When Zac Stubblety-Cook upset the world to win the 200-metre breaststroke at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, he broke a staggering 56-year drought for Australian swimming.
The 1950s and 1960s were as strong an era as there has ever been for Australian men's breaststroke, with John Davies taking the Gold Medal at the 1952 Games in Helsinki, and Ian O'Brien breaking the world record (which was, by today's standards, a casual 2:27.8) in 1964 in Tokyo.
Since then, only Glenn Beringen (1984, Los Angeles) and Brenton Rickard (2008, Beijing) had come close to taking the gold home for Australia in the event, picking up silver medals.
In fact, Australia have never won a 100-metre breastrstroke gold medal in the Olympic Games either, with only Peter Evans (1980, Moscow, Bronze), Phil Rogers (1992, Barcelona, Bronze) and Christian Sprenger (2012, London, Silver) managing to pick up medals since that event commenced in 1968 at the Mexico City Olympics.
For a sport Australia has always punched above its weight in, the 200-metre breaststroke medal alluding Australian athletes for 60 years was something Stubblety-Cook was desperate to set the record right on in his Olympics debut, and he did just that, setting a stunning Olympic record in the process.
Prior to his maiden Olympic campaign, Subblety-Cook had managed a silver medal in the event at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships, also in Tokyo, while he finished with a bronze medal at the 2017 World Junior Championships.
There was little that suggested he could win the Olympic event in Tokyo, but that hardly was a factor for him as he blitzed the competition to finish top of the charts in the heats with a 2:07.37 time.
He would take two hundredths of a second off that time in the semi-final to swim a 2:07.35, with the man he was locked with in the heats - Dutchman Arno Kamminga - having his time blowing out to a 2:07.99.
James Wilby of Great Britain came into second spot with a 2:07.91, leaving Stubblety-Cook suddenly the favourite for the final.
That favouritism was well warranted too as he set a staggering Olympic Record time of 2:06.38 to win the final ahead of Kamminga by just over six tenths of a second, with Kamminga unable to break the 2:07 barrier.
Since then, Stubblety-Cook has gone on to win Gold at the 2022 World Championships, held in Budapest, in the same event, before picking up a Bronze in Fukuoka during the 2023 event.
In the same year, he also broke the then long course record for the 200-metre breaststroke at the Australian National Championships in Adelaide, setting a time of 2:05.95.
He booked his ticket on the plane to Paris on the back of excellent performances at the Australian Olympic trials, while he also took out the 100-metre and 200-metre breaststroke titles at the Australian Championships on the Gold Coast earlier this year, leaving the 25-year-old as one of Australia's best hopes in the pool at the 2024 Games.
In 2024, Stubblety-Cook will fight for both the 100-metre and 200-metre breaststroke medals after acing his swims at the Olympic trials in Brisbane, while he will also form part of Australia's Men's and Mixed 4 x 100-medley relay teams, which are both events Australia will be looking for marked improvement on at the 2024 Games.
Stubblety-Cook will be in action on Saturday, July 27 and potentially Sunday, July 28 if he makes the final of the 100-metre breaststroke, as well as Tuesday, July 30 and potentially Wednesday, July 31 for the 200-metre event.
In the 20 days leading up to the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony on the River Seine in Paris, All Sport will be looking back at the biggest Australian moments from the last Olympic Games, held under COVID conditions in Tokyo. From gold medals to heartbreaking moments, it's sure to play out again during 2024.
