’ll be 2:04, so it was 2:04.99, I hit the wall and I was like, ‘Okay! I will gladly take that.’”

BRONZE – Elizabeth Dekkers (AUS):

On the race: 

“While that’s not the best race I’ve put together, I’m pretty happy with that, considering the prep, and I’m really happy right now.

“It was definitely tough, you know, I was on break. I was getting ready to not race for six months or so. So it was definitely a mindset shift. But at the end of the day, this wasn’t an opportunity I was going to pass up. The world champs don’t come around all that often, so I just got up and got ready and just put no expectations on it.”

On the importance of being mentally ready to race: 

“That’s definitely the most important part of racing, because my prep into this, physically, I’m not at my best, so I knew that mentally I had to be there. I just think that I love racing, and that’s why we all do this, because there’s something about standing behind the blocks that we all love. So I just tried to channel that and just do it.”

On a podium finish: 

“The time wasn’t anything amazing, but just to get on that podium with those girls… It’s a pretty impressive field, so I’m really happy and just thankful for family and friends, and staff that’s supported me.”

On racing Summer McIntosh (CAN): 

“Racing her is amazing. I think getting the opportunity to race the best every time just makes me want to push harder. Especially considering she’s so young and so amazing, she really is inspiring. My reaction was ‘Oh my goodness’,  I did not think anyone would go that fast.”

MEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• World Record: 1:52.69, Leon Marchand (FRA) – 2025
• World Junior Record: 1:56.99, Hubert Kos (HUN) – 2021
• Championship Record: 1:52.69, Leon Marchand (FRA) – 2025
• 2023 World Champion: Leon Marchand (FRA), 1:54.82
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Leon Marchand (FRA), 1:54.06

1. Leon Marchand (FRA), 1:53.68
2. Shaine Casas (USA), 1:54.30
3. Hubert Kos (HUN), 1:55.34
4. Duncan Scott (GBR), 1:56.32
5. Lewis Clareburt (NZL), 1:57.06
6. Tomoyuki Matsushita (JPN), 1:57.52
7. Wang Shun (CHN), 1:57.92
8. Kosuke Makino (JPN), 1:59.25

GOLD – Leon MARCHAND (FRA):

On whether he was expecting this meet to be this special:

“No, definitely not. I mean, this year has been up and down all the time — like every other athlete, I would say. But I’m just so happy to be at my highest level right now, competing in front of this pretty cool crowd. It’s been really good, so thank you guys. I’m just thankful for my coaches and my staff behind me.”

On how special the semi-finals and final have been:

“Tonight was very special for me. I mean, the podium is basically Bob Bowman’s team. That’s pretty special. I’m so happy to race those guys at their best level. It’s been great to race here.”

On how breaking the WR yesterday and how it felt today: 

“Yeah, I felt so excited yesterday that I couldn’t sleep, so I was enjoying the moment too, yesterday a lot. So I think I lost a lot of energy yesterday night, but it was my goal to break the record, so I was really happy with it. And then today was a different mood. I would say, I was going for the title, and I was racing my teammates during the heats, so that was pretty fun. 3 of my teammates, and we’re sharing the podium together, that’s just showing how good coach (Bob) Bowman is in swimming.”

On coming back after last night: 

“It was a bit tough today… but it was great. Honestly, it was really fun, I enjoyed it again. I tried to relax a bit, watched some videos, read a little, tried to calm down… but it wasn’t easy. I think I got up around 12.30 today, so it took the whole day to really wake up. It was a bit rough, especially before a final — there’s still a title on the line. I know Shaine always goes out super fast, so I knew I wouldn’t be far off from him. It was a battle all the way to the end, so that was cool for me.

“Now, when I look at my pace over the first 50 metres, I’m already almost going all out. It’s kind of fun to test how far I can push like that — like, can I really finish a 200 metres going out that fast? I still think I’m missing a bit of endurance, like in the 400 IM last night. I feel like I could’ve closed a little stronger.

