Through good times and bad, Madi Wilson is the glue that holds the Dolphins together

After claiming her first national title, the teenager sat in the waiting room at the World Championships, anxious.

“All of a sudden this year, it just kind of all hit me in one go,” O’Callaghan says.

“I struggled a lot mentally after Trials to get back into the rhythm and enjoy swimming and I guess the pressure kind of got to me.”

Fellow Queenslander Shayna Jack had suffered a freak injury and was sent home, leaving O’Callaghan as the lone Australian competing in the 100m freestyle.

It was a challenge she wasn’t sure she could face, until one of her great swimming role models stood alongside her.

“Madi Wilson walked me into marshalling for the 100 free at Worlds,” O’Callaghan said.

“I really liked that because I didn’t have Shayna or anyone else with me. She’s such a great, supportive person.

“I was struggling mentally and very nervous. Just walking me to marshalling I found helped a lot.”

Wilson is one of the most experienced members of the Australian swim team. After nearly a decade of representing her country, big international events have become second nature.

In a team full of talented youngsters taking the world by storm, the 28-year-old knows that she’s closer to the end of her career than she is the start of it. But it doesn’t lessen the impact she wants to have on the squad.

“I want to leave a really good legacy on this team and especially those young girls,” Wilson tells CODE Sports.

“I want them to have the best experience and to come out of the sport with nothing but happy memories and smiles.”

Appointed as one of five members of the Dolphins’ leadership group earlier this year, Wilson sought out head coach Rohan Taylor for the position.

“Madi wants to develop her leadership,” Taylor says. “She put her hand up and she wants to get better. Inspiring the other athletes coming through and building them up and helping them when there are challenges is really good.”

And while she has even more to give, the last few months have been a trying time for Wilson and the Dolphins.

An unparalleled competition schedule, with World Championships and Commonwealth Games in the space of a month, pushed the team to its limits. Externally, the pressure was firmly placed on the squad with media coverage of their exploits in Birmingham widely scrutinised.

To come away with so much success was incredible. But it has made Wilson more determined than ever to ensure the young members of the team never experience anything similar.

“There are always so many highs and lows and it’s mentally really challenging,” Wilson says.

“I am unbelievably proud of this team and everything that they‘ve been through in the last year. To get up and have one of our most successful years in the pool ever, I couldn’t imagine leading a better team.

“It makes me emotional to think about it. Outside of the pool, each and every single one of them are absolutely amazing.

“I take my job as a leader seriously. I won’t really stand for anything in the media or on the pool deck, or anything, that’s going to affect their experience.”

*****

Despite her many years in the pool, Birmingham was Wilson’s first Commonwealth Games.

She finished the meet with four relay gold medals and an individual bronze in the 200m freestyle.

But one disappointing memory springs to mind when she reflects on her experience.

“We had some pretty amazing moments on one of the first nights in both the 4x100s (freestyle relays) and we had Flynn Southam and if you saw him it was like it was Christmas morning for him,” Wilson says.

“It was absolutely incredible and it was the same with Mollie.

“Then after I’d seen them walk through the mixed zone, their heart kind of sank watching their idols just be, I don’t know, interrogated by the media.”

As headlines focused on the supposed love triangle causing a rift within the squad, Wilson strongly believes it took the emphasis away from what was achieved in the pool.

Australia won 25 gold medals in swimming in Birmingham, more than three times any other country. It left the team feeling angry, and Wilson believes it distracted from what should have been an incredible experience for so many debutants.

“I thought enough was enough, we don’t need this in our sport,” Wilson says.

“You finish a race and you look up and all you want to do is get back to the media, get back to your country and show them, ‘Look what I did for you. I wore your emblem on my cap and my chest, I did this for you’.

“Then to go into a zone where they kind of play down what you’ve just done, I won’t stand for it.

“Children are watching this and experiencing this and they’re doing the best job that they can for their country, and they’re watching their idols do the best job that they can for their country.

“I want them to be proud of what they’ve done and enjoy the experience as much as they can.”

It’s why returning to the Duel in the Pool was such a relief for Wilson and the rest of the Dolphins team.

Being able to swim in an environment without pressure created a much-needed positive atmosphere, despite Australia’s narrow loss to the USA.

“Honestly [it was] one of the best experiences I‘ve ever experienced in my life,” Wilson says.

“This is more than I ever could have expected being in front of this many people in Australia.

“Nothing makes your heart more full than having your own country in the stands and backing you the entire way.

“I think that the best thing about it is we‘ve had an amazing year as a team. We’ve done more than what we could have imagined and then to come back here with a lot of the team and celebrate in this way … it was amazing.”

*****

Wilson’s leadership ability was again on show in Sydney.

At any given moment she was following up with teammates going through health issues, looking out for swimsuit dramas and importantly making sure each racer knew when they were meant to be competing – which was tough in this new format.

But over two nights Wilson again showcased her development not only as a leader, but as a swimmer.

“I think the depth that we have in the women‘s events in Australia is absolutely incredible and it pushes me every single day,” Wilson says.

“I know that when I turn up to this pool, once a year or twice a year to try out for the team, there‘s gonna be these young girls and they’re gonna be amazing

“Meg Harris who is an amazing young swimmer coming through and she pushes me every single day in training. (Hopefully) I push her as well.”

In recent years, Wilson made the decision to really hone in on the sprint races. Being able to focus on the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle has put her in arguably the most competitive races in Australia, but she continues to hold her own.

As she looks towards Paris and a third Olympics squad, she’s as enthusiastic as ever about swimming for her country, but time off can’t come soon enough.

“As I get older, I’m realising how to race the two (events) better and the 100m is coming to me more naturally and hopefully we can continue that into Paris,” she says.

“It’s been a long season, especially with everything that’s gone on this year. It’s been exciting but there’s also been some pretty crazy lows and some big things to overcome.

“I think we can breathe a sigh of relief next year is just one World Championships.”

*****

After the Australian Short Course trials this weekend, Wilson and Harris are planning a road trip back to Brisbane.

The pair have trained together for the last 12 months, but aren‘t sick of each other’s company. Although Wilson thinks she’ll be in charge of the playlist – “purely because I’m more organised”.

Wilson assumes time with family and potentially a trip to Bali with teammates could be on the cards, but the pair are putting all their energy into a new endeavour: launching their new activewear brand, Dallyandco.

“We’re working hard on the company and it launches next month, so we’re super excited for that.”

Her leadership development goes hand in hand with this entrepreneurial path. While yet again, Wilson is working collaboratively with a younger swimmer to achieve results.

It’s a sign that the 28-year-old is beginning to think about a life beyond swimming, one that would no doubt be successful.

But there’s no hiding the fact that Wilson has been the glue for this Australian team, and has an important role to play in the Dolphins’ path to Paris.