World Championships, Day Three Finals: Ariarne Titmus Paces Semifinals of 200 Freestyle; World Record In Sight

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World Championships, Day Three Finals: Ariarne Titmus Paces Semifinals of 200 Freestyle; World Record In Sight

Earlier in the week, Ariarne Titmus stunned with a world-record performance in the 400-meter freestyle at the World Championships in Japan. Is a global standard next in the 200 freestyle?

The Australian ace won her semifinal of the 200 free on Tuesday night, going 1:54.64 to earn the No. 1 seed for the final. When the medals are on the line, Titmus is in the right form to chase Federica Pellegrini’s longstanding world record of 1:52.98. That time was posted at the 2009 World Championships in Rome, where technology trumped skill due to the presence of supersuits that were banned later in the year.

Titmus boasts a personal best of 1:53.09 and considering the way she looked over eight laps, there is reason to believe Pellegrini’s record is in danger. At the same time, Titmus will face challenges from a pair of teenagers who clocked sub-1:55 efforts en route to the final. Canadian Summer McIntosh won her heat in 1:54.67 and has been as quick as 1:53.91 this year. Meanwhile, Aussie Mollie O’Callaghan was just behind Titmus in the semifinals, going 1:54.91.

McIntosh is seeking to bounce back from a rough showing in the 400 freestyle, where she faded at the finish and took fourth. McIntosh entered that event with the world record, but posted a time that was three seconds slower than her best. Through two rounds of the 200 freestyle, she seems to have rebounded.

The United States’ Bella Sims looked significantly better in the semifinals than the prelims, as she managed the fourth-fastest time of the session. Sims was timed in a personal best of 1:55.45, slightly swifter than the 1:55.48 of Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey.

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