Cate Campbell's confession about Emma McKeon amid bid for Olympic swimming history

Cate Campbell has revealed that she has come to terms with the fact that her pursuit of a record-breaking fifth Olympic Games may be out of reach as the competition for spots among the Australian swim team is fierce. The 31-year-old retired after becoming a four-time Olympic Games gold medallist in Tokyo in 2021 but six months later announced she was making a return in an attempt to become the first Australian swimmer to contest five Olympics.

However, Campbell faces some stiff competition to secure a Paris 2024 spot as an individual freestyle swimmer, most notably from Emma McKeon. The likes of Shayna Jack and Mollie O'Callaghan are also expected to rival her for the two slots on offer. Her dream of a fifth Olympics could lie in making the 4x100m freestyle relay but Madison Wilson, Meg Harris, Brianna Throssell and her sister Bronte are expected to provide competition for that spot.

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"I've had to have a look at this and realise that I may not qualify for that Olympic team. It is a tough event to make, and for the women's 100m freestyle, to qualify for our national final will probably be harder than to qualify for an Olympic final," Campbell said.

"I decided to come back knowing there was every possibility that I wouldn't make it, but I felt like it was one last challenge. I could have exited stage left after the end of my six months in Europe [this year], I could have gone and got myself a job, and that probably would have been the easier option.

"The harder thing for me to do was to come back, put my mind and body back into the grind and put myself in the spotlight and under scrutiny again, but it's a challenge that I feel like I want to rise to. I always want to be someone who looks at a challenge and says, 'Yes, I'll step up and I'll take that on', not, 'No, that looks too big and I'm going to shy away from it'."

Campbell admits it may take a personal best time to qualify

Campbell's personal best times came back in 2018 when she recorded an Australian 50m freestyle record of 23.78. Her best 100m freestyle time in her career is 52.03, a time only McKeon has eclipsed in Australia's history books.

However, since making her return Campbell failed to get anywhere near that time, with the quickest 100m swim of her comeback clocking in at 53.26. Campbell claimed 100m freestyle bronze on Monday night at the Queensland championships and then third in the 50m final, finishing behind Jack (24.43) and Harris (24.63) in 24.70.

"I am fully aware that it may take a personal best for me to qualify for this team," Campbell said. "We have so many young, fast, strong women. I remember coming through and being that young, fast, strong girl and keeping the older swimmers accountable, and now they're doing it to me.

"It's great because it's what has propelled our sport forward. It's why Australia are unbeatable in that women's 4x100m freestyle relay team. I am really, really proud to have been part of that legacy and I hope that I can continue it just for a little bit longer."

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