Down Under But Not Out: Brittany Elmslie, Aussie No 4 Olympic Relay Champ, Takes It

World S/C Championships

Windsor, Day 3

Women’s 100m freestyle

Cate and Bronte Campbell might have been two in the mix for medals but they back home in post-Olympic recovery. Emma McKeon is another who would surely have rattled the rest in Windsor over four laps. Again, back home, preparing for the next chapter and 2017. No matter, says Australia, we’ll go to No4 in our Olympic gold-winning quartet – and still come out winners.

Step forward Brittany Elmslie: 51.81, 0.11sec ahead of the 2012 Olympic champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED), the bronze to te 2016 Olympic champion, Penny Oleksiak, 16, on 52.01. That locked out age peer Rikako Ikee (JPN), on 52.12. A thrilling place is women’s sprint freestyle this year, if you go in for biting nails and never feeling able to sit still, the shocker of Rio 2016 still as raw as the runes ruined that astonishing day back in Brazil when Simone Manuel (USA) made history as joint winner with Oleksiak.

Second placed Ranomi Kromowidjojo gets set to congratulate Brittany Elmslie – by Patrick B. Kraemer

Kromowwidjojo turned first at half-way, on 25.01, Oleksiak on 25.11, Canada teammate Sandrine Mainville giving the home crowd reason to hope for two bites of the cherry as she turned third in 25.28. Then came Elmslie, on 25.35.

The Australians return was the best in the final: 26.46, Ikee’s 26.72 closest to that pace, Kromowidjojo on 26.91, Oleksiak on 26.90.

The 2016 pace compared to 2014 and 2012:

2012: 52.31; 52.48; 52.73 2014: 51.37; 51.39; 51.47

For Elmslie, a member of the Olympic gold-medal winning 4x100m free relay at London 2012 and again at Rio 2016, Windsor has provided a chance to step out of the shadows …

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