2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES
- Thursday, April 5th – Tuesday, April 10th (swimming)
- Optus Aquatic Centre, Gold Coast, Australia
- Prelims at 10:30am local (8:30pm previous night EDT)
- Finals at 7:30pm local (5:30am EDT)
- Official Commonwealth Games website
- Entries
- Meet Schedule + Results
- Live Stream (Canada)
- Live Stream (US)
- Live Stream (Australia)
In the last finals session of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Australia’s Mitch Larkin set a new meet record in the 200 IM.
Larkin posted a time of 1:57.67, a time that is just ahead of the old record, a 1:57.83 from Daniel Tranter. Also Australian, Tranter swam that time at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
SPLITS
- Fly: 25.50
- Back: 29.18
- Breast: 35.23
- Free: 27.76
Larkin led after the backstroke, then gave up some ground before going into the free leg in 2nd, tightly in battle with New Zealand’s Bradlee Ashby, Australian Clyde Lewis, and Scotland’s Duncan Scott. Larkin’s 27.76 final 50 was impossible for anyone else to match, though, as he surged to the win in 1:57.67, claiming the Games record in the process.
Now, Larkin is the 3rd-best performer in the 200 IM in Australian history.
Australian 200 IM All-Time Rankings
- Leith Brodie, 1:56.69 (2009)
- Daniel Tranter, 1:57.55 (2013)
- Mitch Larkin, 1:57.67 (2018)
Larkin had already won all three backstroke events prior to his win tonight in the 200 IM. The 200 IM is a relatively newer event for Larkin, already heralded as a phenomenal backstroker. Before this meet, his best time was a 1:58.89 from December of 2017, and this is only his 8th time under 2:00.
I’m pretty sure Morgan and Irvine’s times are 200 fly times?
You’re right — the USA Swimming top times database was incorrect. Looks like Leith Brodie’s 1:56.69 is the Australian record, and unless there were more times missing, Larkin’s actually the third-best AUS performer in history now.