Paris Olympics, Day 3: Mollie O’Callaghan’s Powerhouse Final Lap Gets Maiden Individual Gold in 200 Freestyle
Rising star Mollie O’Callaghan has overpowered defending champion, fellow Australian and club mate Ariarne Titmus in a classic green and gold duel in the pool to claim 200m freestyle gold at the Paris la Defense Arena.
Creating her own special slice of history – not only her first individual Olympic gold medal but the 100th swimming medal by an Australian female since Fanny Durack and Mina Wylie created history with their 1-2 finish in the 100m freestyle in the first ever women’s Olympic swimming event held in Stockholm in 1912.
Fitting that the 100th and 101st Aussie medals by swimmers in the green and gold was also a quinella of gold and silver.
O’Callaghan produced a barnstorming final 50 metres – with her signature six beat kick to break the Olympic record of 1:53.50 set by Titmus in Tokyo three years ago and to win her first individual gold in her first individual final, clocking 1:53.27 with her training partner half a second behind in 1:53.81.
A brave Siobhan Haughey from Hong Kong, silver medallist behind Titmus in Tokyo, scared the life out of the two Australians to lead through the first 150 metres – over taken by the Dean Boxall coached duo – to finish with bronze in 1:54.55.
It was the first quinella for Australia since Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett in the men’s 400m freestyle in Athens in 2004 – and O’Callaghan was only five months old – and the first 1-2 finish in a women’s Olympic final since Susie O’Neill and Petria Thomas in the 200m butterfly in Atlanta in 1996.
O’Callaghan, who came back to win the gold after losing her world record to Titmus at the Australian Trials, saying after the race ion Channel 9: “It’s such an honour to be amongst everyone -especially Arnie, coming up against her. She is an absolute gun who races like an absolute beast and it’s an honour to train alongside her and to have such a great team around us …
“After losing my world record you have to accept the challenge – and at the end of the day you can either run or you can fight and I chose to fight.
“I’m always striving for more and I put a lot of pressure on myself and my expectations are very high – that was an amazing race and I’m always looking for a bit more and I just had to trust my coach Dean Boxall for what’s best and to be honest I did it for the country I didn’t do it for myself – I am racing for all these people (back in Australia).”
With a message as she prepares for the 100m freestyle and the 4x200m freestyle relay with Titmus, saying: “There is less pressure now – I get to swim freely.”
Before Titmus praised Boxall, saying: “Dean will be so proud of his athletes, he’s a brilliant coach..I believe the best in the world and to manage this and to have the two fastest girls in the world it’s a credit to him and it’s not just us – on night one he contributed to every medal that we won as a coach and we feel very blessed to have him in our corner and if you wanted anyone backing you then it’s Dean and so we’ll be forever grateful to him”
TOP THREE: Australian pair Ariarne Titmus (silver), Mollie O’Callaghan (Gold) and Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey (bronze) W 200free podium Paris 24 Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr/Swimming Australia
But there were some anxious moments before the race was won with Haughey, who powered through the first 150 metres ahead of the Aussie girls who came into the race as short-priced favorites for a 1-2 finish with the fastest two times in historyafter their dual world record breaking race at the Australian Trials.
Haughey going through the first 50m in 26.72, the 100m split in 55.70, before maintaining her lead as the field turned for home in 1:24.97.
O’Callaghan fifth through the 100m in 56.07 and Titmus fourth at the first turn and second through the rest of the race – unable to get far enough in front to counter Mollie O’s powerful finish.
And with millions of Australians watching at home and the hundreds more in the grandstand in Paris, their collective hearts in their mouths, the St Peters Western pair switched on the afterburners.
O’Callaghan, who has built a reputation from an early age for her underwater kicking prowess, wasted no time in letting the field know that she was heading home for gold – unleashing that trademark finishing burst.
Her training partner Titmus, the defending champion from three years ago and who had already beaten fellow superstars Summer McIntosh (CAN) and Katie Ledecky (USA) in the opening night 400m freestyle blockbuster, had no answers – hanging on for silver with a final lap of 28.64.
GOOD GOLLY: Miss Mollie O’Callaghan winner W 200free Paris 24 podium Photo Courtesy Delly Carr Swimming Australia
A brave Haughey, searching for Hong Kong’s first gold in the pool, no match for the Aussie girls, fading over the final stages -with her last lap of 29.58.
O’Callaghan, physically shaking as she locked in her goggles before the start, has a well-documented battle with nerves, working to overcome the pre-race jitters, saying after her semi-final: “I am a lot calmer than I was at (Trials)…. the pressure of having that world record previously really weighed on me but to walk in here I thought (just think) this is (your) first Olympics. I’ve got no title on my head…I’ve got nothing to lose here…so it’s just all go and no thought.
“Obviously I’ve still got nerves…I’m lying in bed (at the Village) trying to nap and I can’t nap because I’m over thinking so much…but I have an amazing support team behind me…that I text and communicate with….and who are always there for me….a lot of them have travelled over here using their own money….to support us….So we all appreciate that, the ones who have helped me get to this point so far.”
Good Golly Miss Molly!!
Wonderful Gold & Silver for Oz, plus a very commendable swim from Siobhan.
So Australia still tops the medal table (as the Entire World apart from the US NBC’s version!).