2025 World Championships: Day 5 Women’s Relay Analysis – Australia Take The Women’s 4×200

2025 World Championships

• July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
• Singapore, Singapore
• World Aquatics Championships Arena
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• How To Watch
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Entry Book
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

WOMEN’S 4X200 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL

• World Record: 7:37.50, Australia – 2023
• World Junior Record: 7:51.47, Canada – 2017
• Championship Record: 7:37.50, Australia – 2023
• 2023 World Champion: Australia, 7:37.50
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Australia, 7:38.08

1. Australia, 7:39.35
2. United States, 7:40.01
3. China, 7:42.99
4. Hungary, 7:49.66
5. Great Britain, 7:51.87
6. Canada, 7:52.52
7. Italy, 7:54.16
8. Japan, 7:58.13

Australia won their second relay of the week, with Mollie O’Callaghan holding off U.S. anchor Katie Ledecky on the final leg of an enthralling relay where the top-two were locked in a battle for the entire race. In the end the difference maker was Brittany Castelluzzo, the only swimmer from the prelims relay who was retained for Australia, who backed up her 1:55.93 from this morning with a 1:56.01 tonight, giving them four legs 1:56.0 or better.

China were a clear second place throughout, with Hungary and Great Britain locked in a battle of their own before anchor Lilla Minna Abraham pulled away on the final leg.

1st Leg – Lead-Off (Flat Start)

1. Lani Pallister, AUS – 1:54.77
2. Claire Weinstein, USA – 1:54.83
3. Yaxin Liu, CHN – 1:55.94
4. Freya Colbert, GBR- 1:57.05
5. Nikolett Padar, HUN- 1:57.19
6. Anna Chiara Mascolo, ITA – 1:58.22
7. Brooklyn Douthwright, CAN – 1:58.58
8. Nagisa Ikemoto, JPN – 1:59.65

Lani Pallister and Claire Weinstein treated us to a captivating leadoff leg that ended up being a microcosm of the entire race. The two were separated by a quarter of a second at most throughout, with Weinstein clawing back on the Australian to lead with 50 to go before Pallister closed slightly stronger. That was a new best time for her by 0.12 seconds, and Weinstein has now broken 1:55 three times this meet as she claimed her first individual worlds medal.

Yaxin Liu was a second back in 3rd, but a second ahead of the race behind her. Nikolett Padar was just over a second off her best from the European U23 Championships leading off for Hungary, while Great Britain’s Freya Colbert added two seconds to the 1:55.06 she went to take 4th individually on the leadoff here.

Flying Splits

1. Mollie O’Callaghan, AUS – 1:53.44
2. Katie Ledecky, USA – 1:53.71
3. Anna Peplowski, USA – 1:54.75
4. Li Bingjie, CHN – 1:54.84
5. Jamie Perkins, AUS – 1:55.13
6. Peiqi Yang, CHN – 1:55.84
7. Brittany Castelluzzo, AUS – 1:56.01
8. Yu Yiting, CHN – 1:56.37
9. Lilla Minna Abraham, HUN – 1:56.57
10. Erin Gemmell, USA – 1:56.72
11. Panna Ugrai, HUN – 1:57.18
12. Ella Jansen, CAN – 1:57.44
13. Abbie Wood, GBR – 1:57.77
14. Sienna Angrove, CAN – 1:57.86
15. Bianca Nannucci, ITA – 1:58.31
16. Freya Anderson, GBR – 1:58.36
17. Matilde Bagiotti, ITA – 1:58.43
18. Waka Kobori, JPN – 1:58.45
19. Ella Cosgrove, 1:58.64
20. Leah Schlosshan, GBR – 1:58.69
21. Dara Molnar, HUN – 1:58.72
22. Emma Menicucci, ITA – 1:59.20
23. Miyu Namba, JPN – 1:59.82
24. Ichika Kajimoto, JPN – 2:00.21

The two anchor legs for Australia and the U.S., Mollie O’Callaghan and Katie Ledecky, were more than a second faster than anyone else on this relay. Australia led by 0.39 seconds going into the final leg, which O’Callaghan had extended to 0.71 seconds with 100 to go, but the two were almost dead even coming home, Ledecky in 58.72 to the Aussie’s 58.77. That was enough for O’Callaghan to claim Australia’s third gold in the last three years, all of them in a time under 7:40.

