Commonwealth Games, Day Two Finals: Mollie O’Callaghan Outlasts Lani Pallister for 200 Freestyle Gold
Defeating Mollie O’Callaghan in the 200 freestyle has been a nearly-impossible task. The 22-year-old Australian has captured gold medals on the global stage in the event each of the last three summers, twice at the World Championships as well as the Paris Olympics, and she is the second-fastest performer in history in the event. Now, while dealing with a stress fracture in her back, O’Callaghan has survived a fierce test from teammate Lani Pallister to secure victory on the Commonwealth level.
Pallister, who pulled away from the field for gold in the 400 free Friday, flipped within three tenths of O’Callaghan at the halfway point and then closed the gap by a tenth on the third length. O’Callaghan appeared to extend her lead on the turns, only for Pallister to claw back during the swimming portion. Down the stretch, though, O’Callaghan showed off some of her signature closing speed, a 29.32 split enough to win by 0.35.
O’Callaghan finished in 1:54.66 while Pallister claimed silver in 1:55.01. Both swimmers finished well off their top times this year, O’Callaghan’s 1:52.86 and Pallister’s 1:53.65, which they each swam at Australian Trials last month to become the top-two swimmers in the world rankings.
Erika Fairweather, the silver medalist in the 400 free, took bronze for New Zealand in 1:55.24. England’s Freya Colbert swam in third place for much of the race, but Fairweather’s superior back half helped her get the job done by a half second. Colbert ended up fourth in 1:55.74, with Inez Miller, the third Australian, coming in fifth at 1:56.27.
