2018 AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING TRIALS
- Wednesday, February 28th – Saturday, March 3rd
- Optus Aquatic Centre, Marine Parade, Southport, Queensland
- Prelims at 11:00am local (8pm EST previous night)/Finals at 7:15pm local (4:15am EST)
- LCM
- Meet Central
- Selection Criteria (including QTs)
- Start Lists
- SwimSwam Meet Preview
- Live Stream (prelims only)
- Live Results
Day 1 Prelims Recap/Day 1 Finals Recap
WOMEN’S 200 FREE (FINAL)
- Australian National Record – 1:54.83, Emma McKeon, 2016
- ‘A’ Cut – 1:56.34
- GOLD – ARIARNE TITMUS, 1:55.76
- SILVER – EMMA MCKEON, 1:56.57
- BRONZE – LEAH NEALE – 1:57.68
17-year-old Ariarne Titmus proved that her 1:56.61 anchor on the women’s bronze medal-winning 4x200m freestyle relay in Budapest was not a fluke, shutting Olympian Emma McKeon out of the gold medal spot in tonight’s 200m freestyle final.
While competing on the first night of the Australian Commonwealth Games Trials, the Tasmanian teen clocked a wicked-fast winning effort of 1:55.76 to nail gold, dip under the A qualifying standard and further establish herself as an elite force across the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle events.
Splitting, 56.86/58.9, Titmus clocked a huge winning time of 1:55.76, her fastest ever by over half a second. Entering the meet she held the Australian national age record with her previous personal best of 1:56.34, but the St. Peters Western swimmer’s outing tonight blows that mark out of the water.
For comparison, American legend Katie Ledecky’s fastest 200m freestyle at 17 years of age checked in at 1:55.16, followed by the 1:55.74 she put up at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championsihps. The fact Titmus is in that range even 5 weeks before the main Commonwealth Games event is exciting for Aussie fans.
And this isn’t the firs time Titmus has appeared ‘Ledecky-esque’. At December’s Queensland Championships, Titmus took down the Australian senior national record in the 400m freestyle, clocking a huge 4:02.86.
It is Ledeckyesque in that it is .02 off Katie’s time she did at the same pool at the same age . What other 17 year old freestyler in the world could say that ?
Futhermore she has another chance in April in what will be her 2nd major event for the season as the Pan Pacs were for 2014 Katie ..
You mention Ledecky or Phelps and the number of hits on the internet go up. Pretty simple
Lets talk about Titmus & not compare her to Ledecky, let’s not forget that Ledecky has claims to be the greatest freestyle (especially middle to long distance) of all time. Titmus has the potential but has not yet achieved anything yet. Her time in the 200 was very impressive.
As we have discussed before- no Ledecky or Phelps comparisons PLEASE….it is lazy journalism and hype.
Lets keep it real.
I respectfully disagree. Comparing a rising talent to an established one is not lazy journalism, it’s due diligence to give readers a point of reference.
OK- comparing times and performances is one thing- saying someone at a tender age is Ledeckyesque or Phelpsesque is hyperbole. Comparing a young person to a legend would only cause anxiety and embarrassment to them I would imagine.
Imagine if you were a 17 year old & you were approaching Thorpe or Phelps s 17 year old time in any of their Olympic Gold medal events. I think that is a bit special .
As great as Ledecky is, she’s at an age where female distance swimmers plateau, then begin decline. Titmus’s and Ledecky’s trend lines may cross in 2020 Olympics and make for some exciting racing
You contradict yourself. What is so exciting in challenging aging declining star? How does it make the challenger greater? The real excitement will be if the declining star being beyond the halfway on declining slope is still able to compete for supremacy. I believe we still have many great years before this happens.
I wouldn’t say that is true anymore.
Melani Costa was 24 when she dropped from 4.05 to 4.02 and became a World medallist. Jazmin Carlin was 26 when she dropped from 4.03 to 4.01 to become an Olympic medallist. Lauren Boyle was 26 when she dropped god knows how much to become a World medallist. Mireia dropped a huge amount to medal in the 800fr at 22; Even Boglarka Kapas has just began to peak at 23/24.
The days of extraordinary young girls coming and going are slowly coming to an end.
Katie Ledecky has been for so long already in dominant position that unconsciously in minds of many it’s about time for her to decline. She doesn’t even have legal rights yet to drink alcoholic beverages to celebrate her departure from the top of competition pyramid. 😀
Very good examples. Thank you. Perhaps Ledecky will still improve, which would produce some even more unbelievable times.
Wow, this title is triggering people? Never woulda guessed!
I think it’s clear that Titmus is not Ledecky. That said, Titmus is making extreme strides towards international relevancy in events that Katie Ledecky races, which is the genesis for this title choice. We’re looking set up for some real stellar 200 free battles in 2019 and 2020, for sure.
That is the normal tendency now. Whenever some girl becomes a factor on international scene her successes is immediately measured by how much she is away of seeing Katie Ledecky’s feet. And practically all of them claim to be able to challenge her (not her records) in the nearest future.
Boglarka Kapas after 8:16 and 4:02 in Rio said that she was going to drop 2sec each year to beat Ledecky in 2020
Leah Smith saw Ledecky’s feet at trials and became the second ever at 400 being only 0.6sec short from breaking 4min barrier. Well 1.5 year later we are still waiting for that to happen.
Li Bingjie was also not far of seeing Katie’s feet… Read more »
At 200 I’d rather pay more attention to Rikako Ikee’s scarring 1:55.04. She is 17 as well and in contrast to Ariarne Titmus comes to 200 distance from the sprinter’s side. So this duel can be as much excited as Sjostrom – Ledecky one.
I’m sure these comments WI be well thought out and productive
Ledecky was under 4min at 400 when she was 16. So i wouldn’t call 4:02.86 at the age of 17 a ‘Ledecky-esque’. But the 1:55.76 is indeed the time where Titmus is comparable to Katie Ledecky at same age. On the other hand the 200 distance was the one where Ledecky progressed with slowest pace compare to 100, 400, 800 and 1500 events. It is a tricky event and was never beloved one. When she was first time under 1:56 beating Missy Franklin she commented in short interview immediately after the race that she was surprised that it didn’t caused her to throw up.
We’ll see what she does in the coming months over 400 😉
It sounds like you know already 😀
You never know, and it isn’t fair to start expecting & speculating on times from young swimmers; But she is no ordinary talent by all accounts.
She went 4:02.36 today.