Cook Wins Olympic Silver
Swimming: Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Final
Athlete: Tamsin Cook
Venue: Olympic Aquatics Stadium
17 year-old Western Australian Tamsin Cook has anchored the Australian women’s 4x200m freestyle team to an incredible Olympic silver medal on Day 5.
Cook admitted to be “terrified” when told she would swim the fourth leg against the American multiple Olympic champion Katie Ledecky, but executed a measured and mature swim to hold off a firm challenge from Canada and secure Australia’s silver medal behind the USA.
The Australians were home in 7:44.87 for second place, with the US crowned Olympic champion, in no small part through the efforts of Ledecky, who blitzed home fastest of the field in any leg in 1:53.74 to take gold.
Leah Neale launched Australia’s campaign – backing up from the morning heats to send Australia into the second leg in seventh place with a time of 1:57.95.
Emma McKeon (1:54.64) swam a brilliant leg to overhaul the field and send Australia through to the third leg in clear water in first place, a position that Bronte Barratt – in her final representative swim for Australia – held onto, clocking 1:55.81 in passing to Olympic debutant Cook, who went head to head with one of the giants of international swimming.
Cook’s time of 1:56.47 held firm for Olympic silver, with the young gun punching the air in triumph as she swung around to check the time board.
The result is a remarkable achievement for Cook, who had initially thought to be penciled in as a heat swimmer for the team. Her efforts in the heats however, in helping Australia to a heat win and second fastest time overall, convinced selectors to stick with the Carine resident and she returned their faith in spades.
Earlier in the meet, Cook swam a personal best in finishing sixth in the Olympic final of the women’s 400m freestyle and she is also scheduled to contest the women’s 800m free before drawing the curtains on a spectacularly successful Olympic debut.
Also in action on Day 5, WA swimmer Brianna Throssell produced a fantastic swim to clock 2:07.87 for eighth place in the final of the women’s 200m butterfly.
With Throssell also on Olympic debut, she competed along with fellow Australian teammate Madeline Groves, who picked up a silver medal in a quick time of 2:04.88 – just 0.03 of a second off gold.
The 200m fly is Throssell’s only event in Rio, with the 20 year-old regarded as one of the brightest young talents on the Australian team. She swam from lane 1 and went hard, reaching the first turn in sixth place, before eventually being passed and settling for eighth place.