Bondies Flynn Southam and Ben Armbruster haver ushered in a new era for Australian swimming with gold medals in Glasgow – and they had to take on the King Kyle Chalmers to do it.
Southam ended Olympic gold medallist and defending Commonwealth Games champion Chalmers’ decade long reign as Australia’s top 100m freestyler to claim his first international individual gold medal.
Sports Leadership Scholar Armbruster then pushed Chalmers all the way in a thrilling 50m butterfly final to share gold and a new Commonwealth Games record of 22.73.
With Hancock Prospecting Swimming Excellence Scholar Hannah Casey also returning home with two gold medals in the 4x200m and 4x100m freestyle, the Dolphins’ squad for the LA Olympics may well be headlined by Bull Sharks.
Casey swam a slick second leg (the second fastest leg behind Lani Pallister) in the final of the Women’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay, with the team powering to gold in 7.42.53. She’d earlier earned gold as a heat swimmer in the Women’s 4 x 100m freestyle relay.
Southam also had relay success. In setting a new Commonwealth Games record of 47.09 in the lead off leg of the 4 x 100m, he inspired Australia to a dominant gold medal performance. Add another gold in the mixed 4 x 100m freestyle, men's 4 x 100m medley, plus individual silver in the 50m freestyle, and the Gold Coast product leaves Glasgow with a potential luggage weight problem.
Armbruster also made his mark in the men's 100m butterfly, touching for bronze in a personal best 50.58 – just a whisker behind Canada's Josh Liendo and Australian teammate Matt Temple.
The gold medals were the highlight of an incredible week in the pool for the Bull Sharks, with swimmers from seven different nations.
Biomedical Science student Lanihei Connolly led the way for the Cook Islands, advancing to the semi-finals of the women’s 100m breaststroke and touching seventh in her semi in 1:10.39.
Teammate and fellow World Aquatics Scholar Jacob Story also reached the semi-finals of the men’s 100m breaststroke.
Tonga's Finau Ohuafi carried his nation's pride into Glasgow as Team Tonga's baton bearer at the opening ceremony.
Ohuafi took on a busy sprint program. He won his 50m freestyle heat, placed fourth in his 100m freestyle heat, and touched fifth in his 50m butterfly heat.
Samoa’s Christian Toia, a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science student, took on the Commonwealth’s best sprinters in the 50m freestyle and anchored Samoa’s mixed relay squads.
Papua New Guinean and Paris Olympian Josh Tarere contested the 50m butterfly and PNG’s mixed relays.
Kelera Mudunasoko, a national record holder and Pacific Games gold medalist, lined up the women’s 50m breaststroke as part of a Fiji team enjoying a breakthrough games – one that saw teammate David Young become the first Fijian swimmer ever to namake a Commonwealth Games final.
By any measure, a Commonwealth Games to remember for Bond Swimming’s mighty Bull Sharks.