O’Callaghan Secures 10th World Title, Australia Shines at Singapore Championships
Australia’s swimming dominance continued Wednesday at the World Championships in Singapore, highlighted by Mollie O’Callaghan’s emotional victory in the women’s 200m freestyle. The 21-year-old’s gold medal performance brings her career world title count to 10, equaling the legendary Grant Hackett and leaving her just one shy of Ian Thorpe’s record.
O’Callaghan finished the race in one minute and 53.48 seconds, with teammate Jamie Perkins finishing seventh in 1:56.55. “Heading into this week has been a whirlwind,” O’Callaghan stated. “Having a big long break after the Olympics was well needed and then coming back from injury myself, I am so thankful to have an amazing coach [Dean Boxall] to guide me through this difficult time. I know it has been hard for a lot of people to come back after the Olympics but I am very grateful to have a good support from the team to get me through this mentally and physically.” O’Callaghan still has opportunities to add to her medal haul, with the 100m freestyle and relay events still to come.
Chalmers and Turner Add to Australia’s Medal Count
The Australian team’s success wasn’t limited to O’Callaghan’s triumph. Veteran Kyle Chalmers posted a strong performance in the semi-finals of the men’s 100m freestyle, clocking 47.36 seconds – a time faster than his 2016 Olympic gold medal swim and his silver medal effort from last year’s Olympics. He qualified fourth fastest for Thursday night’s medal race, trailing American Jack Alexy (46.81).
In a surprise result, rookie Harrison Turner secured a bronze medal in the men’s 200m butterfly, marking Australia’s first-ever medal in the event at a World Championships. The 21-year-old, a former cross country athlete, swam an Australian record time of 1:54.17 to claim third place behind American Luca Urlando (1:51.87). “I looked up on the board and I had to look there for a bit, I was like: ‘Does it say third?’,” Turner said. “It’s just unreal.”
Illness Strikes Australian Team, Marchand Breaks World Record
Despite the successes, the Australian team faced setbacks. Sam Short, considered a gold medal contender in the men’s 800m freestyle, was forced to withdraw from the final due to gastro illness. Short suspects food poisoning from lunch at the team hotel, though Swimming Australia confirmed the source of the illness remains unidentified. This disappointment follows a pattern of illness and injury that plagued Short’s performance at last year’s Olympics.
Meanwhile, the championships witnessed a new world record as French swimmer Leon Marchand shattered the men’s 200m medley benchmark, clocking 1:52.69 in the semi-final, surpassing Ryan Lochte’s previous record of 1:54.00 set in 2011.
Diving Success Adds to Australian Tally
Concurrent with the swimming championships, the diving World Championships in Singapore also saw Australian success. Cassiel Rousseau and Maddison Keeney won silver in the mixed 3m springboard synchro on Wednesday night. This marked Keeney’s second medal of the championships, following her gold medal in the 1m springboard last Saturday.
Australia’s mixed 4x100m medley team, comprised of Kaylee McKeown, Nash Wilkes, Matt Temple, and Milla Jansen, finished fifth in their event. The Australian team’s performance in Singapore demonstrates their continued strength on the international stage, setting the stage for further competition in the coming days.
