FINA World Swimming Championships 2022: Australian 4x100m women’s freestyle relay team wins gold, breaks world record as Emma McKeon dazzles

Australia’s most successful Olympian in history, Emma McKeon, produced a phenomenal anchor leg to lead the nation’s 4x100m women’s freestyle team to a gold medal and world record on Tuesday night.

The Australians were a second behind the lead in the FINA World Championships event when McKeon entered the pool, before the 28-year-old charged home in 49.96 seconds to secure an incredible comeback win.

The team clocked 3:25.43 as the USA (3:26.29) and Canada (3:28.06) rounded out the podium.

Eighteen-year-old Mollie O’Callaghan (52.19 seconds) opened the relay, Madi Wilson (51.28) completed the second leg, Meg Harris (52.00) tackled the third leg and McKeon (49.96) — who’s won 11 Olympic medals, including five gold — rocketed home.

Despite Australia’s long-running stardom in the pool, the team had never won the event at the short-course meet.

“It’s extra special doing it in front of a home crowd,” McKeon said in a pool-side interview on Nine’s coverage.

“I think it’s great for the sport, and obviously it’s great for us to compete in front of a home crowd, but it’s also great for young ones up in the stands because I think each of us remember being young up in the stands and watching our sporting idols do this. So, it’s awesome to come out tonight and break a world record, as well.”