'Blistering' McKeon leg snares gold, world record

Australia's astir palmy Olympian successful history, Emma McKeon, produced a phenomenal anchor limb to pb the nation's 4x100m women's freestyle squad to a golden medal and satellite grounds connected Tuesday night.

The Australians were 0.98 seconds down the pb and placed 3rd successful the FINA World Championships lawsuit erstwhile McKeon entered the pool, earlier the 28-year-old charged location successful 49.96 seconds to unafraid an unthinkable comeback win.

The squad clocked 3:25.43 arsenic the USA (3:26.29) and Canada (3:28.06) rounded retired the podium successful Melbourne.

Eighteen-year-old Mollie O'Callaghan (52.19 seconds) opened the relay, Madi Wilson (51.28) completed the 2nd leg, Meg Harris (52.00) tackled the 3rd limb and McKeon (49.96) — who's won 11 Olympic medals, including 5 golden — rocketed home.

Despite Australia's long-running stardom successful the pool, the squad had ne'er won the lawsuit astatine the short-course meet.

"It's other peculiar doing it successful beforehand of a location crowd," McKeon said successful a pool-side interrogation connected Nine's coverage.

"I deliberation it's large for the sport, and evidently it's large for america to vie successful beforehand of a location crowd, but it's besides large for young ones up successful the stands due to the fact that I deliberation each of america retrieve being young up successful the stands and watching our sporting idols bash this.

"So, it's awesome to travel retired contiguous and interruption a satellite record, arsenic well."

Australian swimming fable Ian Thorpe had towering praise for McKeon connected Nine's broadcast.

"Emma, being capable to travel location the mode that she did ... we knew that the American (Erika Brown) has these superb turns, and she was really matching Emma connected the turns, but it was the swimming constituent successful that which Emma conscionable blasts everyone away," Thorpe said.

"She skips crossed the h2o similar a chromatic that you propulsion crossed the water ... and she was capable to conscionable dominate, particularly successful that past 50 metres."

Nine commentator Mat Thompson described McKeon's aquatics arsenic a "blistering last leg".

Australia's Lani Pallister besides pulled disconnected a heroic show connected Tuesday night, overcoming bosom country and an eating upset to triumph golden successful the women's 400m freestyle.

The 20-year-old posted 3:55.04 arsenic helium triumphed implicit New Zealand's Erika Fairweather (3:56.00) and the USA's Leah Smith. (3:59.78).