As far as sporting histories go, the rivalry between Australia and America in the pool is up there with the best of them. In an announcement that will excite swimming fans from both aquatic powerhouses, the Duel in the Pool competition between the two nations is set to return in 2022 with Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre hosting the race.
The rivalry between the United States and Australia dates back to 2000, the leadup to the Sydney Olympics, with the 4×100 metre freestyle relay set up as a critical battleground between the two nations. America had won the event in every single Olympic Games since its debut in 1964, but Australia was fielding a team that included Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim, Chris Fydler, and Ashley Callus who had a real chance at taking the crown from the champions.
In a press conference before the games, American swimming legend and relay team member Gary Hall Jr. said his team would “smash them like guitars” when asked about the challenge Australia represented to their gold medal hopes. The Australian team didn’t forget that comment.
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Using the energy of the Sydney home crowd, the Australian relay team beat the Americans for the first time ever, taking out the gold medal by 0.19 seconds and breaking the American-owned world record by more than a second. It was the first time in 36 years that the United States hadn’t secured the gold medal in the relay, and the Australian team celebrated by playing air guitars at the end of the pool. And thus a rivalry was born.
In more recent years, the battle between Australia and America has played out in the fierce 400-metre freestyle competition between our own Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky from the United States. This is a rivalry that we might even be treated to come August when the Duel in the Pool 2022 arrives in Sydney.
The event will kick off on Friday the 19th of August with an open water relay race in the iconic waters of Bondi Beach, before moving to Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre for two exciting nights of racing. Tickets to the events will be available from Swimming Australia soon, so put those dates in your calendar.