Anna Peplowski had grown into a star in the NCAA for Indiana by the time her college career ended this March, and she has made the step up to the world level with ease. After dropping from 1:56.99 to 1:55.70 at U.S. Nationals, she was nearly a second under that on the relay split. She overtook and pulled slightly away from Australia’s Jamie Perkins on this leg, splitting 55.38/59.37, to put the U.S. in the lead at halfway. For her own part, Perkins was 0.76 seconds faster than she went in the 200 free semi-finals two days ago.

Canada got solid splits from all four legs even without Summer McIntosh and Mary-Sophie Harvey being used. Each leg was faster than they went this morning, with Sienna Angrove dropping three-quarters of a second to go 1:57.86. They would probably have been off the podium even with their star pair as they finished 6th, 9.53 seconds behind China.

Brittany Castelluzzo, trailed Erin Gemmell by 1.29 seconds at the final turn of their leg, but stormed home in 29.16 to hand over a lead to Mollie O’Callaghan. That outsplit Gemmell by 1.68 seconds, although she rebounded well from a 2:00.16 in the individual final to split 1:56.72 here.

Hungary got three big splits as they broke the 7:50 mark. Abraham’s anchor was around half a second off her best, but faster than the 1:56.70 she went in the semi-finals and pulled Hungary away from Great Britain to take 4th. Panna Ugrai was the big story for them, splitting nearly a second faster than her flat start time of 1:58.07 to go 1:57.18, holding off GB’s Abbie Wood. Dara Molnar was also under her PB, as Hungary came just 1.61 seconds away from a Katinka Hossu-led National Record.

Li Bingjie was 1:54.84 for China on the anchor, continuing an excellent meet for her. She set a national record in the 400 free on Day 1, and has collected a pair of silver medals in the 200 free and 400 free, and was sub-1:55 again here. This is just her second split under the barrier, having also done so in 2023 with a split of 1:54.59. Peiqi Yang and Yu Yiting were excellent on their legs, as China finished nearly seven seconds ahead of 4th.

Australia’s Steady 200 Free Production Line

With no Ariarne Titmus in Singapore, and Emma McKeon and Brianna Throssell retiring after Paris, a significant proportion of the depth that had helped Australia to become the dominant nation in the 4×200 freestyle over the last couple of years had disappeared.

The front half tonight was actually the same as the heats in Paris, but a full 2.62 seconds faster than they managed there. Jamie Perkins was 1:56.78 there, and has dropped a good chunk of time in the event this season to go from 1:56.22 to 1:55.44 and rank #7 all-time among Australian women. Pallister has now dipped under 1:55 on the last two occasions that she has swum the 200 free, and outduelled the individual bronze medalist Claire Weinstein on the leadoff. Even with her focus on the longer freestyle events, she will continue being a key member of this team when Titmus is back.

Through last season Brianna Throssell became an important part of this team, despite primarily being a fly swimmer. She ended up splitting 1:56.00 on the relay in Paris to help them to gold, and that pipeline is in full effect again this year with Brittany Castelluzzo. The 200 fly specialist finished 6th at Trials in 1:57.04, but split 1:55.93 and 1:56.01 today. She is probably the leg to be subbed out for Titmus, but she will be valuable for the prelims team and if any one leg of the finals team is off.

The pipeline of talent that has come through Australia’s ranks in the last few years shows no sign of slowing down. There are several youngsters among the top-10 Australian’s this year.

Top-10 Australian Women This Season, 200m Free

1. Mollie O’Callaghan (21) – 1:53.48
2. Lani Pallister (23) – 1:54.77
3. Jamie Perkins (20) – 1:55.44
4. Abbey Webb (24) & Hannah Casey (19) – 1:56.09
5. –
6. Brittany Castelluzzo (25) – 1:57.04
7. Inez Miller (18) – 1:57.32
8. Amelia Weber (19) – 1:57.32
9. Jaimie de Lutiis (19) – 1:58.62
10. Leah Neale (29) –  1:58.63

Abbey Webb and Hannah Casey tied at Trials in 1:56.09, and both got some valuable experience on the prelims relay this morning, albeit much slower than their bests. With Milla Jansen and potentially even Olivia Wunsch an option in the future, as well as the inevitable next batch of swimmers to come through, this relay is not going anywhere any time soon.