Paris Olympics, Day 2 Prelims: Mollie O’Callaghan, Ariarne Titmus Strong in 200 Free
It will take some convincing to make the women’s 200 freestyle anything other than a battle of Aussies.
Owners of the eight fastest textile-suit times between them, Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan are the favorites for a green-and-gold 1-2. They did nothing in prelims to dissuade the world of that notion.
O’Callaghan set the pace in prelims of the 200 free at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, the second day of prelims at Paris’ La Defense Arena. Her time of 1:55.79 led a sedate prelims, with Titmus third and comfortably home.
In between was Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey in 1:56.23. Li Bingjie of China was fourth, and reigning silver medalist Siobhan Haughey was fifth.
- World record: Ariarne Titmus, Australia, 1:52.23 (2024)
- Olympic record: Ariarne Titmus, Australia, 1:53.50 (2021)
- Tokyo winning time: Ariarne Titmus, Australia, 1:53.50 (2021)
Both Americans progressed without consternation, with Claire Weinstein sixth and Erin Gemmell 11th.
Titmus and O’Callaghan are the only swimmers in the field to have gone sub 1:54 this year (Summer McIntosh, who isn’t swimming it, also has). In a slow prelims – it took 1:58.33 to make semifinals in Tokyo, then 1:59.29 Sunday,
Li won the first of three circle-seeded heats in 1:56.28. She was a tenth ahead of Haughey, who was a tenth ahead of American Weinstein. Li bounced back after finishing 10th in prelims of the 400 free to miss finals.
O’Callaghan dominated the third heat by nearly a second. Titmus went 1:56.23, .02 behind Harvey at the touch, in the final heat, but all was comfortable for the two Aussies who each swum Saturday night.
The other two holdovers from the Tokyo final are comfortably into the final 16. Yang Junxuan of China finished ninth, a spot ahead of Czechia’s Barbora Seemanova. They were fourth and sixth, respectively, in Tokyo.