“Maybe next time… even if the next time is in a few years, who knows. But it’s an event where I’m improving pretty fast. I’ve got good benchmarks now, so that’s encouraging.

On last night’s record-breaking swim: 

“The thing is, falling asleep in 30 minutes? Impossible. After the race, I missed the train — I just kept thinking about everything. I replay the race in my head, go over the conversations I had with my family, the coaches, and all that. It’s like that every time. I just hope I can feel a bit fresher than usual after the 400 on day one. That’s usually the hardest part for me.

“It’s still a whole new challenge. I know I’ve gained a lot of power, but I’m not sure yet if it makes a big difference over the 400. We’ll see…”

Nicolas Castel, head coach of FRA:

On Leon Marchand‘s performance:

“It’s another big performance from Léon tonight. It was a very well-executed race, controlled from start to finish. It’s also his third title in the 200-metre individual medley, which shows how consistent he is at the highest level. He used up a lot of energy yesterday to go after that record — it took a toll. He had trouble falling asleep after the race, the excitement was still there. So we had to adjust his schedule this morning and let him sleep in to recover as best as possible.”

SILVER – Shaine Casas (USA):

On his performance:

“Little bit tired, but confident. That was my first great swim in probably three years. So I’m pretty happy with that.”

On what’s next:

“(The next race) is the 100m butterfly tomorrow morning. Honestly, just keep moving forward and building off of this. I feel like I am starting to get back into the rhythm of being an elite athlete and a high-level performer. That’s my first step. Just keep getting better.”

On the race: 

“Everybody saw what happened last night, so that was definitely kind of on my mind. You know how talented and great Leon is, but you know, I just kept telling myself that I’m a great competitor and I’m at the same level, maybe a little bit a little bit back. But you know, we keep working and pushing towards getting to that mark as well. But I was pretty happy with that race. I feel like that’s got to be one of the most competitive races in a long time, so I thought that was great to be a part of.

“I’m grateful for, you know, this new change that I have being with Bob (BOWMAN). Those guys are my teammates. So there was not really this feeling of envy or any frustration, or any ill feelings toward each other. I was hoping they would swim well, and I’m sure they were hoping I would swim well. You could change out in any order, any of us Texas guys, and I’d probably be okay with that. At the end of the day, I did everything I could leading up to this meet. So I’m pretty content with where I’m at.”

On racing Leon Marchand: 

“He went for it yesterday, so I know he got the time out of his head, and he just wanted to race tonight. I just wanted to race as well. I wish I was a little bit closer. I wish that I would have pushed it a little bit harder. But, you know, a best time, two best times in 24 hours, and the last time was three years ago. I can’t really ask for anymore.”

On his coach, Bob Bowman: 

“He brings competitiveness and determination and grit out of you. And if you want it, you’ll get it, and if you don’t, then you’ll stay where you’re at.”

On showing what he’s capable of: 

“I’ve always known that I can do it. I know the narrative of what’s followed me over the years and although I disagree with it, I understood where it was coming from. I don’t fault them for saying that, but you know I stuck to who I am. And now, the swims are showing who I am, and I’m sure it’ll flip now and they’ll be like, Oh, you can show up, you can ball out.”

BRONZE – Hubert Kos (HUN): 

On swimming a double: 

“I gotta say I’m pretty tired after that. It was a tough double. I think Hugo Gonzalez (ESP) was the last guy to do it. And I’m not sure, but I can see why people don’t usually do that double. It’s kinda hard, but really happy with the result. I know coach Bob Bowman wanted me to go a bit faster on that backstroke. But we’re working on it, and tomorrow’s a new day. So if I want to win, if I want to do well in that event — these guys have gone really, really fast over the past year – I’ll definitely have to improve my best if I wanna do well there.”

On sharing a podium with his teammates:

“So special. That moment only comes around once in a lifetime. To have that and to be there with the only three Texas guys – because something happened to Carson (FOSTER,USA), we’re not quite sure yet what it was – it was absolutely amazing and a really, really special moment.

