‘Three years of going flat stick’: Australia’s swimmers need break before 2028 Olympics

After a ‘hectic’ lead-in to Paris, Australia’s swimmers such as Ariarne Titmus need a break before a new Olympic cycle.
Photograph: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images

It has been a busy three years for the Australian swim team. The pandemic-induced delay to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, ultimately held in mid-2021, compressed a finely-tuned four-year cycle into three. And it’s unlikely there will be any respite, with thoughts already turning to how to maintain the momentum from the Paris Games.

“It’s been a hectic three years, we all know that,” said Dolphins head coach Rohan Taylor on Sunday, as the cycle drew to a close on the final night of the Paris Olympics swim meet. “It’s three years of just going flat stick.”