Will Mollie O’Callaghan Become The First Woman Under 1:52.00 In The 200m Freestyle?
Olympic champion Mollie O’Callaghan has declared she has set her sights on the long course 200 metres freestyle world record – claiming she is aiming to become the first woman in history to swim under 1:52.00.
The 22-year-old maintained her number one world ranking for 2026, winning the event on the final night of the Australian Open Championships on the Gold Coast in a time of 1:53.69 (26.54; 55.27, 1:24.76) -just shy of her winning China Open time last month of 1:53.52.
The girl from St Peters Western went to the lead down the first 50m and was never headed, powering away to beat club mate and 400, 800 and 1500m winner here, Lani Pallister (1:55.66), New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather (1:55.72) and Milla Jansen (St Peters Western) 1:57.29.
O’Callaghan has a best time of 1:52.48, the second fastest time ever and swum when she finished second to fellow Australian – four-time Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus when she set the current world record of 1:52.23 at the 2024 Paris Olympic Trials in Brisbane.
“I don’t like to put the pressure on myself, but definitely, I would love to go a 1:51. I think that’s in my sights right now and that’s giving me the drive,” said O’Callaghan.
“I know the girls are always pushing me domestically and internationally.
“I wouldn’t like to put the pressure on myself, but I would love to do it.
“Every moment I definitely, try my best to practice. I just listen to Dean at the end of the day as best as I can and replicate it.
“I know there’s always little things that I need to fix, but it’s nice to know that I’ve done that time (tonight) first (at the) China Open and (again) now, so I’m pretty stoked with it.
“I’ve been working with a psychologist, so that’s definitely helped communicating with Dean and my support team has also very much helped.
“I think I’ve progressed as an athlete and as an individual, and I’ve definitely grown over the years, and it’s nice to know that I can reflect on this….I’m so much better than what I was like three years ago.”
O’Callaghan currently holds the women’s 200m short course world record with a time of 1:49.36, set on October 24, 2025 in Toronto, Canada.
She shattered the record twice within a single week during the 2025 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup, becoming the first woman to swim under 1:50.00 with her 1:49.77, set on October 18, in Westmont, Illinois.
O’Callaghan had already won the 100m freestyle at the Australian Open in 52.66 and at the end of tonight’s program was a member of the St Peters Western team that broke the 4x100m freestyle relay Australian Club Record, clocking 3:34.61 – with Jansen leading off in 54.18; followed by Shayna Jack (52.95), O’Callaghan (5312) and Pallister (54.36).
It ended a busy three days for Pallister who had to swim the anchor leg after winning the 1500m freestyle in an impressive solo effort of 15:44.07 (4:10.20, 8:22.48) – a time only bettered so far this year by Katie Ledecky’s 15:23.21.
Pallister setting herself up as the next great Australian female distance swimmer as she prepares for this year’s Trials Meet heading towards the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Pan Pacs in Irvine and LA28.
St Peters Western’s men also set the pool alight in the 4x100m freestyle – with a new Australian Club Record of their own, clocking 3:15.27 – Olympian Kai Taylor becoming the latest Australian to join the official sub 48 seconds club – with his lead off time of 47.97, followed by Jack Cartwright’s 49.91, Elijah Winnington in 49.71 before Jamie Jack sizzled home with his 47.68 anchor.
Jack had earlier in the night sewn up a sibblings double joining sister Shayna on the top of the podium in the 50m freestyle – cracking 22 seconds, with his time of 21.71, followed by new player Thomas Robinson (Cruiz, ACT) and Olympian Ben Armbruster (Bond) 22.32.
While Lizzy Dekkers (St Peters Western) impressed with her near pb 2:05.39 in the 200m butterfly – just outside her own Australian All-Comers mark of 2:05.20 ahead of Bella Grant (USC Spartans, QLD) in 2:09.97 and Poppy Stephen (Brisbane Grammar) 2:10.20.
In other events:
Alex Perkins (USC Spartans) added the 50m backstroke crown to her wins in the 50 and 100m butterfly in the absence of the world’s premier backstroker Kaylee McKeown and the world-class Mollie O’Callaghan. Perkins clocking 27.79 to take the title from Savanah Martin (New Zealand) 28.03 and Mackenzie Burns (St Andrews, QLD) 8.15.
And In one of the closest finishes of the night, the men’s 100m butterfly champion was decided on the final touch.
Armbruster (Bond, QLD) and Matt Temple (Marion, SA) flew ahead early but Harry Turner (Nudgee, QLD), who was fifth at the turn, charged home to challenge the Olympians. Temple narrowly held on to win by a tenth of a second (51.60) as Turner snatched silver (51.70) with Armbruster third (52.33).
Meanwhile St Peters Western head coach Dean Boxall led the club to yet another Australian Champion Club Point Score, taking the title on 1665 points from Griffith University (1121) with USC Spartans (998) third – in a Queensland club sweep.
In all, St Peters won 17 gold, 10 silver and 11 bronze for 38 medals. Griffith won 8 gold, 8 silver and 7 bronze (23) and the Spartans with 10 gold, 5 silver and 6 bronze (21).