Ariarne Titmus mows down Emma McKeon to win 200m free and qualify for Commonwealth Games

HER dad calls her The Terminator. But it was still a surprise when Ariarne Titmus showed her killer instinct to shoot down runaway favourite Emma McKeon in the 200m freestyle final.

Ariarne Titmus in action winning the final of the womens 200 metre freestyle.

HER dad calls her The Terminator.

But it was still a surprise when Ariarne “Arnie” Titmus showed her killer instinct to shoot down runaway favourite Emma McKeon in the 200m freestyle final at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games swim trials.

Titmus — just 17 — clocked one minute, 55.76 seconds, shaving a whopping 0.82 of a second off her personal best to pull off a huge boilover against Olympic bronze medallist McKeon and book a Games berth.

Distance queen Titmus was supposed to shine in the 400m and 800m freestyle at the four-day trials starting on Wednesday.

An underwater shot of Ariarne Titmus.

And 2017 world titles silver medallist McKeon was expected to start her campaign to contest seven events at the Gold Coast Games with a fifth-straight national 200m title.

But someone forgot to tell Tasmanian-bred, Queensland-based Titmus. The teenager lived up to her colourful moniker from her father when she blew away Commonwealth record holder McKeon in the final 100 metres in a sign that Titmus had added some serious speed to her already impressive endurance form. She had only made her international debut at the 2017 world titles, claiming fourth in the 400m final at just 16 and anchoring Australia’s 4x200m relay team to win bronze.

Yet Titmus seemed the least excited at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre after pulling off the first big upset of the meet.

“I knew I could do a PB - now the pressure is off,” Titmus said after securing her Games selection.

“I wanted to go 1.55.5 but it’s still a PB.

Emma McKeon and Ariarne Titmus at the end of the race.

“It’s exciting (beating McKeon) but I won’t think too much about it. It is just selection trials - I will try to race faster at the Games.” McKeon was expected to dominate the 200m after tying with American great Katie Ledecky for silver behind Italy’s world record holder Federica Pellegrini at the 2017 world titles.

She is the Commonwealth record holder at 1:54.83.

But Titmus unleashed in the 200m final despite her coach Dean Boxall not being much help pool-side.

“He has been really crook. I wasn’t sure if he would come here tonight but, if he didn’t, I knew I had done the training.” Asked about her 400m and 800m prospects on the Gold Coast, Titmus said ominously: “I have a lot more speed now which means I can go out harder and it won’t hurt as much.”

Originally published as Ariarne Titmus mows down Emma McKeon to win 200m free and qualify for Commonwealth Games