The intense rivalry ignited before the 2000 Sydney Olympic when American freestyle champion Gary Hall Jr. said the U.S. would “smash [Australia’s 4×100m team] like guitars.”
Australia’s heralded swimming team at the 2024 Olympics arrived in Paris with two goals in mind. Step one: stack up a pile of medals. Step two: keep “The Star-Spangled Banner” from ringing out of the La Defense Arena sound system.
At least, so says Aussie all-time great Cate Campbell. The eight-time Olympic medalist – who did not qualify for the Paris Games – provided Team USA with some classic bulletin board material that has remained at the heart of the renewed USA-Australia rivalry in the pool.
What did Cate Campbell say about Team USA?
Following the 2023 World Swimming Championships, Campbell reveled in the fact that Australia nearly doubled up the U.S. in gold medal count (13 to seven).
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
“It is just so much sweeter beating America. There were a couple of nights, particularly the first night of competition, where we did not have to hear ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ ring out through the stadium, and I cannot tell you how happy that made me,” she told Australia’s Channel 9.
Campbell continued with her thoughts on another in-your-face tradition of American swimming involving a certain percussion instrument.
“When we’re right next to each other in the warm-up areas, the U.S. have this infernal cowbell they ring. And as someone leaves to go to the competition pool, they ring out, ‘USA, USA,’ and I have never wanted to punch someone more," she said.
SEE MORE: How to watch swimming at the Paris Olympics: TV and stream schedule
How did Team USA react to Cate Campbell’s comments?
Though Campbell herself will not be in Paris to back up her big talk, the stars of Team USA aren’t letting her comments slide so easily.
“It’s just funny to me how it gets on their nerves that much. That’s amusing,” American and five-time medalist Lilly King said. “Is it going to be worse if they beat us than somebody else? Yeah.”
Meanwhile, Hunter Armstrong, part of the U.S. men’s 4x100m freestyle relay, subtly weighed in on Campbell’s comments at June’s U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, saying the goal for Paris is “more cowbell.”
Even the greatest of all time, Michael Phelps, had his say, assuring that if he was still competing, he’d “watch [Campbell’s comments] every single day to give me that little extra.”
The USA-Australia rivalry is sure to be one of the exciting stories to watch throughout the entire nine days of swimming at the Paris Games.
