Australian Open Championships, Day One: Olympic Golden Girl Mollie O’Callaghan Overcomes “A Lot of Tears” To Claim 100m Freestyle Title in 53.12
An emotional Mollie O’Callaghan has lifted to show her true champion qualities and mental toughness in Brisbane tonight, clocking the second fastest time in the world this year in winning the 100m freestyle in 53.12 on the opening night of the 2025 Australian Championships.
The two-time world champion and triple Olympic gold medallist from Paris revealed after the race that the past two months had been “filled with a lot of tears.”
“It’s been such a big past two months with a lot of things I’ve had to overcome,” said O’Callaghan, who suffered a second knee dislocation.
“To come and do this time it’s good to know that I’m on the right track…but at the same time I still have that determination to get back into training and be better that what I was before.”
O’Callaghan always aims high, no matter what she has been going through, saying she probably shouldn’t be so hard on herself.
SPEED TO BURN: Mollie O’Callaghan gets ready to do what she does best. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
“I guess I’ve got to give myself a bit of a break; at the end of the day it’s about what I need to do in the race rather than thinking about the outcome; just think about the process first,” said O’Callaghan poolside at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre.
But this preparation has been anything but smooth for the girl from Ipswich, having her wisdom teeth removed last December in the middle of the Queensland Championships before a second knee dislocation (her first before the 2023 Worlds) forcing her into re-hab mode once again as she prepared for the Australian Open meet.
Frustrating to say the least for this rare swimming commodity with skills and talent to burn, who has learnt to overcome her nerves, to be as strong mentally as any of her opponents – the Ausstralian swimming community just hoping her body holds up.
O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) certainly wasted no time getting back into her groove, steaming through the first 50m in 26.10, just ahead of Paris team mates Alex Perkins ( (USC Spartans, QLD) 26.15 and Shayna Jack (St Peters Western, QLD) 26.20.
OFF TO A FLYER: Meg Harris gets a flyer in the heats of the 100m freestyle. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
And not only did she have the fastest opening 50m but also the fastest backend, coming home in 27.02 to touch in 53.12 – just a fingernail slower than Italy’s Sara Curtis who has the fastest time in the world for 2025 with her 53.01.
And in a battle of the girls from Paris, it was O’Callaghan’s relay team mate Meg Harris (Rackley, QLD) who rattled home for silver in 54.03 (26.39/27.64) with Perkins grabbing the bronze (26.15/28.06).
Fourth home was Hannah Casey (Bond, QLD) in 54.52 (26.23/28.29) followed by Jack in 54.56 (26.20/28.36), Abbey Webb (Cruz, ACT) in 55.05, Brittany Castelluzzo (Tea Tree Gully, SA) also 55.05 (26.56/28.49) with Jamie De Lutiis (Wests Illawarra, NSW) rounding out the top eight in 55.14 (26.84/28.49) – as the first shots are fired for the next group of 4x100m freestylers
NEW BEGINNINGS: Lani Pallister begins life with new coach Dean Boxall at St Peters Western with a win in the 800m freestyle. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Meanwhile Paris 4x200m freestyle gold medallist Lani Pallister celebrated her move from Griffith University to St Peters Western and new coach Dean Boxall, also clocking the second fastest time in the world for 2025 with an impressive win in the women’s 800m freestyle in 8:18.71 over New Zealand dual Olympian and 400m freestyle world champion Erika Fairweather (8:23.19) and Paris 10km silver medallist Moesha Johnson(Miami, QLD) 8:25.42.
Fairweather also under a new coach in former South African head coach Graham Hill, who has taken over the Kiwi Head Coaching role out of North Shore in Auckland.
Fairweather making the move from hometown Dunedin after previous coach Lars Humer, a three-time NZ Coach of Year, called time on international travel.
In other events:
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD. Elijah Winnington on his way to winning the 400m free title at the 2025 Australian Open Champs but he wasn’t overly happy. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Paris Olympic silver medallist Elijah Winnington (St Peters Western, QLD) admitted it was “back to the drawing board” despite winning the 400m freestyle in a respectable 3:45.97 from 20-year-old team mate Benjamin Goedemans (St Peters Western, QLD) 3:47.03 and Matt Galea (SOPAC, NSW) 3:51.42.
