Mollie O’Callaghan of Australia defeated defending champion Ariarne Titmus to win gold in the women’s 200 metres freestyle at the Paris pool on Monday, setting an Olympic record.
O’Callaghan and Titmus, who were both prepared by the same coach Dean Boxall and trained at the same suburban Brisbane pool, waited their turn in the race while Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey set a blistering early pace at La Defence Arena.
O’Callaghan was third at the penultimate change, trailing Haughey and Titmus, but he laid down the hammer with a 27.98-second split on the final lap to pass them both in 1:53.27.
That was 0.54 seconds ahead of Titmus, with Haughey taking bronze after exhausting all reserves.
“It’s an honour to be alongside everyone and compete against Arnie. “She is an absolute gun,” O’Callaghan declared.
“She races like a true beast. And it’s a privilege to train with her and have such a fantastic staff around us.”
O’Callaghan’s victory came just weeks after Titmus broke her world record at the Olympic trials, a psychological setback that left her in tears.
It made no difference in the end, as she stood beaming with the gold medal around her neck, having convincingly defeated one of Australia’s greatest swimmers for her first Olympic gold.
“I’m constantly aiming for more, and I put a lot of pressure on myself. My expectations are really high. That was an incredible race. “I always want a little more,” she replied.
“To be honest, I did it for my nation, not for myself. I’m racing for all of these people. I simply needed to put it behind me. Less pressure now, and I can swim freely.”
