‘Three years of going flat stick’: Australia’s swimmers need break before 2028 Olympics

It has been a busy three years for the Australian swim team. The pandemic-induced delay to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, ultimately held in mid-2021, compressed a finely-tuned four-year cycle into three. And it’s unlikely there will be any respite, with thoughts already turning to how to maintain the momentum from the Paris Games.

“It’s been a hectic three years, we all know that,” said Dolphins head coach Rohan Taylor on Sunday, as the cycle drew to a close on the final night of the Paris Olympics swim meet. “It’s three years of just going flat stick.”

Related: Silver linings on final night as Australia end Olympic swim meet just behind USA

Those three “flat stick” years have been golden for Australia – an unprecedented nine gold medals in Tokyo, seven in Paris and dominance at the world titles and Commonwealth Games. Australia may have almost caught up to the United States, only one gold medal separating them last week, but the rest of the world is closing fast too. “That’s a good thing for swimming,” Taylor said.

All of which sends Australia back to planning how the Dolphins can stay ahead of the curve. The return to a four year cycle gives the team time to support the current golden generation and usher through a new group of talented young swimmers. “We have an extra year, we’ll just keep building, we’ll go back to the drawing board,” said Taylor.

There will certainly be change in the years ahead. Emma McKeon, Australia’s most successful ever Olympian, is retiring. And legendary Australian swim coach Michael Bohl, who coaches backstroke superstar Kaylee McKeown, is planning to take 12 months off before deciding whether to retire or return to the sport.

There have been whispers on the pool deck in Paris that Dean Boxall, who oversees the St Peters Western program including Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan, might also take an extended break. Boxall was the most successful coach in Paris, overseeing athletes who won nine gold, six silver and two bronze medals.

Then there are the younger swimmers contemplating their next steps. Despite being the most individually-successful Olympian in Australian swimming, McKeown turned 23 just last month. Titmus, who leaves Paris with an individual gold, a relay gold and two silver medals, turns 24 next month. Even Dolphins veteran Cameron McEvoy, at 30 the oldest member of the squad, has said he is eyeing Los Angeles in four years’ time and then a home Games in Brisbane in 2032.

On Monday, barely 12 hours after winning silver in the women’s medley relay, the final race of the meet, McKeown insisted she was not going anywhere. “I feel like I still have a lot to give in the sport of swimming – I’d like to think I can continue making history,” said the backstroke star. “I’m in love with the sport.”

One of the few Dolphins to have a disappointing meet in Paris was middle-distance freestyle swimmer Sam Short. At 20, Short has a bright future – he was on the podium for all three of his disciplines at last year’s world titles – but struggled to recover from an illness that impacted his trials form in June. “It’s heartbreaking right?” admitted team-mate Elijah Winnington. “What do you say to the guy who’s ranked first [in the 800m] and then he misses the final?”

But 24-year-old Winnington, who had his own disappointment in Tokyo before winning a silver medal in Paris, insisted that Short “will definitely bounce back.” The pair will be a fearsome freestyle duo for Australia in the years ahead.

Head coach Taylor thinks some athletes might take time away before returning later in the cycle. McEvoy took almost a year off after Tokyo, before recommitting to swimming, while Bronte Campbell also took a break between Games.

“We are seeing athletes performing extremely well at an older age,” the coach said. “Talent doesn’t go anywhere, that’s the big thing, talent doesn’t go away – it’s just a matter of supporting the athletes to do what they need to do,” he said.

Taylor pointed to McKeown, sitting alongside him at a press conference. “We’ve got some young athletes in the team that have done a lot – like Kaylee sitting here. Kaylee needs a break,” he continued, “but at the same time I would love to see Kaylee continue to swim.”

In the short term, the team will disband. Kyle Chalmers is off to Las Vegas to watch Ultimate Fighting Championship and has an engagement party in Norway; McKeown’s mum has booked her a holiday in Dubrovnik; McKeon and Elijah Winnington are both taking a week off, before returning to Paris for the closing ceremony.

In 2025, the Dolphins will likely focus on world cups and the world championships in Singapore. It is as yet unclear whether the Commonwealth Games will be held in 2026, after Victoria withdrew from hosting. Budapest in Hungary, will host the 2027 world championships, as nations begin to gear up for LA’s Olympics in 2028.