2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
- Pool Swimming: July 27 – August 4, 2024
- Open Water Swimming: August 8 – 9, 2024
- La Défense Arena — Paris, France
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
- Full Swimming Schedule
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Pick ’em Contest
- How To Watch
- Entry Lists
- Live Results
- Prelims Live Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
- Finals Live Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
WOMEN’S 200-METER FREESTYLE – FINALS
- World Record: 1:52.23 – Ariarne Titmus, AUS (2024)
- World Junior Record: 1:53.65 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2023)
Olympic Record: 1:53.50 – Ariarne Titmus, AUS (2021)- 2021 Winning Time: 1:53.50 – Ariarne Titmus, AUS
- 2021 Bronze Medal Time: 1:54.70
- Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) – 1:53.27 (Olympic Record)
- Ariarne Titmus (AUS) – 1:53.81
- Siobhan Haughey (HGK) – 1:54.55
- Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN) – 1:55.29
- Yang Junxuan (CHN) – 1:5.38
- Barbora Semanova (CZE) – 1:55.47
- Erika Fairweather (NZL) – 1:55.59
- Claire Weinstein (USA) – 1:56.60
Mollie O’Callaghan set a new Olympic Record en route to gold in the women’s 200 freestyle, clocking a 1:53.27. That broke the old Olympic Record of a 1:53.50 that Ariarne Titmus swam at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
O’Callaghan and Titmus went 1-2. O’Callaghan’s win also means that the 200 freestyle continues its stat that the no woman has ever won two titles in a row. Titmus won back in Tokyo at the 2020 Games but came up with silver here.
Split Comparison
| O’Callaghan (2024) | Titmus (2020) | |
| 50 | 27.01 | 27.04 |
| 100 | 29.06 | 28.81 |
| 150 | 29.22 | 28.85 |
| 200 | 27.98 | 28.8 |
| 1:53.27 | 1:53.50 |
In typical O’Callaghan fashion, she came home strong on the end and was almost a second faster than Titmus was back in Tokyo on the final 50. In fact, O’Callaghan was almost as fast on her final 50 as she was on the first 50 even with the start. O’Callaghan was 3rd at the 150 mark but her 27.98 was the fastest in the field by 0.23 seconds as Titmus closed in a 29.08 tonight.
O’Callaghan’s best time stands at a 1:52.48 from Australian Trials, when she came home in a 28.37.
The win for O’Callaghan also marks her first individual Olympic gold medal. She already has captured gold this week after helping the Australian women to gold in the 4×100 free relay. She also swam to two relay golds in Tokyo.
Mollie was always my pick (check previous threads if you doubt me) for the 200 even after Arnie’s amazing WR in the ‘even shallower’ pool at Chandler.
She has almost always overcome the odds against her and should have at least one more Olympics to come.
If Titmus gets gold in the relay and silver or bronze in the 800, she will jump to 13th all time in Olympic medals. Gold in both and she jumps to 6th.
If Mollie gets at least 1 gold she’ll jump to 8th. 2 golds and she’ll jump to 4th. 3 golds and she’ll jump to 3rd.
So happy for Mollie. The strongest and the most modest competitive swimmer Australia ever had.
For the first time saw Titmus heavy breathing after mediocre by her measures race time.
Yozhik! You’re back! I thought you might have gone and done something ill-advised after Arnie won the 400m freestyle AGAIN.
Brilliant, assured swim by Mollie. She’s such a dichotomy when it comes to her swimming events. She often arrives on the blocks quivering like a field mouse cornered by a starving alley cat. You can see her hands trembling when she puts on her goggles. But then once she hits the water, she morphs into a tigress, coolly, methodically stalking her prey until it’s time to pounce.
I’m sorry in one respect that Arnie didn’t repeat her gold-medal double from Tokyo, but definitely not sorry that Mollie proved herself the worthiest of Olympic champions. I would not be betting against her in the 100m freestyle.
So much for the absurd scuttlebutt that Arnie and Mollie detest each other.
NB: Dean… Read more »
Australia is topping the medal table and every single medal has been SPW individually or a relay with multiple SPW swimmers
Boxall belongs in the conversation along with Bowman, and several others.
Suspect that Titmus would have had a better chance today if she hadn’t beaten Mollie at the Australian trials.
Two fabulous swimmers in any event.
27.9 is beyond extraordinary.
Guys come home in that
Wow, no double-double for Titmus, that’s rough–wasn’t that the only reason she was even swimming this Olympic cycle?
No she’s swimming to be the best athlete she can. Double-double was a goal but not the reason. She’s only young and would have another one or potentially two Olympic cycles in her if she chooses to chase it
So born for the 200Free. Phenomenal talent.