Aussie swimmer Alicia Coutts, who grew up in Birkdale and trained at Cleveland, dives into the Olympic pool. Photos: Getty Images
Birkdale's Alicia Coutts, second from left, with her 200m freestyle relay team mates, Kylie Palmer, Bronte Barratt and Melanie Schlanger with their silver medals after coming second on Day 5 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre. Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Alicia Coutts shows off the silver medal she won for the 200m freestyle relay. It is the second silver medal she has won at the London Olympics. She also won gold for the 100m freestyle relay, bronze in the 100m butterfly and her first silver in the 200m individual medley. Photo: Getty Images
Caitlin Leverenz from the US, China's Shiwen Ye and Alicia Coutts of Birkdale, Australia, compete in the second semifinal heat of the 200m Individual Medley. Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images
Silver medallist Ying Lu of China, gold medallist Dana Vollmer of the United States and bronze medallist Alicia Coutts of Birkdale, Australia pose on the podium after the medal ceremony for the 100m butterfly race. Photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images
BIRKDALE'S golden girl, Alicia Coutts, is being hailed as Australia's darling of the London Olympics after winning four medals from four races.
Olympic commentators are now tipping the 24-year-old as hot favourite to carry the Australian flag at the closing ceremony.
On day five of the games, she had won half of Australia's six medals and had more medals than the entire British team put together.
Coutts won gold in the 100m freestyle relay on Sunday, bronze in the 100m butterfly on Monday, silver in the 200m individual medley on Wednesday and silver in the 200m freestyle relay early yesterday.
She has another tilt at a medal when she races in the 100m medley relay, the heats of which start tonight, Friday, August 3 at 8.45pm (AEST), before the finals are held on Sunday, August 5, at 5.07am (AEST).
After winning silver in the individual medley, Coutts was thrilled to have chalked up a personal best time of 2min 8.15sec for the event.
She criticised speculation about Chinese competitor Ye Shiwen, who won gold in the event and in the 400m individual medley.
Ye broke the world record for the event in 2min.07.57sec, clocking the fastest time for the freestyle leg of 28.93sec. That was even faster than US champion Ryan Lochte, who swam a freestyle lap in 29.10sec.
Coutts' medal haul was lauded by Olympic gold medallist Ashley Callus, from Cleveland, who trained alongside her at Cleveland pool, under coach David Urquhart.
"Alicia has deserved every one of her medals and it's great to see that she's single-handedly beating the Brits," Callus said.
He said the criticism of Ye, who beat Coutts in the 200m individual medley, was "unfounded" until anything "untoward" was proven.
"But I would assume that if the Chinese athlete is found to be taking performance-enhancing drugs, the medal would be stripped from her and Couttsy would come into the gold medal position and Rice into third."From page 1
Mr Urquhart, now Swimming Australia president, said he spent the past week on the pool deck urging on Alicia, his former protege.
He had also met Alicia's mum, Julie, and brother Brad, both in London for 10 days.
Julie Coutts speaks exclusively to The Redland Times
"I've known Julie for many years and they are all having a great time here in London and are using the flags The Redland Times gave them," Mr Urquhart said.
"Julie can't get into the Olympic Village but I have accreditation and I know Alicia is fine and relaxed.
"She's swum extremely well in London and her performance in the 100m butterfly was superb she was only beaten by American Dana Vollmer who set a world record.
"But nobody here has speculated on whether she will carry the flag at the closing ceremony."
Australian Olympic commentators expect Alicia to be chosen to carry the Australian flag at the ceremony on August 12.
She carried the flag at the end of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, where she was also hailed as the golden girl returning home with five medals.
Redlands can also be proud of Capalaba's Thomas Edgar, the leading point-scorer for the Volleyroos, who beat Great Britain 3-nil in their second round of games on Tuesday.The team lost its first round to Argentina on Sunday and will play Bulgaria next.