The tears flowed for swimming star Cate Campbell at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Saturday evening.

The 25-year-old almost broke the world record – and clinched the Games benchmark – with a rapid swim that took just 23.78 seconds in the women’s 50m freestyle final, highlighting a day in which Australia won another five gold medals, three of which came in the pool.

Making Campbell’s win even sweeter was the fact her younger sister, Bronte, finished in a dead heat for second with Canadian Taylor Ruck.

Cate Campbell, who has already won two golds at these Games and could add another three to her tally, could not contain her emotion afterwards, crying throughout the medal ceremony and again when she greeted coaching staff.

Were they tears of relief after her failure to achieve individual success at the 2016 Rio Olympics, or did they suggest something else?

“That’s what we thrive off [pressure], you know. It is probably the thing that I will miss the most when I retire,” she said, immediately raising eyebrows across the nation.

Seven Network reporter Nathan Templeton quickly responded: “Don’t talk about that. Not yet.”

And Campbell agreed: “Alright, not yet. Not yet. But as much as you hate it [swimming], you love it at the same time. It is a bit of a love-hate relationship.”

Campbell has previously said she wants “to be remembered for who I am outside of the pool rather than what I did inside the pool” and that she contemplated retirement following the 2016 Olympics.

At that event in Brazil, Campbell claimed she had produced “possibly the greatest choke in Olympic history” after breaking Olympic records in her heat and semi-final but failing to win the 100m freestyle event.

Australia’s other swimming golds on Saturday were won by Timothy Disken in the SB8 100m breaststroke – his second of the Games – and our women’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay team.

It was an Aussie trifecta as Disken celebrated another gold. Photo: Getty

Joining Bronte Campbell by winning silver medals in the pool were Emily Seebohm (women’s 100m backstroke), David Morgan (men’s 200m butterfly) and Timothy Hodge (SB8 100m breaststroke).

Seebohm was particularly unlucky, going down by 0.03 seconds to Canadian Kylie Masse.

While Seebohm said she was “stoked” with her time, she made contact with the lane rope on the final lap in a move that may have cost her victory.

Backstroke swimmers have found it more difficult to stay on path at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre due to the fact there is no roof.

More cycling gold

Australia had more joy at the Anna Meares Velodrome on Saturday, with Kaarle McCulloch edging countrywoman Stephanie Morton by just 0.03 seconds in the women’s 500m time trial final.

Morton – who won gold in the sprint on Friday – seemed headed for another success after posting a fast time of 33.61 seconds, but McCulloch finished strongly.

McCulloch’s victory sparked emotional scenes of celebration with her family. Photo: Getty

“I got into this sport because of her [Aussie legend Meares]. To take that title on her track tonight is [a] dream come true,” she said afterwards.

Triathlon joy

Australia’s other gold medal on Saturday came in the mixed team relay of the triathlon, as Gillian Backhouse, Matthew Hauser, Ashleigh Gentle and Jacob Birtwhistle beat an England team containing superstar brothers Jonathan Brownlee and Alistair Brownlee.

In a race that went for well over an hour, the margin of victory was just 52 seconds.

Both Nic Beveridge and Emily Tapp won silver medals in other triathlon events on Saturday.

Elsewhere

Georgia Godwin also won a silver medal for an impressive effort in the women’s individual all-around artistic gymnastics event.

And there was more good news for our sporting team, with the Kookaburras beating South Africa 4-0 in the men’s hockey, while the women’s team trounced Ghana 5-0 and our women’s beach volleyballers saw off Grenada 2-0 in comfortable fashion.

On the basketball court Australia defeated New Zealand 79-73.