Before the Tokyo Olympics 2020, the US swimming coaches considered how to motivate their athletes for races. They decided to use cowbells. Fans will return to the pool in Paris on Saturday, and American women’s coach Todd DeSorbo plans to keep using the cowbells, even if the rival Australians and others don’t like them. Everyone knows the Aussies dislike the noise so that the rivalry could get louder at these Summer Games.

Australian star Cate Campbell, known for speaking her mind, called the Americans “sore losers” after Australia won more gold medals at the World Championships last year in Japan. She said she didn’t like the cowbell ringing. In response, Michael Phelps posted on his Instagram story, “One thing to say….” after the USA team won gold, beating the Italians and Australians with a time of 3:09:28. In the video, Phelps is seen ringing a cowbell, directly addressing Campbell’s comments. Phelps’ post has put more pressure on Campbell and her teammates as they prepare for the Paris Olympics.

In his talk with NBC News, the most winning swimmer, Michael Phelps, protested in 2023; the Australian swimmer Cate Campbell had said she liked beating the USA team in the pools. She also said the USA group had “the infernal cowbell they ring.” And she liked stopping the ringing of the cowbells by beating them. Then, as a reply to this, Phelps said, “I hope Team USA rings those cowbells as loud as they can possibly ring them all meet long.” This motivated the USA team to keep pushing their boundaries and achieving as many medals as possible. 

Phelps further stated with confidence that his countrymen know how to play mind games which Australia played during the World Swimming Championship last year. Because of the mind games they played, Australia got the chance to beat the USA with a score of 13-7, almost double. So, she further added that she was satisfied that Australia outperformed the USA. Plus, she did not have to hear “Star-spangled Banner” in the stadium, which brought her utmost joy. 

Though Campbell is not here to support her bold statement, the USA team did not take her comments lightly as they bagged gold for the USA. Hence, Michael Phelps supported Kate Douglass, Jack Alexie, and Hunter Armstrong in bringing the medal to the swimming category. Though both team members congratulated each other, Phelps said in his interview with NBC News, “when we’re in the pool yes, of course, we’re competitors, right?… But when we’re out of the pool, we’re friends.” He added that we want nothing more than to beat the opponent team whenever we compete. This fierce drive will be crucial as Campbell faces off against the U.S. swimmers in Paris.

Cate Campbell: Legacy vs. US rivals in Paris Olympics

Cate Campbell, a powerhouse in freestyle swimming, boasts a glittering career with multiple Olympic and World Championship medals. She has won 6 medals on relay teams at the Olympics – 4 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze. Cate also won 2 medals just for herself when she first went to the Olympics at the age of 16, at the Olympics in Beijing in 2008. Even after so much success, her goal to be the first Australian swimmer to go to 5 Olympics ended. This happened because she did not qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics at the Australian swimming trials in Brisbane. 

With much sadness, she remarked, “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,”, adding that this was not meant for her. But, even though in her absence, Australia again is leading with four medals under its belt. This time, Kaylee McKeown left the fans in awe with the Olympic 100m backstroke title in Paris, which added much value to the Aussie’s reign. So, what do you think? Will the Aussies stay ahead of the game, or USA match the standard later on? Let us know!