World Champ Mollie O’Callaghan “Tweaked” Her Knee, Expected to Be Okay For Worlds

Australian swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan has “tweaked” her knee during a dryland training session, but is expected to be available to race at the World Championships next month.

“She tweaked it during a stretching session, she was in the water last night and will be going to Worlds but is on a modified program to get her back to full fitness,” according to a statement from Swimming Australia (first Tweeted by Sydney Morning Herald reporter Tom Decent on Wednesday morning).

O’Callaghan, the defending World Champion in the 100 meter free, has blossomed into one of Australia’s biggest stars in the pool. She is the world leader so far this year in both the 100 free (52.48) and 200 free (1:53.83) after a big performance at the Australian Championships.

She was also pegged as a possible backstroke leg for Australia’s medley relay as they search for a solution for the breaststroke leg, which could include World Record holding backstroker Kaylee McKeown swimming a secondary stroke.

But for now, the world will watch O’Callaghan closely for the next month ahead of the July 23 start date for swimming in Fukuoka. Even without her, Australia’s depth is such that they would remain favorites in the 400 free relay, but her absence would otherwise rewrite a lot of predictions ahead of the global championship.

 

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Mike McCormack
1 year ago

Take care! Take great care! Too immense a talent and too much a character gal to hazard anything. This isn’t Paris! I realize WC is big, and her fans, among whom I’m one, will miss seeing her if she is taken down, but it’s not Paris…

Octavio Gupta
1 year ago

And the excuses start early.

Andy
1 year ago

“Aussie swimming champion Mollie O’Callaghan dislocates her kneecap in bizarre training accident just weeks before World Championships” – Dailymail

Hooked on Chlorine
Reply to  Andy
1 year ago

How unlike that bastion of journalistic integrity to declare it a bizarre training accident without bothering to explain why it was bizarre. She hurt it while doing routine stretching exercises. It’s not uncommon for top sportspeople to injure themselves performing exercises they’ve done many times before. Sometimes their bodies object to the persistent, vigorous stresses of training.

sun dang
1 year ago

Brett Hawke peddling lies, as usual

Joel
1 year ago

Please let her be ok by July 23. Fully fit I mean.

Hooked on Chlorine
1 year ago

Here’s to a speedy recovery, Mollie.

Sub13
1 year ago

Oof hopefully she’s fully recovered in time!

PersonalBest
Reply to  Sub13
1 year ago

Here’s hoping. It would be much more exciting with her at full fitness… there are some great races in the 100 and 200 free, and 100 back too.

A month out she should hopefully be ok.

Springfield's #1 Athlete
1 year ago

Hopefully it is a one off. As shown with Titmus’ shoulder recovery, she will be in the best of hands.
By the wording I’d guess a rotational tweak spraining a tendon or two, should be fully relaxed in time.
If it was a dislocated patella, she wouldn’t be in the pool.

Springfield's #1 Athlete
Reply to  Springfield's #1 Athlete
1 year ago

After reading all reports, it seems like a subluxated patella, so I spoke too soon, but a full dislocation almost always causes a fair bit of damage.
Happened on Thursday, no damage to anything is very fortunate. Taylor visited SPW on Monday and she is training fine under a modified plan, making sure not to aggravate it again, but it should be completely normal during the staging camp.
Not great timing, but far better than happening this time before Paris

After World’s they will probably take a real good overview of any injury risks in the future, it seems like a freak incident but if you are looking at doing this for a decade longer, you need to… Read more »

Last edited 1 year ago by Springfield's #1 Athlete

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Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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