2023 World Champs Previews: Titmus On WR Watch In Stacked Women’s 200 Free

2023 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• July 23 – 30, 2023 (pool swimming)
• Fukuoka, Japan
• Marine Messe Fukuoka
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Entry Book

BY THE NUMBERS — WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE

• World Record: Federica Pellegrini, Italy – 1:52.98 (2009)
• World Junior Record: Summer McIntosh, Canada – 1:53.91 (2023)
• Championship Record: Federica Pellegrini, Italy – 1:52.98 (2009)
• 2022 World Champion: Yang Junxuan, China – 1:54.92

To put it lightly, the 2022 World Championship final was lacking.

Not only were we missing the reigning Olympic gold and silver medalists in Ariarne Titmus (opted out) and Siobhan Haughey (injury), but 2016 champion Katie Ledecky and rising star Summer McIntosh also dropped the race from their program. Tokyo bronze medalist Penny Oleksiak was also disqualified in the semis, leaving just two swimmers from the Olympic final racing for medals in Budapest.

China’s Yang Junxuan went on to claim the world title in a time of 1:54.92, but it was hard to not feel as though we missed out on an epic race, especially after Ledecky split 1:53.67 for the U.S. on the 800 free relay (flying start) and McIntosh led off Canada in 1:54.79.

And while all of the stars won’t converge next week in Fukuoka, most of them will.

Ledecky has dropped the event from her lineup yet again, which is a bit of a bummer but understandable given its proximity to the 1500 free. Yang has surprisingly not entered the event, relinquishing her world title, and Oleksiak is out with injury. But the rest of the big names are ready to rock.

IS THE AUSTRALIAN DROUGHT OVER?

Despite their long run of success in the 800 free relay, it’s now been more than two decades since an Australian woman has won the 200 freestyle at the World Championships, with Giaan Rooney the last to do so in 2001.

Mollie O’Callaghan. Photo: Fabio Cetti

Titmus came close in 2019, but ended up settling for silver behind four-time champion Federica Pellegrini, and then last year, it looked as though it might be Mollie O’Callaghan‘s race to lose, but she was upended by Yang.

And after the 22-year run without a gold medal, it would be now hard to argue against the strong possibility the Aussies go 1-2 in 2023.

Titmus is undoubtedly the favorite, as she owns three of the four fastest swims in history and four of the 10 sub-1:54.

She went 1:53.09 at the 2021 Olympic Trials, 1:53.50 to win Olympic gold, and then dropped a 1:53.31 at the Australian Nationals last May. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in August, she won the event in 1:53.89 while anchoring the Aussie 800 free relay to a world record with a stunning 1:52.82 split.

All that being said, the 22-year-old Titmus fell to her 19-year-old teammate O’Callaghan at the Australian Trials last month, as O’Callaghan rocketed home with a 28.29 closing split to touch first in 1:53.83. That made her just the seventh swimmer in history under 1:54.

Titmus wasn’t far behind, however, clocking 1:54.14, and if she’s firing on all cylinders in Fukuoka, she’s not only the one to beat, but the world record is well within her sights.

THE OTHER SUB-1:54S

Among the five other swimmers who have broken 1:54 in swimming history, two more will be racing the 200 free at Worlds: Haughey and McIntosh.

Siobhan Haughey (photo: Jack Spitser)

Surprisingly, Haughey has never won a medal at the LC World Championships, as prior to having to withdraw from the 2022 competition, she finished fourth in the 200 free in 2019 and fifth in 2017.

At the Tokyo Olympics, she was the only swimmer to come close to Titmus in the final, setting a new Asian Record in 1:53.92.

The 25-year-old is coming off of dropping the second-fastest swim of her career, 1:54.77, at the Sette Colli Trophy in June, indicating she’s back on 1:53 form.

As for McIntosh, the 200 free has been relatively low on her priority list thus far in her young career, with the 400 IM, 400 free and 200 fly taking precedence. But given that she withdrew from the 200 IM (and kept the 200 free in her lineup), she seems intent on racing it in Fukuoka.

After leading off the relay last summer in 1:54.79, McIntosh joined the sub-1:54 at the Canadian Trials earlier this year, clocking a World Junior Record 1:53.91 on the sixth and final day of competition after she set world records in the 400 IM and 400 free (and had impressive 200 IM and 200 fly performances) earlier on.

The 16-year-old also went 1:54.13 shortly before the Trials at one of the Pro Swim Series stops, which tells us 1:53-high/1:54-low is a fairly repeatable feat for her.

THE SANDPIPER DUO

The U.S. will be represented by a pair of young stars, Sandpipers of Nevada teammates Claire Weinstein and Bella Sims.

Claire Weinstein (photo: Jack Spitser)

Both played an integral role in the American triumph in the 800 free relay last summer, as Weinstein led off in 1:56.71 and Sims anchored them home in 1:54.60.

Last month at U.S. Nationals, Weinstein pulled off a surprising comeback win over Ledecky in a significant personal best time of 1:55.26, while Sims took third in a lifetime best of her own in 1:56.08. With Ledecky’s withdrawal from the 200 free, Sims got bumped up into the individual event, giving her two entries along with the 400 free (after she was a relay-only swimmer in Tokyo and Budapest).

Weinstein only turned 16 earlier this year, and Sims is also one of the youngest athletes in the field at 18, but despite their youth, they’ve shown an ability to perform in big moments and should both play a role in the final.

EUROPEAN CONTENDERS

Besides O’Callaghan, there will only be two other swimmers who were in the 2022 final returning this year: Freya Anderson and Isabel Gose.

Freya Anderson. Photo: Fabio Cetti

Great Britain’s Anderson was fourth last summer in 1:56.68, and set a new personal best of 1:55.89 in April. On top of that, she’s dropped the individual 100 free to focus on the 200 and relays. She’s still about a second away from being near the podium, based on the strength of this year’s field, but she’s a surefire finalist.

Germany’s Gose has generally been better in the 400 and 800 free, but snuck into last year’s final and now has four 1:56-high swims on her resume, including hitting 1:56.81 in April.

The Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen won the European title last summer over Anderson in a lifetime best of 1:56.36, and she’s lowered her PB three more times this year, getting down to 1:55.58 just last month.

Great Britain’s Abbie Wood, Czech Republic’s Barbora Seemanova and the Slovenian duo of Janja Segel and Katja Fain are also potential finalists, though they would likely need best times in order to do so.

Erika Fairweather (photo: Jack Spitser)

OTHER FACTORS

New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather has been on fire this year, and though her specialty is the 400 free, she set a new Kiwi Record in April at 1:55.44 which puts her firmly in the mix.

With Yang Junxuan and Tang Muhan, the 2022 gold and bronze medalists, out of the race, China turns to Liu Yaxin and Li Jiaping in the 200 free. Both are entered with 1:56s, so while they could make their way into the final, it’s a bit of a long shot.

Brazilian Stephanie Balduccini is only 18 and nearly broke the South American Record last year in 1:57.54, placing her 12th at Worlds. She’s one to keep an eye on, though she’s probably still a year or two away from making an impact in the final.

SWIMSWAM’S PICKS

Dark Horse: Aimee Canny, South Africa – Coming off a standout freshman year at Virginia, Canny enters the World Championships having reset her PB down to 1:57.82 in April. After nearly winning the NCAA title in March (her lead-off time from UVA’s 800 free relay was actually faster than what won the individual event), she comes in with confidence and no pressure. She’s got a shot at taking down the nine-year-old South African Record of 1:57.17, and maybe more.