Ariarne Titmus smashes 200m freestyle world record at Olympic trials
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Australia’s Ariarne Titmus (right) and compatriot Mollie O’Callaghan after the women’s 200m freestyle final at the Australian Olympic trials.
PHOTO: AFP
MELBOURNE – Ariarne Titmus shattered fellow Australian Mollie O’Callaghan’s 200m freestyle world record on June 12, touching in 1min 52.23sec just weeks before defending her Olympic title in Paris.
She hit the wall at Australia’s Olympic trials in Brisbane ahead of O’Callaghan, who also went under her previous world record of 1:52.85 set in the 2023 world championships in Fukuoka, finishing in 1:52.48.
Titmus went out hard and held on as her opponent pushed her to the limit.
“Looking at the results, it’s unbelievable. I’m really happy to finally produce a swim in the 200 that I feel like my training reflects, and the world record is a bonus,” said the 23-year-old.
“I think just the field that we have is why we are swimming so fast. We push each other every day. To have five girls under (trainer) Dean (Boxall) in that final is unbelievable. It’s a credit to him and the programme.”
Titmus stunned the field including American great Katie Ledecky to clinch gold in Tokyo three years ago.
She will head to Paris as a red-hot favourite alongside O’Callaghan, who smashed Italian great Federica Pellegrini’s 14-year-old world record in 2023.
The pair share eight of the 10 fastest times in history, with Ledecky, Canadian phenomenon Summer McIntosh and Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey all in the chasing pack.
So far, McIntosh is the only other swimmer to go under 1:54 this season.
Titmus added that she had not been using O’Callaghan holding the record as motivation.
“Looking at a world record, I don’t look at who has it. I look at the time,” she said.
“(But) that wasn’t really on my radar coming into this. I just really wanted to put together a great swim, and I have the chance to do it again in Paris.”
The 20-year-old O’Callaghan was not too upset about losing her record, saying: “I’m still learning. I’m younger and I’m not as experienced as other girls, so I’ll take anything at this point.”
Lani Pallister (1:55.57) and Brianna Throssell (1:55.74) came third and fourth to position themselves to be part of an ominously fast 4x200m relay team.
Titmus has been in top form in Brisbane, swimming the second-fastest 400m freestyle of all time on June 10 as she also prepares to defend that Olympic title.
She is also the world record holder in that event. AFP, REUTERS
