Swimming will seemingly be a poker game without bluffs between two players, as hungry for success as they are obsessed with effort. Both nations are traditional powerhouses in the aquatic realm. However, Australia has not surpassed the Americans in the medal tally, always so overwhelming, for almost seven decades, since they hosted the games in Melbourne in 1956.

“It will be a great task to overthrow the United States,” commented coach Taylor. Nonetheless, optimism is something elite athletes never lose. And even less so are the Australians, who are increasingly linked to sporting excellence in all its aspects.

All this sentiment and murmur in the Australian and American locker rooms has an origin. Precisely at the World Championships in Japan last year. A stellar performance by the Oceanic team, pocketing more golds than the Americans, generated expectations and created a rivalry that promises much for the upcoming commitments.

Taylor has his eyes set on 27 July, the start of swimming at La Defense Arena. The coach masterminded Australia's success in Tokyo 2020, where the Aussies won nine gold medals and 20 in total. Now, the goal will be to chase the USA once again.

"I think the Americans are the standard in this sport," Taylor stated last week in an interview. "When it comes to being the best country, they are and they deserve it, they have the depth. In every event, they will have someone who can get on the podium,” added the coach, showing enormous respect for his main rival.

Thus, without hesitation, Taylor made his personal bet, "We want to be as good as them. Therefore, the rivalry is probably more based on respect and the fact that we see ourselves fighting to be as good and consistently good."

With a team quite comparable to Tokyo’s, the giant oceanic nation’s aspirations largely rest on the talent of rising stars and heavyweights like Ariarne Titmus, Kaylee McKeown, Mollie O'Callaghan, and Kyle Chalmers, as well as their phenomenal relay teams.

In short, the rivalry between Australia and the United States promises much. World-class exceptional athletes have earned the generated expectations, in the words of the Australian coach. "What we do have is a lot of attacking power, and that's exciting," concluded Taylor with a smile, as optimistic as he is assertive.