Changing of the guard as Mollie pips Arnie for gold in thrilling Australian 1-2 final
Updated . First published at
Mollie O'Callaghan has edged out Ariarne Titmus to claim gold in the women's 200m freestyle, with her training partner finishing second to give Australia the top two spots on the podium for the first time in 20 years.
The win is O'Callaghan's first individual victory at an Olympic Games as she stopped Titmus from defending a second title in as many days at Paris 2024.
O'Callaghan was noticeably jittery on the starting blocks as the pre-race nerves took hold, and fell back as far as fifth in the opening two laps as Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey – the eventual bronze medallist – set the early pace.
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Mollie O'Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus have claimed a famous 1-2 for Australia in the women's 200m freestyle. AP Photo/Ashley Landis
But the 20-year-old surged from third at the final turn to put in a stunning last lap and overtake her Australian teammate, her final time of 1:53.27 a new Olympic record and more than half a second clear of Titmus.
The two Aussies embraced in the pool after touching the wall, and momentarily shared the top step of the podium during a touching medal ceremony. O'Callaghan was effusive about her more experienced training partner after the race.
"It's such an honour to be with everyone, and compete against Arnie," she said.
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"She is an absolute gun. She races like an absolute beast. And it's an honour to train alongside her and have such a great team around us".
Titmus was similarly full of praise for her compatriot, as well as the pair's coach, Dean Boxall.
"I think he should be so proud of his efforts," she said.
"He is a brilliant coach – I believe the best in the world.
O'Callaghan was visibly nervous pre-race and made a slow start, only to surge home and set an Olympic record. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
"To manage this and have the two fastest girls in the world is a credit to him. It's not just us, opening night he contributed to every medal that we won as a coach. I just feel very blessed to have him in our corner."
A 1-2 in the event had been seen as a likely outcome, if not a foregone conclusion, since the two went under world record pace during the Australian trials, but it was nonetheless a historic achievement – no Aussie pair had locked out the top two steps on the Olympic podium since Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett in 2004.
O'Callaghan had lost her world record to Titmus in the trials, but said that only steeled her for a run at gold.
"You've got to accept the challenge," she said.
"At the end of the day, you can either run or... fight. I chose to fight."
She also had an ominous warning for the rest of the pool, with the women's 100m freestyle and more relays still to come.
The result is Australia's first 1-2 at the Olympics since Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett dominated the men's 400m freestyle in 2004. Sarah Stier/Getty Images
"I'm always striving for more and I always put a lot of pressure on myself. My expectations are very high," O'Callaghan said.
"That was an amazing race. I'm always wanting that little bit more... I did it for the country, I didn't do it for myself.
"I'm racing for all these people... less pressure now, I get to swim freely."
