BRISBANE: Australian swimming superstar Mollie O’Callaghan has given a jarring insight into the battle she’s fighting with her left knee on the road back from a dislocation, revealing she feels like she’s “kicking with one leg” and swimming “in circles”.
The reigning Olympic gold medallist in the 200m freestyle has returned to competition at the Australian swimming championships in Brisbane this week.
At Brisbane Aquatic Centre on Wednesday night, the 21-year-old finished second to Kaylee McKeown in the 50m backstroke final, posting 27.51 seconds as the backstroke queen took victory in 27.22.
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O’Callaghan also contested the 400m freestyle final on Wednesday night, finishing as the third Australian and fourth overall with a time of 4:10.63.
On Monday night, the Ipswich product won the 100m freestyle title in 53.12.
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Mollie O’Callaghan at the Australian swimming championships in Brisbane, where she’s returning to competition after a knee dislocation. Delly Carr/Swimming Australia
She will race the 200m freestyle on Thursday, the final day of the national championships, although spectators won’t see a rematch between her and Ariarne Titmus.
“The Terminator” is having a break from the pool after successfully defending her Olympic 400m freestyle crown in Paris last year.
Talking to reporters poolside on Wednesday night, O’Callaghan made it clear she was still struggling with her knee after dislocating it in January.
“I think at the stage where I am right now … the past couple of months have been the hardest for me, especially rehabbing, and I’m still rehabbing, illness, my bad knee, so I’m not fully there yet,” O’Callaghan said.
“It’s kind of like I’m kicking with one leg at the moment and in circles pretty much.
“It’s just been frustrating, the build-up to this.”
Although O’Callaghan dislocated her left knee this year, it was her right that she dislocated a month out from the 2023 world championships held in Fukuoka.
She is susceptible to knee dislocations because of hypermobility.
“It’s been nice to come here and lean on my experience,” added O’Callaghan, who’s coached by the passionate and eccentric Dean Boxall at St Peters Western in Brisbane.
“I haven’t done that much training or main sessions; it’s been quite modified. The process has been quite long so far.
“So to come here and just swim for the sake of swimming [and with] no pressure behind it, no pressure on outcome, [was nice]. It was just about coming here, racing, getting my first race of the year out of the way, and seeing where I’m tracking along.”
The national championships are separate to the world championship trials, which will be held in Adelaide from June 9-14.
Singapore will host the world championships between July 27 and August 4.
