{"id":533383,"date":"2023-07-25T05:49:46","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T12:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=533383"},"modified":"2023-07-25T16:12:33","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T23:12:33","slug":"world-championships-day-three-finals-ariarne-titmus-paces-semifinals-of-200-freestyle-world-record-in-sight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/world-championships-day-three-finals-ariarne-titmus-paces-semifinals-of-200-freestyle-world-record-in-sight\/","title":{"rendered":"World Championships, Day Three Finals: Ariarne Titmus Paces Semifinals of 200 Freestyle; World Record In Sight"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Championships, Day Three Finals: Ariarne Titmus Paces Semifinals of 200 Freestyle; World Record In Sight<\/strong><\/p>\n

Earlier in the week, Ariarne Titmus<\/strong> 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?<\/p>\n

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<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/strong> won her heat in 1:54.67 and has been as quick as 1:53.91 this year. Meanwhile, Aussie Mollie<\/strong> O’Callaghan<\/strong> was just behind Titmus in the semifinals, going 1:54.91.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The United States’ Bella Sims<\/strong> 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<\/strong>.<\/p>\n