Australian Mollie O’Callaghan, world record holder, beat her compatriot Ariarne Titmus, the Olympic champion, by winning the 200m freestyle at the New South Wales championships on Sunday in Sydney. The 19-year-old swimmer, 2023 world champion, clocked 1’54”76, which would have allowed her to win gold at the world championships in Doha in February, an event she missed for focus on the Paris Olympics.
Titmus (1’55”81) finished second in a very strong field which saw Lani Pallister (1’55”92) finish in third place and backstroke star Kaylee McKeown take fourth place in 1’56”06, the best time of his career in the 200m freestyle. While O’Callaghan holds the world record in 1’52”85, Titmus has three of the five fastest times in history over the distance, which points to a big show in Paris. Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh and Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey will also be podium candidates in the 200m freestyle at the Olympics.
McKeown – who holds world records in all three backstroke disciplines – showed his versatility by leaning on his back to win the 200m medley in 2:08.84. A few minutes later, the 22-year-old Australian was back in the pool at Sydney Olympic Park to easily win the 50m backstroke title in 27.25, only Canadian Kylie Masse having swum faster this year. The three-day New South Wales championships, which concluded on Sunday, are an important step towards Australia’s Olympic trials in June.
