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It's a sister act for the Campbells

Fortunately for Cate Campbell the 100m freestyle wasn’t a little longer.

If it were she mightn’t be a Commonweath Games gold medallist over the distance. But at least the prize would have stayed in the family.

Campbell claimed the crown she so desperately wanted at Glasgow 2014 – yet only just. Her sister Bronte was little more than half-a-stroke away from snatching the title.

Cate Campbell clocked a Commonwealth Games record 52.68secs to push her younger sibling (52.86s) into the silver medal position. Compatriot Emma McKeon (53.61s) gave Australia a trifecta in the race.

As part of her race plan Cate Campbell set the pace over the first 50m, turning more than half-a-second in front of Bronte. But the younger Campbell found plenty of closing speed to challenge in the touch for the wall.

“I’m glad it wasn’t 105m. I would have settled for 90m. But you can’t have everything in life,” Cate Campbell said.

“I see her every day at training coming back at me. I knew I had to go out fast if I had any hope of beating her because that is the only way I beat her at training.

“I usually beat her at the beginning of the sets and she is on top of me by the end.

“But I hope we continue to push each other along because I think it is great for sprinting in Australia.”

There was even praise from the older sister because Bronte Campbell posted a new personal best in the final at the Tollcross Aquatic Centre.

Picture: Ian Munro/The West Australian


She had set the Games record as the lead-off swimmer in the 4 x 100m freestyle world record relay swim on Thursday. However, Cate Campbell, who is considered a strong chance to one day pass German Britta Steffen’s international standard of 52.07s, had threatened the Games mark during the earlier races.

“I think I said you broke you broke my Games record because she missed it by 0.04sec in the semis,” said Bronte Campbell when asked what she said immediately after the race.

“I didn’t know I was gaining on her that much but it is just so great to go under that 53-second mark which has been quite a goal of mine.

“It may not look like I was hurting but I definitely was. 105 metres is five metres too many, possibly six metres too many.”

It was Cate Campbell’s second gold medal at Glasgow and her third medal to go with the silver in the 50m freestyle.

For Bronte Campbell, she now has a prize of every colour. She was third in the one-lap splash.

But there is a chance for more gold for them with both expected to have a role in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay tomorrow.

“I’m destroyed, I’m exhausted. But I thought this way after the relay final and was able to bounce back pretty well,” Cate Campbell said.

“I’ll give me system a bit of a flush and comeback tomorrow.”