On the 200m IM final:

“Back to my roots. So I returned to the event where I made my first world championship final, and really, really glad to get a medal out of it. It’s hard not to medal if you’re in a training group like what we have. So I was really, really happy with the whole night.”

On the race:

“I knew my race plan ahead of time, and I knew that Leon MARCHAND (FRA) would probably just be a lot faster than anybody else. And I wasn’t expecting to be anywhere close to him. And yeah, I saw Shaine (CASAS, USA) on the last turn and that he was ahead. So, I knew that I was fighting for the bronze and I was happy to win it.”

On Leon Marchand‘s 1:52.69 world record: 

“I’m still trying to find the words. That kept me awake last night, so still trying to process that. That was amazing.”

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 46.40, Pan Zhanle (CHN) – 2024
• World Junior Record: 46.86, David Popovici (ROU) – 2022
• Championship Record: 46.80, Pan Zhanle (CHN) – 2024
• 2023 World Champion: Kyle Chalmers (AUS), 47.15
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Pan Zhanle (CHN), 46.40

1. David Popovici (ROU), 46.51 CR
2. Jack Alexy (USA), 46.92
3. Kyle Chalmers (AUS), 47.17
4. Gui Caribe (BRA), 47.35
5. Egor Kornev (NAB), 47.51
6. Patrick Sammon (USA), 47.58
7. Maxime Grousset (FRA), 47.59
8. Matt Richards (GBR), 47.74

GOLD – David Popovici (ROU):

On the race:

“In a few words, I am really happy to be here. It is as simple as that. With regards to the race, I think the one who wins is the one who can detach themselves from their competitors. So I managed to build walls between each of my lanes and imagined I was swimming alone.

“I’d like to think I was very prepared to execute that. You know what was actually going through my mind exactly when I swam. It was, don’t look at the others. Try not to think of what Kyle is doing. Try not to look to the left for what Jack is doing. Just focus on your own lane. Imagine I have some walls right up on each lane, you know, and so I don’t see what the others are doing. So I managed to focus on what I had to do. And I delivered.”

On the elements of the race that helped him:

“I improved my underwater the most from last year, and what I did differently in the 200 and the 100, especially, was the length of the stroke. These are boring, nerdy facts for swimmers, but for me, it works. Like I said, I am just really happy to be here more than any title at any time.”

On how he would rate the win: 

“I’d say tonight was a 10 out of 10. I’m not one to say that. You never have a 10, but I think today was a 10 out of 10. I’ll enjoy that and I’ll celebrate the party.”

On swimmers next to him:

“Yeah, well, I saw Kyle (Chalmers), obviously, because he was on the side I was breathing on. But at the same time, I really focused to not think of him, not to think of Jack (Alexy) on my left. Not to think of anyone from the outer lanes. I tried doing me and it worked. And I think the one who on that particular day manages to be the most detached, usually touches first and today thankfully, I was pretty detached.

On his time:

“I didn’t expect the 46.5. That was pretty fast. I mean, I’m also surprising myself a little bit. I’m surprised, but not shocked, because I have sort of scratched these times in training, so I knew what I was capable of. It was just a matter of how can I be less afraid of reaching my own potential.  So, when I really realised that I’ve got nothing to be scared of and that I’m a good swimmer. I realised I can do this. These thoughts (of not being good) crawl up all the time on me, and even on Phelps or Marchand and any other swimmer, athlete, or human being.”

On mindset:

“That I shouldn’t focus on the other guys and I should just do me. I should do what I train for, and I should do what I know to do. So basically, nothing fancy. It was forget the others, I’m here alone. I can do this, just be present.

On what he felt when he touched the wall:

“Well, I heard the roar. I saw instantly that I was first, but I heard the roar first, so I was curious, ‘Okay, what time did I get?’ I mean, that’s a huge roar. Did I break the world record or not? Was I close? And so when I saw that, what time, what good time I had. I was relieved and happy, obviously. And frankly, I’m happy that I didn’t break the world record today. I’m happy that I’ve gotten closer to it, but this way I have something to look forward to. And so, that’ll keep me alert going on.”

