Mollie O'Callaghan has capped a brilliant week at the Swimming World Cup in Toronto, setting a new short-course world record in the 200m women's freestyle. The 21-year-old Australian touched in 1:49.36 on Friday, just seven days after setting a then new mark of 1:49.77.
O'Callaghan swam away from compatriot Lani Pallister, who equalled her personal best of 1:51.75, and New Zealand's Erika Fairweather (1:52.71) for an all-Oceanian podium. The triumph earned O'Callaghan a $A15,000 bonus for taking out the Triple Crown, after she won at all three World Cup stops in the US this month, and another $A15,000 for her world record.
In the aftermath of all-time Australian swimming great Ariarne Titmus's retirement at age 25, O'Callaghan produced a perfect tonic for the nation. O'Callaghan, who already holds five Olympic gold medals, flew out of the blocks and was three-quarters of a second up after the first 50m. She maintained world-record pace throughout, barring the last 50m.
The meet is proving to be hugely successful for Australia with Kaylee McKeown and Pallister scorching their opposition. After setting a short-course world record (1:57.87) to take out the 200m backstroke then a World Cup and national record (25.35) to win the 50m, McKeown followed it up with victory in the 100m in 54.49 seconds. She shed 0.07 seconds off her previous best to topple the world record-holder Regan Smith (54.57).
Pallister, meanwhile, made the women's 400 freestyle event hers in a new World Cup record time of 3:51.87. She produced the third fastest swim in history, with only the Canadian Summer McIntosh and Chinese star Li Bingjie having gone quicker.
