Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus smashed the women’s 200m freestyle world record at the Australian Olympic trials in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Titmus clocked 1:52.23, overtaking compatriot Mollie O’Callaghan’s previous record of 1:52.85 from last year’s World Championships in Fukuoka.
“Looking at the results, that’s unbelievable,” Titmus said after the event.
“I’m just happy to finally produce a swim in the 200 that I feel like my training reflects. I think the field that we have is why we’re swimming so fast, we push each other every day.”
The final was a rematch of the Fukuoka event, when O’Callaghan edged Titmus in a thriller for the title.
With this, the 23-year-old will enter her second event at the Paris Olympics after she won the 400 metres freestyle event finals at the trials.
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Though not fully tapered, the Olympic champion won the final in three minutes and 55.44 seconds, 0.06 seconds off her best from last year’s world championships in Fukuoka -- and the second fastest time in history.
It left Summer McIntosh’s year-best mark of 3:59.06 far behind, while challenging American great Katie Ledecky, the woman Titmus beat for gold in a thriller at Tokyo, to produce an answer at the U.S. trials starting on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Titmus won her heat in one minute and 55.50 seconds at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre, with O’Callaghan claiming hers in 1:55.68.
“People think that it’s probably just going to be Mollie and I out the front but I think the entire field is going to be competitive because it’s a very high chance that’s a gold medal possibility with that relay team,” Titmus, told Australian media.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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