PARIS -- Very few would have recognised Mollie O'Callaghan as she stood on the Tokyo pool deck and basked in the celebrations of St Peters Western teammate Ariarne Titmus' Olympic 200m freestyle triumph. The then 17-year-old was selected as a relay heat swimmer for the Games in 2021, a platform that would ultimately provide the requisite experience to propel her to sporting superstardom.
That late July summer night would become seared into O'Callaghan's brain. There was respect and admiration, of course, but there was more than a sliver of jealousy. She rightfully wanted that moment for herself.
Fast forward three years and O'Callaghan was once again involved in the post-race euphoria of the women's 200m freestyle final, only this time she was the subject of every photographer in the La Defense Arena, as she proudly flaunted her first individual Olympic gold medal.
Just as it is in combat sports, to become the best, you must beat the best. For O'Callaghan, her path to Olympic gold in this race meant exactly that, overcoming the great Titmus. It was a task that appeared even more daunting after the 'Terminator' successfully defended her 400m title on opening night to cement her legacy as one of Australia's greatest ever swimmers. But it was a task shy wasn't shying away from, her blistering final 75 metres showing why she is one of the most devastating swimmers on the planet.
"I can't explain it. There are no words to explain," O'Callaghan told reporters after topping Titmus for Australia's first Olympic swimming one-two in 20 years. "I'm swimming for the country ... this medal is for my support team, my coach, my family. It's not just for me. There was a whole village behind me getting me to this point, so I'm very thankful to have them."
Monday's final was hyped as one of the races of the Games and it certainly lived up to that billing.
O'Callaghan made the quicker start of the two Australians but Titmus' familiar long, controlled strokes had her in front and extending at the first turn. For the next 100 metres, the greatest challenger to the Titmus 200m, 400m double-double was Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey. The pair broke clear of the pack and were matching each other stroke for stroke as O'Callaghan stalked them from three-quarters-of-a-body-length away.
When it was time for O'Callaghan to press go, she did. In one effortless motion she sprung off the final wall and halved the gap before using all of that conserved energy to power her way to the front. Neither Titmus nor Haughey had an answer for the 20-year-old phenom, who eventually stopped the clock in an Olympic record time of 1:53.27.
The first to congratulate O'Callaghan? Titmus. The three-time Olympic champion bobbed over the lane rope seconds after touching the wall and engaged in a heartwarming embrace with her younger teammate. It was a love affair that continued throughout the medal ceremony, one where O'Callaghan invited Titmus to join her on the top step. Who said anything about a rivalry?
"It's such an honour ... Arnie, she is an absolute gun," O'Callaghan told Australian broadcaster Nine immediately after the final. "She races like an absolute beast and it's an honour to train alongside her and have such a great team around us. I did it for the country, I didn't do it for myself."
The result shouldn't be viewed as a Titmus failure, rather the crowning achievement of O'Callaghan's still extraordinarily young career. After all, the gap between the Australian duo had been shrinking ever since Titmus reigned supreme in Tokyo three years ago, not because Titmus was swimming slower, but because O'Callaghan was swimming faster.
O'Callaghan signalled she would be a force in Paris after a breakthrough world championships in Fukuoka last year. She won gold in the 100m freestyle and backed it up by upsetting Titmus for the first time in the 200m, in the process smashing a world record that had stood for 14 years.
Titmus would make a major statement six weeks out from the Games at the Australian Trials, lowering that world record mark again. It sent the message to O'Callaghan that it would take something special if she were to prevail in Paris. Special was what she dished up.
O'Callaghan's triumph in the 200m earned her a fourth Olympic gold medal, but the first of those won outside of a relay. She joins Chinese shooter Sheng Lihao as the only athlete to have won two golds in Paris, and her program isn't close to wrapping up.
Next is the 100m freestyle on night five, then she will anchor Australia's dominant 200m freestyle relay team 24 hours later. On the final night of action, O'Callaghan will swim in the 100m mixed medley relay. There's a very real chance she ends her fortnight in Paris having surpassed Emma McKeon to become Australia's most successful Olympian, a simply mind-boggling prospect given she's yet to celebrate her 21st birthday.