Mollie O’Callaghan Sets The World On Fire With Her Sizzling 100m freestyle of 52.83 At The Australian Championships

TOP OF THE WORLD: Australia's Mollie O'Callaghan has clocked the fastest time in the world this year in the 100m freestyle, with her 52.83 in this morning's opening session of the Australian Championships in Adelaide. Photo: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

Mollie O’Callaghan Sets The World On Fire With Her Sizzling 100m freestyle of 52.83 At The Australian Championships

Australia’s Tokyo discovery Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) has produced the fastest time in the world this year in this morning’s 100m freestyle heats in a sizzling start to the 2022 Australian Swimming Championships and Selection Trials in Adelaide.

The 18-year-old from St Peters Western, QLD clocked 52.83 (26.10) – producing a powerhouse second 50m of 26.73 – clocking her personal best – faster than her lead off swim in the preliminary heats in Tokyo of 53.08 – making her the sixth Australian to crack 53 seconds.

Mollie OCallaghan, Tokyo 2020 Olympics Official Portrait , Cairns Australia, July 6-9 2021. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. Photo by Delly Carr. Pic Credit MANDATORY for complimentary usage. Thank you.

FIRED UP: Mollie O’Callaghan World’s No 1. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

She tops the qualifiers for tonight’s final, which include her club mates – second fastest qualifier and previous world number one, Shayna Jack (53.27) and Olympic 200 and 400m champion, fifth fastest qualifier Ariarne Titmus (54.02).

Equal second fastest qualifier, also in 53.27 is Tokyo 4x100m freestyle relay gold medallist Meg Harris (Marion, SA), now under Kyle Chalmers coach Peter Bishop in Adelaide, with Tokyo and Marion team mate Madi Wilson fourth fastest in 53.52.

O’Callaghan, who couldn’t make Australia’s final team in the Tokyo relay, clocked her personal best time – the sixth fastest ever by an Australian.

So with the final to come tonight Australia has four of the fastest Top Ten in the World with Olympic champion Emma McKeon and the Campbell sisters Cate and Bronte – all members of Australia’s 4x100m freestyle relay team from Tokyo all watching on.

Here is the Top ten in the world, which may well change again after tonight’s final.

Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) 52.83
Shayna Jack (AUS) 53.13
Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) . 53.15
Meg Harris (AUS) 53.27
Tori Huske (USA) 53.35
Madi Wilson (AUS) 53.52
Claire Curzon (USA) 53.58
Erika Brown (USA) 53.59
Natalie Ninds (USA) 53.65
Kayla Sanchez 53.68

2022 Australian Swimming Championships

In other events:

TOP QUALIFIER: Elijah Winnington leads the field into tonight’s 400m freestyle final. Photo Courtesy: Nina Beilby (Swimming NSW).

Men’s 400m freestyle: Olympic finalist Elijah Winnington (St Peters Western, QLD) leads the qualifiers into the final with his 3:46.83 ahead of 18-year-old young gun Sam Short (Rackley Swim Team, QLD) who was a comfortable winner of his heat in 3:47.13, like Winnington in his heat, leading from start to finish, clocking 3:47.13, with Rio Olympic gold medallist Mack Horton (Griffith University, QLD) comfortable in 3.48.92. Thomas Neill, the Olympic 4x200m freestyle relay anchorman in Tokyo, was a withdrawal, later clocking a personal best of 22.91 in the 50m freestyle heats, suggesting he will focus this campaign around the 100 and 200m freestyle and 200IM.

Women’s 100m breaststroke: Miami’s Tokyo Olympian Jenna Strauch looked the best of the eight heats this morning, winning her heat in 1:06.49 to top the qualifiers ahead of fellow Olympian Abbey Harkin (St Peters Western, QLD) 1:07.50 and her Miami training partner Mikayla Smith (1:07.81). Among the other qualifiers will be Rio Olympian Taylor McKeown (Griffith University, QLD) 1:08.41 and Tokyo Olympic semi-finalist, medley relay gold medallist and defending champion Chelsea Hodges (Southport, QLD) 1:08.68 (who has been 1:05.99) and Ella Ramsay (St Peters Western, QLD) 1:08.74.

FLYING: Cody Simpson swims his way into the Australian All-Time Top 10. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

Men’s 100m butterfly: Olympic finalist, Australian record holder and Matt Temple (Marion, SA) tops the qualifiers in 51.64, a comfortable winner of his heat while Cody Simpson (Griffith University, QLD) swimming a personal best time and the 10^th fastest time by an Australian (knocking Michael Klim out of the top 10) in 51.79 with second heart winner, Rio Olympic gold and Tokyo Olympic silver medallist in the 100m freestyle, Kyle Chalmers (Marion, SA) looking strong in 52.10.

Men’s 200m Backstroke: Former World Champion and defending Commonwealth Games champion, Mitch Larkin (2:00.62) has it all to do after qualifying sixth fastest for tonight’s 200m backstroke final behind Bradley Woodward (SOPAC, NSW) 1:58.14; Ty Hartwell (Chandler, QLD) 1:58.52 and Joshua Edwards-Smith (Griffith University,QLD) 1:58.78.

Men’s 50m freestyle: The presence of the best of British in Lewis Burras (21.93) has brought out the best in the Aussie sprinters, with Burras clocking 21.93 ahead of new-look sprinters Thomas Nowakowski (Somerset) 22.13pb and Olympic backstroker Isaac Cooper (Rackley Swim Team, QLD) 22.25 – with Nowakowski under the National Team QT of 22.18.

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Jenny N

1 year ago

Again this journo has no idea…. Brad Woodward swims for Mingara which is on the Central Coast of New South Wales.

MastersSwimmer

1 year ago

Didn’t Anna Hopkin of GB go 53:45 to win the British Champs/ Trials in early April this year? That would put her in the top 10 for 2022 so far????