CAPTION: Mollie O'Callaghan OAM, Allianz Athlete Ambassador
CAPTION: Cate Campbell OAM, Allianz Athlete Ambassador
Cate: Hi, I'm Cate Campbell.
Mollie: Hi, I'm Mollie O'Callaghan.
Cate: And I am delighted to be welcoming Mollie to Team Allianz. Now, I've prepared a few questions for us to get to know each other a little better. So, are you ready to dive in?
Mollie: Let's do it.
Cate: All right. Mollie, if you weren't a swimmer, what sport would you compete in?
Mollie: This is a hard one, I reckon maybe gymnastics. I don't know. I think I need to be a little bit shorter.
Cate: You're very bendy, though.
Mollie: Yeah, I'm a bit like a pretzel. (laughs)
Cate: I was thinking something like surfing, because I reckon it's a really good lifestyle.
Mollie: Can you surf?
Cate: No.
Mollie: I was about to say can you teach me?
(both laugh)
Mollie: How do you celebrate after a win?
Cate: I think immediately after a win, you celebrate with your teammates and your coach, obviously. And then I feel like you have another celebration when you get back and you get to see all your friends and family. And for me, that's the moment that it really kind of sinks in.
I'm bracing myself for this because I know that you have a few. Do you have any pre-race superstitions or rituals?
Mollie: See, I've got a few. Like, I don't have them in, like, an order. I kind of just have to do it. So, eating Sour Patch Kids before I race. But you know, in the process, collecting lucky, lucky objects and all that, while I'm at it too. I love fiddling with goggles. Okay, that's really random I brought it up, but like on the block, I just fiddle.
Cate: Have you ever dived in the water and your goggles have filled up with water?
Mollie: Once.
Cate: In a race?
Mollie: Yeah, 100 freestyle. It was when I was younger though.
Cate: Okay. What's your favourite memory from watching the Olympic and Paralympic Games?
Mollie: I didn't watch on TV, but I've went and watched in person like trials, and all that. I do have photos, I think with you and Bronte, maybe. Yeah, I would have to find those.
Cate: That’s so cute.
Mollie: I think it was World Trials or Commonwealth Trials or something like that. I've been to a few of those, but I've never really watched them on the TV.
Cate: That's amazing.
Mollie: I'm too busy watching kids shows.
(both laugh)
Cate: See, I have like a very clear memory from watching the 2000 Olympic Games. Yeah, I can, I can remember Susie O'Neill winning the 200 freestyle. I can remember the women winning gold in the relay and the men beating the Americans for the first time in that 4x100 freestyle relay. Like, all of those things are kind of like etched into my brain and I think that was like my real first introduction to competitive swimming. That was from watching the 2000 Olympics.
Mollie: Definitely starts your dreams.
Cate: Yeah.
Mollie: What’s been your proudest moment to date?
Cate: I would say probably my proudest moment isn't actually a win or a record. It was from the Tokyo Olympic Games, and it was when I won bronze in the 100m freestyle.
So, it had been a very, very difficult preparation and of course the games were postponed by 12 months and getting back behind the starting blocks felt like an achievement in itself. And I knew that I had to execute my race plan to the best of my ability and being able to touch the wall and turn around and also be okay with whatever I saw on the scoreboard because I was right next to Emma McKeon, who won the gold medal.
And I could see that I was a little bit behind her. So I obviously knew I hadn’t won and then turn around and see that I'd managed to win a bronze medal was so, so satisfying. And I just remember speaking to my coach afterwards, like through floods of tears, just saying, I know that I've only won a bronze medal, but I feel like I've won gold. And I call that bronze medal, my rose gold medal.
All right. I'm very curious. What is one thing you want to do in Paris outside of swimming?
Mollie: I guess. Kind of find out who I am, really, without swimming.
Cate: What a great place to find yourself.
Mollie: Yeah, go to Paris, travel for a little bit. Yeah, and kind of, you know, have fun, you know, and actually enjoy it.
Cate: Yeah, I think… I’ve never been to Paris before. So, I'm definitely looking forward to fueling myself purely on a diet of carbs and cheese. (laughs)
Mollie: Agreed.
Cate: Bread and cheese, and that is it.
How's your French?
Mollie: Bonjour.
(both laugh)
Cate: S'il vous plaît.
Mollie: Baguette.
(Cate laughs)
Cate: Croissant.
Mollie: Je suis.
(both laugh)
Cate: Okay. I think we're out of, we're out of French.
(both laugh)
Thanks so much for joining us. I hope that you have gained a little bit of insight into the crazy world that is the Olympic Games and we hope to see you next time.
Mollie: Thanks, see ya.
CAPTION: Allianz. Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Insurance Partner.
