By Jacquelin Magnay
First published in The Age on May 3, 1998
Standing ovation as O’Neill swims into the history books
Susan O’Neill in action at the 1998 Commonwealth swimming trials.Credit: Vince Caligiuri
IT’S official. Susan O’Neill is now the most prolific Australian titleholder in swimming history and she was honoured with a standing ovation and thunderous applause at a packed Melbourne Aquatic Centre last night.
O’Neill burst into tears when presented with her medal - the first time in hundreds of times on the dais, including the Olympics and world championships.
Susan O’Neill presented with her medal after the record-breaking swim.Credit: Vince Caligiuri
While the subsequent 1500 metres freestyle race of Kieren Perkins, Grant Hackett and Daniel Kowalski was televised live on Channel 9, O’Neill said she hadn’t even been asked to appear. “I’ll go out to celebrate instead,” she said.
O’Neill, 24, who won her first swim race as a 10-year-old at the Queensland championships, has come a long way in her 14-year aquatic career, collecting an astounding 30 Australian gold medals.
The Brisbane champion has not been beaten over the 200 butterfly distance for four years and that amazing statistic was not about to be changed at the trials last night, even though she admitted the pressure to being the greatest Australian swimmer of all time weighed heavily on her.
O’Neill’s victory in 2:09.62, just ahead of the regular bridesmaid Petria Thomas (2:10.46), has wiped the famous name of tyre manufacturer Sir Frank Beaurepaire, a triple Olympic freestyler who amassed a stunning 29 Australian titles from 1908 to 1924.
“I felt really special and good tonight,” O’Neill said. “All these years I have held in my emotions and I have never cried until now. But Melbourne crowds are always the best and it was great to do it down here.”
Earlier this week she had triumphed in the 100 metres freestyle, 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly and was second in her rookie event, the 400 freestyle.
Already, O’Neill, the Olympic and world champion in the 200 metres butterfly, has surpassed the feats of Dawn Fraser (23 titles) and Nicole Stevenson (25 titles).
Nicknamed Madame Butterfly because of her event, the sweet-natured O’Neill, who turns into a tigress once she hits the water, is now preparing to rewrite the Commonwealth Games record books.
Definitely the next challenge for her is the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, where she is perfectly poised to obliterate the name of Michael Wenden, who has won a record nine gold Commonwealth medals, and those of the best female performers Hayley Lewis and Lisa Curry Kenny, who have seven apiece.
O’Neill has already picked up four at the previous Games in Canada, Victoria, winning the 200 metres butterfly and 200 freestyle and two relay medals and will contest up to eight events in Kuala Lumpur.