Commonwealth Games, Day Six Finals: Kai Taylor Uses Early Speed to Mine Gold in 200 Freestyle
On Day Three of the Commonwealth Games, Kai Taylor provided a clear indication he was in peak form. As Australia captured the gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle, Taylor capped the victory in emphatic fashion, splitting 1:44.10. Not only did Taylor propel the Dolphins to the top step of the podium, he solidified himself as the man to beat in the final of the 200 freestyle.
No one could topple the Aussie.
Blasting the front half of his race, Taylor won the 200 freestyle on Wednesday night, going 1:45.22 in a field stacked with talent. Although Taylor tired down the stretch, the massive lead he built in the early stages of the race ensured he go to the wall first, officially a half-second ahead of England’s James Guy and Wales’ Matt Richards. Longtime British teammates and together Olympic champions in the 800 freestyle relay, Guy and Richards tied for the silver medal in 1:45.72.
The race unfolded without Scotland’s Duncan Scott, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion in the event. Scott was bounced from the morning preliminaries when he posted a time of 1:47.83, good for only 10th. He owns a season best of 1:45.44 in the 200 freestyle, and his career best is the 1:44.26 that landed him a silver medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Racing out of Lane One, Taylor blistered the opening 100 meters, daring the opposition to go with him. He split 23.93 at the 50-meter mark and made the halfway turn in 50.02, under world-record pace. By that point, Taylor was 1.84 seconds ahead of Guy and 1.85 seconds clear of Richards, the reigning Olympic silver medalist. The British athletes cut their deficits over the back half of the race, but Taylor’s early margin held up and handed him the biggest win of his career.
“Coach Dean (Boxall) and I had spoken…we knew no one would see me out there…I just went out after it and I really paid the price in that last 50…but I was just digging so deep,” Taylor said. “I’m really happy. It’s been an amazing ride. I have worked extremely hard this year and I’ve improved a lot. I’m really happy with that swim.”
The son of Hayley Lewis, an icon in Australian swimming, Taylor is no stranger to international medals. He secured silver and bronze in relay action at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and owns six relays medals from the World Championships. Now, though, he has a solo medal to his credit, and it’s the most sought after color.
Fourth and fifth went to Taylor’s Aussie teammates, Harrison Turner and Sam Short. Both men went under 1:46, clocking respective marks of 1:45.93 and 1:45.94. For Short, it was the first of two finals on the night, as he later contested the 1500 freestyle as part of a daunting double.
“It’s Kai’s world and we’re living in it,” Turner said. “That was absolutely insane. So happy for him. The Commonwealth Games champion. To win that and in that stacked field…absolutely insane.”