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Campbell sisters realise Olympic dream

12th April, 2016
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In some ways, Bronte Campbell’s childhood Olympic dream didn’t quite go to plan.

But she is sure happy how it has worked out at the Rio swimming trials in Adelaide.

Reigning world champion Bronte and her older sister Cate Campbell completed a one-two finish in a blistering 100m freestyle final to book individual Rio spots on Tuesday night.

More importantly, it ensured the sisters realised a lifelong goal to compete in an Olympic 4x100m relay team together.

Yet a six-year-old Bronte Campbell’s initial Olympic dream was very different.

Bronte Campbell was inspired when glued to the TV watching Australia’s Grant Hackett claim 1500m freestyle gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

“I remember thinking ‘I am going to do that (1500m)’,” she said.

“I was wrong. It wasn’t how it turned out but that was when we said to each other ‘one day we will go the Olympics together’.”

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They realised that dream in London in 2012 when they became the first siblings to make an Australian swim team since 1972.

But they couldn’t compete alongside each other.

Bronte Campbell qualified for the 50m freestyle and could not take part in the 4x100m relay team with her sister.

There was no denying the sisters their dream at the Rio trials in Adelaide.

Cate Campbell clocked 52.38 seconds – her fastest time since claiming the 2013 world title in a PB 52.33 – to win the 100m freestyle final.

Reigning world champion Bronte (52.58, just shy of her 52.52 PB) took silver.

They are the world’s two fastest 100m times of the year.

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Cate Campbell was on track to eclipse German Britta Steffen’s 52.07 world mark set in the 2009 supersuit era but faded in the final strokes.

The scorching top-two finish booked not only individual but 4x100m relay Rio nods.

The pair have already shown what they can produce together for Australia.

They were part of the Australian team that broke the 4x100m freestyle relay world record at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Bronte Campbell broke out on her own as her sister recovered from shoulder surgery to become the third woman in history to claim the 50m-100m double at the world titles last year.

But achievements mean so much more with her sister by her side.

“The 100 freestyle is the one event I wanted to do in London but I missed out on the trials so this is a good turnaround,” Bronte Campbell said.

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“This has been our dream since we were little kids – it’s all we could have ever hoped for.”

Bronte Campbell never made it as a distance swimmer.

But it seems to be working out okay for her as a world class sprinter.

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