On what’s next:

“I don’t know, but I usually don’t know. But I know what the next immediate plans are, which is have a big holiday, go on the beach, lay on my back, celebrate accordingly, have some fun, get my motorcycle licence, learn to cook, drive my fast car. Enjoy life a little because it’s not all about swimming. So, in order to do this. A happy swimmer, is a fast swimmer, you know?”

SILVER – Jack Alexy (USA):

On the race:

“It was pretty good. I mean, I can’t really complain. That was my second-best time of all time. (Swam) 46.81 last night. 46.92 again tonight under some pressure. Really happy with the swim, happy with my finish there. Obviously, would have loved to win, but it was really fun racing some of the fastest guys in the world.”

On his pre-race plan:

“The plan is to walk in there and appreciate the moment. I’ve dreamt of competing at these world championship meets and representing Team USA since I was a kid. I was talking to David in the ready room, and we were wishing each other good luck, but also (talking about) putting on a good show for the fans and having lots of fun.

On being on the podium:

“After missing the podium last year at the Paris Olympics, in the individual event, it definitely feels great to be back on the podium. And it’s great because it gives me something else to work towards, which is to get the gold medal in the individual race. I am really grateful for where I’m at right now and always hungry for more.”

On his preparation for the 50 free:

“Right now, I’m just gonna warm down, recover, and get ready for the 50m free prelims tomorrow. Hopefully, have some good prelims and good semi-finals tomorrow night and work our way up on the podium in that race as well.”

BRONZE – Kyle Chalmers (AUS):

On the race: 

“I was never going to swim 46.5, or around that mark unfortunately. I would have loved to see 46 next to my name, but I’m really, really proud of that performance, and to come away with a medal in such a stacked final is something I’m extremely proud of.”

On the speed of this event: 

“Those guys saw a 46.4 last year, and everyone’s been training and believing they can swim 46 now, and 46 has become the new normal. It’s amazing how stacked that race is now.

On his approach to racing now:

“Stick to what I’ve been practising every single day and training like I was very close to stepping away from the sport in January. I’m lucky to have a physiologist and coach who really believe in me and have been able to change my training dramatically… going from like nine sessions a week, 50 kilometres, sort of weeks, to now doing once a day, probably topping at 20 kilometres per week.

“Just kind of reinventing myself in the sport and finding a new way to swim fast. It’s been really exciting, and I’m just really grateful to have a really supportive team that believe in me, or probably believe in me more than I have believed in myself since Paris last year. It’s quite challenging to be beaten by a whole second in an Olympic final and then try and reset and believe you can be good enough to continue to compete in that event.

“I still want to compete in the hundreds, so I know that I still have to do some volume, but it’s about trusting in my physiologist and him writing the programme. He doesn’t come from a swimming background at all. He comes from a cycling, running background. So a lot of the work we’re doing is based around what Australia’s elite cyclists and runners have done in their preparation for the Olympics. So if a swimmer were to read the programmes that I’ve been doing in training, I think it would make no sense to them.

“But I’m loving doing something so different that’s stimulating my brain. I’ve been doing this sport for so long, training the exact same way, the exact same scheduled times, everything for so long that to be able to just get up in the morning now, have a coffee, do some farm work… kind of go down to training around 11am.

“I swim by myself pretty well, with the public swimmers in the middle of the day. But I’m really loving doing that because I have to focus completely on myself. I’m not focusing on racing the person next to me or what other people are doing. I’m focusing on my technique, and my skill execution and my stroke rate and things that I know is going to make me be able to compete with these guys when it matters most in LA.”

WOMEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 26.86, Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 2023
• World Junior Record: 27.49, Minna Atherton (AUS) – 2016
• Championship Record: 27.06, Zhao Jing (CHN) – 2009
• 2023 World Champion: Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 27.08

1. Katharine Berkoff (USA), 27.08
2. Regan Smith (USA), 27.25
3. Wan Letian (CHN), 27.30
4. Kylie Masse (CAN), 27.33
5. Lauren Cox (GBR), 27.36
6. Alina Gaifutdinova (NAB), 27.44
7. Analia Pigree (FRA), 27.47
8. Ingrid Wilm (CAN), 27.56

GOLD – Katharine Berkoff (USA):

On how she’s feeling:

“I’m super excited. It’s been a goal of mine for a long time, and it’s great to finally achieve that.

“It’s definitely a huge accomplishment, been a dream of mine for a while, and I’m super excited to finally accomplish one of those dreams, so it feels really good.”

“I was surprised when I saw my time. Especially after how last night felt, I was not feeling super optimistic. So I was super relieved and excited. It’s a good moment.”

On how she gets such clean races:

“I think it’s just every day in practice, working on those little details. My start has gotten a lot better this year, so I think that has helped improve my race a lot.”

On sharing the podium with Regan Smith:

“She’s awesome to have in the ready room. We always had a lot of fun together, so it’s great to share the podium with her.

“Regan and I share the podium a lot, so it’s really awesome to be on there with her. We have a really good relationship, so it’s really nice to share it with someone I care about.”

On expecting a win today:

“Honestly, I did not think I would go that fast tonight. It’s been a really tough week, and so when I saw my time I was pretty shocked. I’m not gonna lie, so I was super happy with it.”

On swimming back-to-back events:

“I think just with everything that’s happened, two races in a day is really hard for me, so those semi-finals were really rough. But having that 24-hour break was huge. And just like with the final of the 100 (backstroke) and the final of the 50 back, I felt immensely better. So I think that break really helped get me to this point.

“It’s always, really fun racing Regan and we race each other all the time, and we have a really good relationship so that ready room is always fun and relaxing, and I think it helps both of us to have each other in there.”

On the depth of the pool affecting her swim:

“Definitely helped. I mean, I do think it probably affects like female backstroke less than like a male butterfly or something. But I think why not make the pool as fast as it can be. So having it be faster here, I’ll take it.

On illness in the USA camp:

“I mean, it was really tough. Like, there were a few days I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to race, so it was definitely a rocky road, but super glad to be where I’m at right now and feel healthy again.”

“I just think our resilience speaks for itself, and we’ve got better as the meet’s gone on. Everyone’s gotten a little healthier. So I just think it’s been a really good test as to why we swim and why we do what we do. It was pretty bad, I’m not gonna lie, but I feel so much better today. Each day has gotten a little easier in the past few days. So it’s been good.

SILVER – Regan Smith (USA):

On a tight turnaround: 

“Doubles are never easy, but I’m grateful that it was just a 50m backstroke, not 100m or 200m. And the ready room for the 50m is really fun. There are a lot of great girls in there and I love swimming with Katharine, so they gave me the energy to do what I needed to do. And I’m just excited to hear the anthem tonight.”

On the USA one-two finish:

“Really special and a long time coming, I think, and Katharine is such a beast in this event. And I know that this is her first-ever world title, and that’s huge for her. And so I’m just excited to share that moment with her.”

On what message the USA one-two sends after experiencing sickness:

“Resilience, big time. I can’t speak for Katharine, but it hit me, it did not leave me unscathed, but I’m grateful that I’ve been recovering. USA’s been so tough. This has probably been the worst meet ever experienced in terms of getting slammed by something at the last possible second. Very unfortunate, but we’re not going to go down without a fight, we’re very tough, and I think we’re continuing to build momentum, so I think we’re going to end the week really strong. A lot of us are getting our strength back, and it’s great, so I’m excited to see what we do over these last few days.”

BRONZE – Wan Letian (CHN):

On the race: 

“I definitely was targeting being on top of the podium. My performances have been among the world’s best. I wanted to be on the podium, and was definitely aiming for gold. Previously, at world meets, I’ve sometimes struggled with feeling confident in myself. This meet has helped me grow as an athlete.