Saying, “It wasn’t an amazing swim, it didn’t feel fantastic but it’s not about feeling it’s about racing right now and we’ve got Trials in six weeks and that’s the main thing to start working towards….
“It’s about fine tuning the race practice; I’ll have to go and talk to my coach but I think it will be back to the drawing board, work really hard and stay motivated and keep chasing those guys in front of me.”
Led by Germany’s Lukas Martens who just broke Paul Biederman’s 209 world record with his time of 3:39.96.
The men’s 50m butterfly going to Olympic champion Cam McEvoy (Somerville House) in 23.18 (after his 23.09 heat swim); Italy’s Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon (who has also been training under Dean Boxall at St Peters) the 200m backstroke in 1:55.71; the 100m breaststroke to Sam Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) in 1:00.46.
ON THE FLY: Ella Ramsay on her way on her way to the 200IM title at the 2025 Australian Open Champs. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
While in the women’s events it was Paris Olympian Ella Ramsay (Griffith University, QLD) under new coach Mel Marshall who won the 200IM in 2:10.05 from the in-form Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) in a personal best of 2:11.29 and a fast-finishing Isabella Boyd (Nunawading, VIC) 2:13.13.
The women’s 50m breaststroke going to Mia O’Leary (Griffith University, QLD) in 31.23.
FULL RESULTS: 2025 Australian Open Championships, Brisbane Aquatic Centre
FULL RESULTS: 2025 Australian Open Championships, Brisbane Aquatic Centre
Day One Top 3
MEN
Freestyle
400m
Elijah Winnington (St Peters Western, QLD) 3:45.97
Benjamin Goedemans (St Peters Western, QLD) 3:47.03
Matthew Galea (SOPAC, NSW) 3:51.42
200m Multi-Class
Jack Ireland (University of QLD) 1:55.10
Declan Budd (Knox Pymble, NSW) 1:56.40
Samuel Gould (Runaway Bay, QLD) 2:02.70
400m Multi-Class
Harrison Vig (University of QLD) 4:25.53
Dniel Rigby (Knox Pymble, NSW) 4:42.52
Hamish Keenan (Propulsion, VIC) 4:50.83
Backstroke
200m
Thomas Ceccon (ITA) 1:55.71
Josh Edwards-Smith (Griffith University, QL:D) 1:58.23
Kane Follows (NZ) 1:58.96
Breaststroke
100m:
Sam Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 1:00.46
Bailey Lello (St Peters Western, QLD) 1:00.66
Joshua Yong (UWA West Coast, WA) 1:01.15
Butterfly
50m
Cameron McEvoy (Somerville House, QLD) 23.18
Isaac Cooper (St Andrews, QLD) 23.63
Matthew Temple (Marion, SA) 23.76
50m Multi-Class
Dylan Logan (Albany Creek, QLD) 27.09
Col Pearse (Nunawading, VIC) 26.76
Lewis Bishop (Rackley, QLD) 28.88
WOMEN
Freestyle
100m
Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) 53.12
Meg Harris (Rackley, QLD) 54.03
Alex Perkins (USC Spartans, QLD) 54.21
400m
Lani Pallister (St Peters Western, QLD) 8:18.71
Erika Fairweather (NZ) 8:23.19
Moesha Johnson (Miami, QLD) 8:25.42
200m Multi-Class
Madeleine McTernan (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 2:14.14
Ikuha Nakahigashi (Japan) 2:15.26
Taylor Corry (Purruna, SA) 2:17.97
400m Multi-Class
Hannah Price (Cambelltown, NSW) 4:47.78
Sarah Howe (St Hildas, QLD) 4:57.52
Michelle Fawer (Engadine, NSW) 4:58.19
Breaststroke
50m
Mia O’Leary (Griffith University, QLD) 31.23
Siena Harben (Bond, QLD) 31.27
Tilly King (Bond, QLD) 31.51
Butterfly
50m Multi-Clsss
Taylor Corry (Purruna, SA) 31.23
Jasmine Fullgrabe (Marion, SA) 32.68
Savanah Maynier (Woy Woy, NSW) 35.49
Individual medley
200M
Ella Ramsay (Griffith University, QLD) 2:10.05
Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 2:11.29
Isabella Boyd (Nunawading, VIC) 2:13.13