Mollie O’Callaghan revels in ‘weird’ world freestyle swim double
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Gold medallist Mollie O'Callaghan poses during the medal ceremony for the women's 100m freestyle at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
PHOTO: AFP
FUKUOKA – Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan said it was such a “weird feeling” to became the first woman ever to complete a 100m-200m freestyle double at swimming’s World Championships on Friday.
The 19-year-old put in a strong finish to retain her 100m title, touching the wall in 52.16 seconds to beat Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey on 52.49sec and Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands on 52.71sec.
O’Callaghan claimed the 200m title earlier in the week, beating teammate Ariarne Titmus in a world-record time.
The teenager had said she “came into this week just wanting to have fun” but she will end it as a history-maker with two individual world titles to her name.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s such a weird feeling,” she said. “I didn’t even know that no woman had done that and to be the first is just incredible.
“There are no words to explain it – I’m just so thrilled.”
It was O’Callaghan’s fourth gold of the competition, having also been part of Australia’s title-winning women’s 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relay teams.
Both of those titles were won in world-record times. She added that her teammates had made the experience “so much easier”.
“Going into previous meets, I was just so nervous all the time and worrying,” she said.
“This is the first time that I’ve actually felt quite calm and just been enjoying every little bit.”
Emma McKeon, the 100m freestyle Olympic champion, finished fifth in 52.83sec. O’Callaghan also edged McKeon at the Australian trials in June, coming home in the fastest time of the year.
Her feat on Friday was the highlight of the night in Fukuoka alongside China’s Qin Haiyang, who set a world record in the men’s 200m breaststroke, winning the gold medal in 2min 5.48sec.
Qin shattered the record of 2:05.95 set by Australian Zac Stubblety-Cook at the 2022 Australian championships. He finished 0.92sec ahead of silver medallist Stubblety-Cook. American Matt Fallon took bronze in 2:07.74.
In other finals, South Africa’s Olympic champion Tatjana Schoenmaker won the women’s 200m breaststroke, touching the wall in 2:20.80 to finish ahead of American Kate Douglass in 2:21.23 and Tes Schouten of the Netherlands in 2:21.63.
Hungary’s Hubert Kos triumphed in the men’s 200m backstroke, coming home in 1:54.14. American Ryan Murphy (1:54.83) and Switzerland’s Roman Mityukov (1:55.34) were second and third respectively.
Britain clinched the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay in 6:59.08, ahead of the United States in 7:00.02 and Australia in 7:02.13.
Earlier in the morning’s 50m freestyle heats, Singapore’s Jonathan Tan, who clocked 21.91sec and qualified for the Olympics en route to winning gold at the Cambodia SEA Games, swam 22.20sec and finished 26th, while Teong Tzen Wei (22.76sec) was 48th. Neither qualified for the semi-finals.
Quah Zheng Wen clocked 52.53sec in the 100m butterfly heats and was 30th, while his sister Ting Wen swam 26.67sec in the 50m fly and finished 25th.
Gan Ching Hwee recorded a new personal best in the 800m free, but her 8:36.31 effort placed her 17th and she did not advance to the semis. AFP, REUTERS
