Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan: Australia’s Swimming Powerhouses

Ariarne Titmus, at just 23 years old, has made a name for herself as one of the top swimmers in the world. She won gold in the 400m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics, famously out racing Katie Ledecky, and came back to claim gold in the 200m freestyle too. Recently, Titmus set new world records in both events, blazing through the 400m in 3:55.38.

As she heads into the upcoming Olympics, Titmus aims to defend her titles in both the 200m and 400m freestyle. The only Australian woman to have ever done this is Dawn Fraser, who won three gold medals in the 100m freestyle in the late 50s and early 60s. Titmus could soon join her in the history books if she succeeds.

Joining Titmus on Australia’s quest for gold is Mollie O’Callaghan. In their recent showdown at the Australian Olympic Trials, O’Callaghan finished the 200m freestyle with a personal best of 1:52.48, breaking her own world record in the process. The 20-year-old is also a two-time world champion in the 100m freestyle and finished strong at the last Olympics as a prelims swimmer in the relay event, bringing home two golds and a bronze.

Thanks to the extraordinary talent of swimmers like Titmus and O’Callaghan, Australia is in a strong position to achieve success in the freestyle relays at the Olympics. The women’s 800m freestyle relay dominated at last year’s World Championships, winning by almost four seconds, and they have high hopes for even greater margins this time around.

The 400m freestyle relay team is also on the hunt for a fourth consecutive gold medal, looking to include strong teammates like Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell, Shayna Jack, and veteran Emma McKeon alongside O’Callaghan.