In a close race against teammate Mollie O’Callaghan, Ariarne Titmus set the world record in the 200-meter freestyle at Australia’s Olympic swimming trials. Titmus finished with a time of 1:52.23, just over half a second faster than O’Callaghan’s previous world record of 1:52.85. O’Callaghan was able to beat her old world record time with a second-place finish at 1:52.48.
Following the race, Titmus expressed her happiness with her swim and credited the competitive field for pushing her to perform at her best. Despite their rivalry, both swimmers will continue to train together under coach Dean Boxall at St Peters Western Swim Club in preparation for this year’s Olympics in Paris, which begin on July 26.
Last year, O’Callaghan bested Titmus in both the 100m and 200m freestyle events at the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan. However, with Titmus now holding the 200m freestyle world record, she is poised to be a strong contender in both the 200m and 400m freestyle events at the upcoming Olympics. Once officially ratified, Titmus will hold both records and hopes to perform at her best in the competitive field at Paris
