- Cate Campbell highlighted a remarkable statistic from Paris
- Campbell’s joke worked very well for Karl Stefanovic
- The comment came just after another Australian gold at the Games.
Australian swimming legend Cate Campbell left presenter Karl Stefanovic in stitches on live television after she made a joke about a shocking gender detail from the Paris Olympics.
Speaking on Channel Nine after the Dolphins quartet of Mollie O’Callaghan, Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell and Ariarne Titmus combined to win the 4x200m freestyle relay, Campbell highlighted a remarkable statistic: all of Australia’s gold medal winners at the Games so far have been women.
“There is an issue regarding the Australian Olympic team at the moment,” Campbell began.
‘Apparently these days if you want to win an Olympic gold medal you have to have a uterus.’
Stefanovic laughed at Campbell’s bold remark, but he wasn’t done.
“Cam McEvoy will swim in the 50m freestyle final,” he said.
“He hopes to break that theme… but he doesn’t have the proper anatomy at this time.”
Campbell later repeated the gender-based gold medal joke in a subsequent interview with Ben Fordham on 2GB Radio, stating that the girls “are delivering in spades, they’re killing it in the pool.”
And moments after winning the 4x200m freestyle relay, the triumphant Australian quartet rubbed shoulders with royalty.
Australian swimming legend Cate Campbell (right) left presenter Karl Stefanovic (left) laughing live on TV after she revealed a shocking detail about her gender at the Paris Olympics
Speaking after the 4x200m freestyle relay, Campbell noted that all of Australia’s gold medal winners at the Games so far have been women.
Queen Mary of Denmark, the Tasmanian-born royal and distant relative of Ariarne Titmus, was on hand to watch the race at the La Defense Arena.
He then celebrated with the elated Australian stars as they took to the stands to hug their family and friends.
Shortly before the Games began, Titmus revealed: ‘We’re actually cousins, in a distant and somewhat indirect way.
‘One of Dad’s cousins is married to Mary’s cousin, which is pretty funny.’
Queen Mary also shared a warm hug with O’Callaghan and took photographs of the gold medallists, with Campbell noting on Channel Nine’s coverage that all the usual royal protocols of curtsying and shaking hands went out the window amid the emotion.
Titmus, 23, who also won the 400 freestyle, has two golds in Paris and four gold medals under his belt in his impressive Olympic career.
Campbell (pictured) is hoping Cam McEvoy can become the first Australian to win gold in Paris when he swims the 50m freestyle final on Saturday morning.
“Moll (O’Callaghan) had some harsh words in my ear behind the block, but I’m really proud of this group,” Titmus said after the relay win.
“We wanted this (for a long time). I was disappointed with how I swam in Tokyo, I personally felt like I let the team down, so it was kind of a personal revenge for me to come back and really play my part in the team, but also do it for our country.”
After winning their fifth Olympic gold in the pool, Australia also overtook their bitter rivals, the United States, in the swimming medal table.
The United States has moved up to second place in the overall standings, behind China, with nine gold medals compared to Australia’s eight.