'Incredible moment' Campbell's rivals honoured retiring great

Precious moments sure to live long in the consciousness of Australian sport followed the women's 50m freestyle final at the Paris 2024 trials on Saturday night.

Shayna Jack and Meg Harris had just locked up the individual spots on offer for the one-lap dash, and never before had Harris earned a solo place on an Olympic team, but the two speedsters delayed their celebrations to pay tribute to Cate Campbell.

The curtain had just come down on the four-time Olympic gold medallist's legendary career, falling when she touched the wall in seventh place at Brisbane Aquatic Centre.

Twenty-four hours after booking her spot in the Olympic 100m freestyle, Jack guaranteed selection in the 50m freestyle by finishing first with a time of 23.99 seconds.

Harris, a member of eight victorious relay teams across Olympic, world championship and Commonwealth Games campaigns, grabbed her spot as an individual swimmer by finishing second in 24.26.

But instead of celebrating their success in the immediate moments after the race, Jack and Harris joined every other race entrant in paying tribute to Campbell.

Hugs were had, tears were shed and beautiful words were spoken as Jack, Harris, Emma McKeon, Olivia Wunsch, Mollie O'Callaghan, Alexandria Perkins and Bronte Campbell, Cate's younger sister, honoured the retiring champion.

An adoring crowd in the thousands clapped and cheered as Campbell, tearing up, waved and blew a kiss.

Bowing out in the 100m freestyle heats the day before meant the 50m freestyle was her only remaining opportunity to make the Olympic team.

Campbell had taken time away from the sport following the Tokyo Olympics of 2021, before making a comeback in a bid to become the first Australian swimmer to contest five Olympic Games.

She laughed when asked in the media mixed zone what emotions she was feeling.

"I do have the emotional wheel on hand so I can go through and describe them all," the 32-year-old said.

"It's bitter-sweet. I had hoped for the fairytale ending and it's what I had worked for and what I felt I was capable of, and unfortunately my body just said 'no'.

"Swimming is one of the most gruelling sports out there and I have been at it a very, very long time.

"This is the end and it's a perfect way to exit the pool. My first major competition was in this swimming pool, gosh, maybe over 20 years ago, over two decades ago. I warmed up in this pool just behind us for the first time as a nine-year-old and tonight I warmed up in it as a 32-year-old, and I got to walk out and swim in a swimming pool that I've competed in so many times, that I've qualified for teams in, that I've broken world records in.

"This place and this sport has embedded itself so deeply into me that I just feel really, really privileged that if it was going to end it was going to end this way in front of this crowd and the people who I love."

Asked about the beautiful scenes shared with her rivals, Campbell said she would savour the memories forever.

"The fact that there were two girls who qualified for an Olympic Games, which is no mean feat, one of them for her first individual spot in Meg Harris, that they put their celebrations on hold and came over, is one of the most incredible moments and something that I will cherish for the rest of my life," Campbell said.

The Malawi-born champion made her Olympic debut in Beijing in 2008, winning bronze in the 50m freestyle. She won another bronze medal in the 100m freestyle at the Tokyo Games, and was a member of three triumphant relay teams across the London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021 Olympics.

She also won a 100m freestyle world title in 2013 and is a former world record holder in the event.

"I would have loved that fairytale ending more than anything else, but I can now sit back and reflect on a wonderful career, I can leave the sport with my head held really high," Campbell said.

"I came back to try something that no one's done before and I gave it a really good crack. My God, I gave it a really good crack."