Swimming Ariarne Titmus and Kaylee McKeown send Olympic warnings with blazing trial times
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Ariarne Titmus (left) won the 400m freestyle final in 3:55.44 while Kaylee McKeown stormed to victory in the 200m individual medley final in 2:06.63.
PHOTOS: AFP
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MELBOURNE – Ariarne Titmus threatened her own 400m freestyle world record on the opening night of Australia’s Olympic trials in Brisbane as she booked her ticket to the Paris Games with a blazing swim on June 10.
Though not fully tapered, the Olympic champion won the final in 3min 55.44sec, 0.06 seconds off her best from the 2023 world championships in Fukuoka – and the second-fastest time in history.
It left Summer McIntosh’s 2024-best mark of 3:59.06 far behind, while challenging American great Katie Ledecky, the woman Titmus beat for gold in a thriller in Tokyo, to produce an answer at the United States trials starting on June 15.
Titmus said her coach Dean Boxall had sent her a text message in the afternoon saying she was “free like a bird”.
“It was a bit of a free hit-out,” said Titmus, also the 200m freestyle Olympic champion.
“I knew if I did my job tonight I would be going to Paris. Pressure’s kind of off as well.
“It was more of a chance for me to practise a race plan and see how it would go.”
Minutes after Titmus fired up fans, her brilliant Tokyo teammate Kaylee McKeown stormed to victory in the 200m individual medley final in a blistering personal best of 2:06.63.
Overhauling Canadian teenager McIntosh’s career-best mark (2:06.89), the time was the fourth-fastest ever and barely a half-second short of Katinka Hosszu’s world record (2:06.12).
Only Hungarian Hosszu and the American Ariana Kukors have swum the event faster.
“It’s a bit of fun for me,” said McKeown, who owns the Olympic 100m and 200m backstroke titles.
“I’m glad it’s in the first night – just get in the groove and get it out of the way.
“I’m really happy with that performance tonight.”
Capping a thrilling first evening, Elijah Winnington claimed the men’s 400m free ahead of Sam Short in a duel of world champions.
They went stroke for stroke before Winnington pulled away in the last 100m to win in 3:43.26.
He and Short are in line to battle for podium places at Paris with Germany’s Lukas Martens, who holds 2024’s best time of 3:40.33.
Emma McKeon, Australia’s most decorated Olympic swimmer, booked her third Olympic spot by winning the 100m butterfly final in 56.85sec.
Emma McKeon booked her third Olympics spot by winning the 100m butterfly final in 56.85 seconds.
PHOTO: AFP
McKeon took bronze in the event in Tokyo, one of her women’s record tally of seven swimming medals from a single Games.
Sam Williamson, world champion in the non-Olympic 50m breaststroke, punched his ticket to Paris with a personal-best swim of 58.80sec in the 100m breaststroke, while runner-up Joshua Yong also sneaked under the qualifying standard.
The trials continue on June 11, with world record holder McKeown set to race in the 100m backstroke. REUTERS
