Mollie O'Callaghan sets a world record at the swimming world championships and wins the gold medal
Mollie O'Callaghan of Australia reacts after winning the women's 200m freestyle swimming final at the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Credit: AP/Eugene Hoshiko
FUKUOKA, Japan — Australian swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan set a world record in in the women’s 200-meter freestyle on Wednesday, winning the gold medal at the world championships.
The 19-year-old O’Callaghan beat teammate Ariarne Titmus, overtaking the race favorite in the final 20 meters.
O’Callaghan’s winning time was 1 minute, 52.85 seconds. She bettered the previous mark set in 2009 by Federica Pellegrini of Italy.
Titmus, who won the 400 free in world-record time on Sunday, settled for silver in 1:53.01 after leading for most of the race. Summer McIntosh of Canada earned bronze in 1:53.65 after coming in fourth in the 400.
In the men’s 800 freestyle, Ahmed Hafnaoui of Tunisia won gold.
Lukas Martens of Germany held the early lead before Hafnaoui went in front at 350 meters. Hafnaoui and Sam Short of Australia then battled back and forth the rest of the way with the Tunisian pulling away in the final 25 meters.
Hafnaoui’s winning time was 7:37:00, with Short taking silver in 7:37.76. Bobby Finke of the United States, the Olympic champion and last year’s world titlist, took bronze in 7:38.67.
Medalists, from left to right, Ariarne Titmus of Australia, silver, her compatriot Mollie O'Callaghan, gold, and Summer Mcintosh of Canada, bronze, celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony for the women's 200m freestyle swimming final at the at the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Credit: AP/Eugene Hoshiko
Leon Marchand of France added the men’s 200 butterfly gold to the one he won in the 400 medley on the opening day of the worlds when he broke Michael Phelps’ long-standing world mark. The 21-year-old Frenchman assumed the lead at 80 meters and powered home the rest of the way, winning in 1:52.43.
Krzysztof Chmielewski of Poland captured the silver in 1:53.62, while Tomoru Honda gave host Japan its second bronze medal of the worlds in 1:53.66.
Kristof Milak of Hungary, the current world-record holder in the 200 butterfly and gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, is not competing at this year's championships.
Qin Haiyang of China won his second gold of the worlds in the men’s 50-meter breaststroke to go with the one he earned in the 100 breaststroke on Monday. Qin led from wire-to-wire to prevail in 26.29 seconds.
Japan's Daiya Seto competes during the men's 200m individual medley swimming semifinal at the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Credit: AP/Lee Jin-man
Nic Fink of the United States took silver in 26.59, with Sun Jiajun of China getting bronze in 26.79.
China was also victorious in the 4x100 mixed medley relay behind a strong leg from Qin, taking the gold in 3:38.57. Australia got silver in 3:39.03, with the United States rounded out the podium with bronze in 3:40.19.
The top three finishers in the relay automatically qualified for next year's Paris Olympics.