“In the past, I’d find myself looking at my opponents. Tonight, I just focused on myself, didn’t think about anything else. But my past experiences was also a way of me learning that I’m not good enough, and learning where I still have to improve. Growing pains.”

“I want to show what I’m capable of in the 100m. In domestic races, I consider myself to be quite stable, but in world meets, it’s not as stable. I want to work hard on the 100m and be better in that, because I want to be able to contribute to team relays.

“My shortcomings in the 100m are mainly in what happens immediately afte the turns. I place more emphasis on the 50m personally, but I want to play my part in the team relays. After all, backstroke is traditionally our weaker stroke.”

WOMEN’S 4X200 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL

• World Record: 7:37.50, Australia – 2023
• World Junior Record: 7:51.47, Canada – 2017
• Championship Record: 7:37.50, Australia – 2023
• 2023 World Champion: Australia, 7:37.50
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Australia, 7:38.08

1. Australia, 7:39.35
2. United States, 7:40.01
3. China, 7:42.99
4. Hungary, 7:49.66
5. Great Britain, 7:51.87
6. Canada, 7:52.52
7. Italy, 7:54.16
8. Japan, 7:58.13

GOLD – AUSTRALIA:

Lani PALLISTER (AUS):

On leading the team off under world record pace: 

“That’s a win. Just focusing on the distance stuff, having Dean let me do the lead-off was wicked. I knew it would be pretty hot, but all of us have a thing for relays. It’s Jamie’s first world championships gold medal as well, it’s really special to be here with the girls and just doing it for our country.”

On hitting a PB: 

“Yeah it was good. I felt a fair bit of pressure just to do my part for the relay and I think having swam my best time in the 400 and probably should have swum my best time in the 1500, but the way that I raced, it wasn’t gonna happen. So yeah, I’m really happy with swimming a PB. It would have been, I don’t know, top four in the 200 final. So I think for me, just getting up and doing my part for the girls and that relay was all I wanted from tonight.”

On giving Mollie a pep talk before diving in:

“Without the profanities, I was pretty much was saying to Mollie ‘Do you know who you are?’ And I think when you’ve had the former world record, and you’ve won the world championship the day before going in. Even in my mind, as soon as Mollie dives in, I know we’ve won it. I have so much confidence in her and her abilities, and seeing her do her thing in the 200 is always so wicked. So having her anchor was the best thing for our confidence, really.

“But Brit swimming as fast as she did, and Jamie as well, all of us did our job, and I think it shows the depth going into LA. Think losing Arnie (Titmus), we probably didn’t think that we would win this event tonight. So yeah, showing that we still have the depth, minus one, is wicked.”

Brittany Castelluzzo (AUS):

On being part of the team: 

“So exciting. These girls are all my role models. Australia is pretty good in relays as well, and I’ve worked to be on this team for so many years… to be part of it is so inspiring.”

On what was going through her mind on the last 50m:

“I was trying to focus on myself and my own race plan. That’s something that is super important in relays, especially in a 200, it can be easy to get excited at the start when you dive in and catch a person next to you, but I know my back end is my strength, so I was just trying to keep calm and then have fun trying to mow someone down the last 50.”

On what it was like watching Mollie in that last leg: 

“Amazing. Like Lani said, when we touched in front and Mollie’s our anchor leg, you know, I’m quietly confident and obviously she had a big night tonight, but we all had faith in her. Obviously, all the rest of the girls setting us up pretty well. It was really exciting, but a lot of swearing going on.”

On what the relay win means to her: 

“Oh, a lot. As we’ve said, Australia is very good at relays, and did feel a lot of pressure coming in, you know, except we’ve lost Arnie, and I’m sort of the one who’s come through and replaced (her). So it’s big shoes to fill. Being a Dolphin and representing Australia is always a really big honour, so winning gold for Australia is very exciting.

Mollie O’CALLAGHAN (AUS):

On going up against Katie Ledecky:

“It was pretty rough backing it up a after the 100 free… You can’t really take it easy in the 100 free. Heading into this… I do it for the team, for the country. I know these girls put their whole work into this. It’s a dream to be part of this team and I did it for these girls.”

