The narrative has been pre-readied: Australian swimming is back. Now all it needs are the gold medals to prove it.

Perhaps the dominant memory of London 2012 was the underachievement of the swim team. Normally the engine of the nation’s Olympic success, the swimmers came away with a solitary gold, and it wasn’t in an individual event.

Swimming tends to submerge in the public consciousness between Olympics, so it might surprise some to know that Australian swimmers got right back to winning after 2012. They come to Rio even more bullish than they were heading into London, in some respects – one noted American sports publication projected 11 gold medals for Aussie swimmers, which would constitute a record haul.

“The biggest thing is, we’ve come so far in four years,” says 2004 relay gold medallist and swim team stalwart Giaan Rooney. “Cast our mind back to London, we only came away with one gold medal, in the women’s 4x100m relay. I’m so proud to see the team back in a position, not only culture-wise, but in terms of their results as well. In the last 18 months, they have elevated back to the level they used to be.”

Rooney, who will call the swimming for the Seven Network, is quick to qualify her optimism. The scars of James Magnussen’s shattered confidence four years ago run deep. “I’m looking forward to a multiple run of gold medals,” she says. “I hope I’m not putting too much pressure on them, but the maturity of the team can handle that pressure now, that they couldn’t in London. That’s such a huge shift mentally. Our relays will be strong again, but you’d have to say we’re a legitimate gold medal hope in at least four other individual events. Like I say, without putting a mocker on it, I think we’re heading back to our golden era of Olympic results, which is incredibly exciting.”

We’ll know quickly whether the water in the Rio pool is flowing Australia’s way. On the very first competition day, just after midday on Sunday Australian eastern time, one of the nation’s best chances for gold gets off the blocks – and it just happens to be that women’s 4x100m relay event that brought in the lone victory in 2012. The reigning world champs in 2015 (pictured above), powered by the Campbell sisters, could set the tone early for an Aussie pool party in Rio.