BRISBANE, Australia — On Wednesday at Australia’s Olympic swimming trials, Ariarne Titmus broke the world record in the women’s 200-meter freestyle event.
Tutmus completed the final in 1 minute and 52.23 seconds, surpassing Mollie O’Callaghan’s previous record of 1:52.85 from last year’s world championships by almost two-thirds of a second.
O’Callaghan came in second at the Australian championships with a time of 1:52.48.
As the Olympic champion in the 200- and 400-meter freestyle events, Titmus now holds world records in both events.
“Honestly, the world record is a bonus,” she said. “I’m happy to finally put together a swim that I know I’m capable of, and it’s exciting to do it in my hometown in front of a hometown crowd.”
Titmus and O’Callaghan both train under the same coach, Dean Boxall.
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“We really don’t see what each other is doing in training, we are very separate — she trains for the sprint events, I train for middle distance,” Titmus said. “Looking at a world record, I don’t look at who has it. I look at the time.”
Titmus stated that breaking a record wasn’t “on my radar” so close to the Paris Olympics, which are set to start on July 26.
“I just wanted to put together a great swim, and I have the chance to do it again in Paris,” she added.
20-year-old O’Callaghan revealed that she experienced pre-race anxiety as the previous record holder.
“I couldn’t really sleep last night,” she shared. “I’m still learning. I am only young and not as experienced as the other girls, so I will take anything at this point.”
In a competitive final, Titmus and O’Callaghan finished more than three seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Lani Pallister secured third place, Brianna Throssell came in fourth, and Shayna Jack tied for fifth with Jamie Perkins.
The top six swimmers are expected to make up Australia’s 4×200 freestyle relay team in Paris, where Australia currently holds the world record for the event.
Australia’s Olympic team will be finalized over the weekend following the six-day trials at Brisbane’s Chandler Aquatic Center.
