Mollie O’Callaghan smashes 14-year-old 200m freestyle record to win gold at worlds | More sports News

NEW DELHI: 19-year-old Australian swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan achieved a remarkable feat on Wednesday by setting a new world record in the women’s 200m freestyle event with a time of 1 minute and 52.85 seconds at the swimming world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

The previous world record in the women’s 200m freestyle event was 1:52.98, set by Italian swimmer Federica Pellegrini during the 2009 world championships.

O’Callaghan’s impressive performance allowed her to secure the first position, leaving her fellow Australian, Ariarne Titmus, in second place with a time of 1:53.01, and Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh in third place with a time of 1:53.65.

Throughout the race, Titmus had taken the lead and held it for most of the event. However, O’Callaghan showcased incredible determination and skill, gradually catching up to Titmus during the final stretch and ultimately touching the wall first, securing the world record.

Before the world championships, O’Callaghan had already demonstrated her potential by outperforming Titmus at the Australian trials, achieving the fastest time of the year so far.
Titmus, who is the Olympic champion in both the 200m and 400m freestyle events, was seeking a double victory at the Fukuoka championships. She successfully claimed the first half of her goal by winning the 400m event on the opening night of the competition, setting a world-record time and beating American swimmer Katie Ledecky and Canadian McIntosh.

Unfortunately, defending champion Yang Junxuan from China did not participate in the Fukuoka championships to defend her title. Last year in Budapest, Yang’s victory in the 200m freestyle event had earned China its only individual swimming gold of the championships.
(With AFP inputs)
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