Mollie O’Callaghan smashes oldest women’s record in absurd display

Australian sensation Mollie O’Callaghan has done the unthinkable and blown the swimming world away with an out of this world display.

Good Golly Miss Mollie. (Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP)

Mollie O’Callaghan has done the unthinkable and swam over the top of Ariarne Titmus to claim gold in the 200m freestyle at the World Championships in Fukuoka.

The race looked all but sealed with 75m to go as Titmus lead the field by around a body length and as the swimmers turned for home she looked in the clear.

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O’Callaghan, 19, had other ideas and after coming out of the water in second place with one lap to go, she mowed down her teammate in scintillating fashion.

The two were neck-a-neck as they swam under the ropes but as they lunged for the wall it was O’Callaghan who nailed the touch.

Her time shattered her own personal best and obliterated the world record, touching the wall in a time of 1:52.85.

The previous record, the longest standing record in women’s swimming, of 1:52.98 was held by Italian Federica Pellegrini and was set at the 2009 World Championships in Rome.

Titmus finished second in 1:53.01 with Canada’s Summer McIntosh third in 1:53/65.

Mollie (right) edges out Ariarne (middle). (Photo by François-Xavier MARIT / AFP)

“A moment we will never forget. Mollie O’Callaghan is the world record holder. The last Australian to hold it before tonight was Shane Gould in 1972,” Mat Thompson said on Channel 9’s coverage.

Giaan Rooney added: “It has been said before but it is relevant now, good golly, Miss Mollie. This is extraordinary.

“I was talking about Arnie being under PB pace. Mollie’s PB of 1:53.03, she has blown it out of the water. She has taken a second off that. The timing is exceptional. Knowing she withdrew from one of the events as well. She had a knee problem. Such an impressive swimmer. It is not just in this race.”

The Aussie teen was over the moon with what she had just achieved as she spoke about her world record swim shortly after touching the wall.

“I’m absolutely excited. I was not expecting that at all entering this. I just wanted to have fun and just give it a crack,” she said.

“I was really nervous leading up to this because I didn’t know how I was going to race. The lead-up to this has been so up and down.

“Just with injury and then coming off trials and all that. Just to do that, I just think is incredible and I’m excited for what else I can do.”

MOLLIE O’CALLGHAN WITH THE NEW WORLD RECORD!! 🥇

A time of 1:52.85 to narrowly defeat Ariarne Titmus who also set a PB.

Mollie took basically a second off her PB 🤯

Breaks the longest standing WR in women’s swimming!

WHAT. A. RACE. #Fukuoka23

— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) July 26, 2023

HOLY MOLLIE #Fukuoka23

— Tim Michell (@tim_michell) July 26, 2023

Before O’Callaghan shattered the record books, fellow Australian teen Sam Short dislodged an Aussie icon from his mantle.

Three nights after he won the 400m freestyle final in Fukuoka, Short collected a silver in the 800m freestyle with another courageous performance.

Short led at the final turn but was overhauled on the last lap by Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui, who finished second to the Aussie in the 400m by a fingernail.

While Short was a long way short of the unfathomable world record of 7:32.13, which was set in a now-banned supersuit, he still broke the longstanding Australian record of 7:38.65 which Grant Hackett set at the 2005 world championships in Montreal.

Short’s time was 7:37.76. Hafnaoui won gold in 7:37.00. America Olympic champion Bobby Finke won the bronze.

Short has made no secret of the fact that Hackett is one of his sporting idols and breaking his record was one of his lifelong goals.

Short still has the 1500m freestyle to come on Sunday.

Originally published as Mollie O’Callaghan smashes oldest women’s record in absurd display