On what it feels like to have as many gold medals as Ian Thorpe: 

“It’s a hard one. It is very special. Like it would be wrong if I said it wasn’t special. It’s a huge accomplishment in a way and I think no matter how many medals, it’s so special. Each moment I can remember and it just shows the journey that I’ve had, and us girls have, because I haven’t been able to do all of these gold medals without these girls. It just shows Australia’s accomplishments.On already achieving so much at the age of 21:

“Great support team and great friends and great people. I think the environment helps a lot. I have a great coach who keeps positive. The environment, very passionate, he’s really outgoing. It keeps it well. And I’ve got great girls to train alongside, they keep me on my toes. But also even support team, the Australian team. I think it goes down to the people who have contributed to this.”

Jamie Perkins (AUS):

On going faster than her split in Paris: 

“I had a lot of pressure post-Paris of getting up in the relay. The media really handed me off my changeover, so I knew I needed to have Lani swim into the wall and just have that kind of repeat. So it was really good. I’m happy with that swim. Our team, heats and finals swimmers swam really well. So I’m stoked with that.

On whether they thought they couldn’t win without Ariarne Titmus: 

“When you lose a 1:52 swimmer, like a world record holder, it’s really hard to get up and Americans always live for relays. So we knew that we were coming in for a battle tonight. So to win that was absolutely huge.”

SILVER – UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:

Anna Peplowski (USA):

On the race:

“It was great from start to finish, and an American record is also so awesome to be along with these ladies. And it was just a really fun race overall.”

On her thoughts while watching her teammates race:

“Just knowing that I’m doing it for my team overall is what truly motivates me the most. Doing something greater than myself is always an extra motivator when I’m in the pool.”

Erin Gemmell (USA):

On winning a silver medal despite the challenges faced by the USA team:

“It means a lot. It’s always a lot easier to step up when it’s a relay. You know that you have your teammates behind you and I think that’s a really great source of motivation, no matter what we’ve been through individually.”

On her thoughts while watching her teammates race:

“What she (Anna) said, and also at the same time just keeping a positive mindset, (thinking) ‘I can do this, my team is behind me, all my training has led to this.’ I think that’s also really important.”

BRONZE – CHINA:

Liu Yaxin (CHN):

On staying focused after open water swimming concluded: 

“I worked hard on adjusting myself, from the outdoors to keeping my speed up in the pool events. It wasn’t easy being here on my own, training without my teammates. Those were a few hard days. It’s not ideal for training either. After finishing the 10km, it was also hard to train well. But after my teammates arrived, things got much better. But it was only just a few days. I was fatigued, and on my own, but it got better after that.”

Yang Peiqi (CHN):

On the relay:

“I felt better in the final than this morning. I didn’t want to slow the team down. Compared to my last world championships in Doha, there are a lot more high-level athletes here in Singapore so I definitely could feel the intensity of the competition.”

Yu Yiting (CHN):

On the last few days: 

“As I get older, I don’t feel I fear tough training, I’m not afraid of feeling tired. But I do feel that these high-level meets are harder on me than before. But it’s gotten better over the past few days. I was quite conscious of not slowing my team down, I wanted to make sure I could give Bingjie a bit of an advantage, so there was a fair bit of psychological pressure on me.”

On the rarity of seeing her do a freestyle race: 

“It’s not often I do this. But maybe I will do the 200m freestyle more in this Olympic cycle, and hope that it will help my IMs and fly strokes.”

On racing in front of strong Chinese support in the stands: 

“I could definitely hear them. You feel like you’re not battling alone. It’s not often that you’ll feel this level of support when you’re competing away from home. It feels even stronger, even more boisterous than when we’re on home. Perhaps it’s because this was a team event.”

Yu Zidi (CHN):

On being part of the prelims relay:

“It feels quite emotional, it’s a nice feeling.”

On being at the meet: 

“It’s quite nice. I’m hoping to improve on my personal bests.”