Mollie outgunned as Aussies extend Glasgow gold rush

Ian Chadband and Joanna Guelas | July 28, 2026

Mollie O’Callaghan has been sensationally dethroned as Commonwealth Games 100m freestyle champion by Meg Harris as the Australian tsunami of swimming medals gushed relentlessly in Glasgow.

Harris’s shock triumph came after Jenna Forrester continued her brilliant meet with a second gold medal, adding the 400m individual medley title to her 200m backstroke crown.

Alex Perkins made it a perfect 26th birthday present as she lifted the 100m butterfly crown – her second triumph in three days after years of near-misses in the major individual international races.

Sam Williamson, already champion in the 100m, again upset the odds to produce a thunderous late burst to get up for gold in the 50m breaststroke dash.

Para swimmer Beau Matthews added another gold in the 100m breaststroke SB9 final, while Sam Short powered home to win the 800m freestyle final.

O’Callaghan had been expected to again battle through the pain barrier to defend her crown but instead had to settle for the silver in another Australian 1-2-3, as Shayna Jack, in her final competition, grabbed the bronze.

The 22-year-old O’Callaghan, who’s come into the Games having to battle with stress fractures and bone bruising in her back, had looked imperious as she won the 200m crown.

“Very happy. Look, I wasn’t meant to be here,” O’Callaghan told reporters.

“So, to be on the podium with these two amazing ladies – Meg absolute killed it tonight, so did Shayna. Like, honestly, I’m just so happy.

“After the 200m, I kind of re-evaluated my plan. I didn’t feel like myself and went back to the drawing board.”

But this time, it was Albury’s Harris, the 24-year-old double Olympic relay champ, who had the five-time Olympic champ’s measure, leading her at halfway, with O’Callaghan turning in third.

The Queensland star couldn’t peg back the lead as Harris hit the wall in 52.90 seconds to O’Callaghan’s 53.25 and Jack’s 53.38.

Forrester continued her dream week, following up her shock backstroke victory – an event she only decided to compete in at late notice – with a medley triumph she annexed from start to finish.

Leading after the opening butterfly leg, the 23-year-old stretched away from her English rival Amalie Smith on her specialist backstroke leg, increasing her advantage to nearly five seconds, before comfortably holding on over the last two breaststroke and freestyle legs.

Forrester clocked 4 minutes 31.19 seconds, with Smith timed at 4:33.70, with another Australian Ella Ramsay, who’d been disappointed to just miss out on a medal in the 100m breaststroke, grabbing the bronze in 4:37.12.

Perkins continues to enjoy the most extraordinary meet, winning her fourth gold in as many nights – and on a landmark day.

The 50m fly champion was in a different class to her chasers, stopping the clock at 56.38, with Scotland’s Keanna MacInnes second, almost a second down.

Australian Brittany Castelluzzo was fourth, agonisingly missing out on a medal by a hundredth of a second.  

Williamson’s charge for the wall in the one-lap breaststroke was one of the highlights of the meet as he powered through over the second half of the race to prevail in 26.50, 0.27sec clear of South African Michael Houlie and 0.44 ahead of English Olympic great Adam Ramsay-Peaty.

Matthews, seen as a future para star, came of age, clocking 1:09.41 to better Tim Hodge, Australia’s baton bearer at the opening ceremony.

Hodge, who had won the 100m backstroke S9 the night before, had to settle for bronze behind New Zealander Joshua Willmer.

Kyle Chalmers moved closer to the 10th gold medal that would take him past Ian Thorpe as the most successful Australian male swimmer at the Commonwealth Games as he qualified fastest for the 100m freestyle final.

“If I win, that’s fantastic. If I get a medal, that’s amazing. I actually just want to enjoy that moment that I’ve worked so hard for, for so long,” he said.