Mollie O'Callaghan puts target on Ariarne Titmus' 200m freestyle world record after ominous win

GOLD COAST: Mollie O'Callaghan made no secret of her burning desire to reclaim the women's 200-metre freestyle world record after delivering her global rivals another psychological blow on Wednesday night.

The owner of that world record, fascinatingly, is Ariarne Titmus, with whom O'Callaghan had a ferocious rivalry until "The Terminator" retired from the sport in October last year, aged only 25.

O'Callaghan scorched through the final of the 200m freestyle at the Australian Open in 1:53.69.

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Clocking such a swift time would be impressive in any circumstances. Clocking that time off no taper, at the end of a gruelling three-day racing program and, of course, with no Titmus to go hammer and tongs with, makes her swim all the more impressive.

The dogged redhead from Logan has her sights set on taking down the 1:52.23 set by Titmus at the trials for the Paris 2024 Olympics — a race famous for both Titmus and O'Callaghan breaking what was the world record at the time in a ding-dong battle "Arnie" won by 0.25 of a second.

The world record Titmus erased on that iconic night at Brisbane Aquatic Centre was the 1:52.88 set by O'Callaghan in her triumphant 200m swim at the 2023 world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

O'Callaghan didn't want to pinpoint when she may be able to retake the mark, although it's doubtless she will have the world on world record watch at the trials for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, taking place at Sydney Olympic Park in June.

"I wouldn't give a date on it because it's always a possibility," O'Callaghan told reporters as the championships drew to a close.

"That's a dream to break it, but at the moment it's really about if I can do it.

"At the end of the day, I make my goals really incredibly hard, and if I can achieve that then that's like the best thing ever to me and then I can move on to creating a new goal that's even more impossible."

O'Callaghan isn't only eyeing off Titmus' 1:52.23 world record; she's also chasing 1:51 territory.

"That's a big dream of mine, and I know it's a dream of some other athletes, too," said O'Callaghan, the reigning Olympic and world champion in the 200m freestyle.

"At the end of the day it's seeing if I can get there, and if I get close to it then I'm happy with that because it's such a hard task to do — no woman has ever done that."

O'Callaghan has on many occasions won a race and swum a rapid time yet still found herself disappointed.

Not at these championships.

A hornet's nest of anxiety in years gone by, there's now a lightness about the golden girl, which is testament to the mental work she's done with a psychologist and her coach, Dean Boxall, who also coached Titmus.

"I'm pleased with the 1:53," O'Callaghan said, smiling.

"I think in season that's so hard to do.

"There's always dreams of doing more and I'll set myself higher goals, but I think doing two 1:53s this year and potentially seeing what I can do at trials, I think I'm pretty stoked with that."

The 1:53.69 O'Callaghan swam on Wednesday night follows the 1:53.52 she laid down at the China Open last month.

Both swims delivered her global rivals an ominous message, many of whom she will take on at the Pan Pacific swimming championships in Irvine, California in August, and at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games beforehand.

"I'm just focusing on myself; that's a very big thing for me," O'Callaghan said.

"I know everyone swims differently in season, and I think a big, strong factor about myself is I don't focus on the international stuff; I just focus on the progress I've made. They're doing their own thing and I don't know what they're doing. It's just about doing what's best for me."

Dolphins head coach Rohan Taylor applauded O'Callaghan and Boxall.

"Molly's a competitor, and the thing that she's doing is she's out there really having a crack at the race plan," Taylor told reporters.

"I know her and Dean are working on the opportunity to get the race plan right, which is executing it, and I think tonight you saw the consistency from China to here that she's laying down some really good consistency. That's where the great athletes are consistent, and then from there they can go to new levels."

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Second place in the race? Paralympic gold medallist Tim Hodge.

Jamie Jack wins splash and dash

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Shayna Jack's 23-year-old brother won the race in 21.71 seconds.

The Jack siblings are hoping to qualify for a Dolphins team together for the first time at the Commonwealth Games trials.

Short, Pallister nail trebles

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Short won the men's 1500m in 14:54.75, while Pallister claimed the women's title in 15:44.07.

Pallister's looming 800m and 1500m battles with American legend Katie Ledecky in Los Angeles at the 2028 Olympics promise to go down in folklore.

Williamson wins a year on from horror injury

Sam Williamson's 2025 was ruined by a horrid knee injury.

The former world champion bounced back in style on Wednesday night, winning the men's 50m breaststroke title in 27.14 seconds.