In a stunning performance at the women’s 200-meter freestyle event in Brisbane, Australia, Ariarne Titmus set a new world record of 1:52.23 seconds. This was a full second faster than the previous record holder, Mollie O’Callaghan, who came in second with a time of 1:52.48.
Titmus, who is the current Olympic champion in both the 200- and 400-meter freestyle events, expressed her excitement about breaking her own world record in front of her home crowd. She had not been planning on achieving this feat so close to the Paris Olympics, which begin on July 26. However, she was determined to put together a great swim and is now looking forward to another opportunity to compete on the world stage.
O’Callaghan, who is just 20 years old and has been working with the same coach as Titmus for several years, admitted to experiencing pre-race anxiety as the previous record holder. She acknowledged that she still has much to learn compared to other more experienced swimmers but is determined to continue improving.
In a strong final race, Titmus and O’Callaghan finished ahead of their competitors by a significant margin. Lani Pallister came in third place while Brianna Throssell finished fourth, and Shayna Jack tied for fifth place with Jamie Perkins. These top six swimmers are likely to form part of Australia’s 4×200 freestyle relay squad at the Paris Olympics where they currently hold the world record in this event. The official team selection will be made after six days of trials at Brisbane’s Chandler Aquatic Center.
