2024 Paris Summer Olympics
Women's 200m Freestyle in Numbers
Last year, the Australian women ushered in a new era in the women's 200m freestyle.
Italian legend Federica Pelligrini Pelligrini held the women's 200m freestyle world record for nearly 15 years. After first setting the record in 2008, Pelligrini broke the 1:53 barrier at the 2009 World Championships, clocking 1:52.98. Her time was: Allison Schmidt Katie Ledecky, and Sarah SjostromTo name a few: Pelligrini remains the world record holder through the 2023 World Championships, and is the only woman to have run under 1 minute 53 seconds. Molly O'Callaghan Not only did he beat the Olympic champion, he also wowed the crowd. Arianne TitmussHe broke Pellegrini's world record with a time of 1 minute 52.85 seconds.
O'Callaghan was the only relay swimmer at the Tokyo Olympics, making her Olympic debut at age 17. In just two years, she had risen to the top of the 200m freestyle. She was followed by Titmus who took silver in 1:53.01 (just shy of her own 1:53 record), with Australian women taking first and second places, heralding a new era of Australian dominance that was matched by their solid dominance of the 4x200m freestyle relay.
Australian Advantage
The Australian Olympic Trials provided a glimpse into just how tough the race is. Training partners at St Peters Western, Titmuss and O'Callaghan once again went head to head. Titmuss, who twice held off O'Callaghan and again failed to break 1:53, picked up steam after the first 50 metres and was just 0.2 seconds ahead of O'Callaghan at the halfway mark.
Titmus held off O'Callaghan in the second half and then overtook him in the final 50 metres. Breaking the world record with a time of 1:52.23O'Callaghan also broke his own old world record, finishing in the 200m freestyle in 1:52.48, the second-fastest time ever.
Data Visualization: Australian Olympic Trials and Previous World Records
| Arianne Titmuss – 2024 Australian Olympic Trials (WR) | Molly O'Callaghan – 2024 Australian Olympic Selector | Molly O'Callaghan – 2023 World Championships (defeated champion) | |
| 50 | 26.64 | 26.59 | 26.93 |
| 100 | 55.13 (28.49) | 55.33 (28.74) | 55.94 (29.01) |
| 150 | 1:23.95 (28.82) | 1:24.11 (28.78) | 1:24.74 (28.80) |
| 200 | 1:52.23 (28.28) | 1:52.48 (28.37) | 1:52.85 (28.11) |
It's unusual to see O'Callaghan leading in the first 50 meters; her strengths are usually in the second half. Data visualization shows her swim at the 2023 World Championships beginning to catch up with both her and Titmus in the final 100 meters, clocking 56.91. At the trials, Titmuss finished in 57.10, but she was fast enough (55.13) that it didn't matter.
Perhaps O'Callaghan, who is also the 2023 World 100m freestyle champion, used the trials as a test of her race strategy. She started the 50m in 26.59 seconds, beating Titmus by 0.05 seconds and 0.34 seconds off the pace from Fukuoka. She then came back to win the 100m in 55.33 seconds, matching Titmuss at well below her previous world record pace. From a time-only perspective, the strategy test worked: she beat her previous pace in three of four 50m attempts, setting personal bests. But it wasn't enough to beat Titmuss and she lost the world record.
It will therefore be interesting to see what strategy O'Callaghan chooses in Paris. Both she and Titmuss will be trying their best to win the gold medal. O'Callaghan will need to find a way to best attack Titmuss and close the gap between them, which is currently just 0.25 seconds apart.
Meanwhile, Titmuss is in prime position to defend her Olympic gold medal. It was a statement swim for her, shaving nearly a second off her time and setting a world record that she's been working towards for years. Titmuss has proven that she performs best when the lights are the brightest, and there's no doubt she'll be ready for whatever challenge O'Callaghan throws at her. That means that whoever takes the gold medal, it'll be an incredible race and one that could see new world records being set. Less than a year later, the Australians have shaved 0.75 seconds off the world record. How far can they go?
Third Woman: Siobhan Hoagy
Another example of how great the Fukuoka women's 200m freestyle final was: Tokyo's silver medallist Siobhan Hoagy He swam in 1 minute 53.96 seconds, just missing out on the podium.
2023 Bronze Medalist and World Junior Record Holder Summer McIntosh By withdrawing from the 200m freestyle, Haughey's path back to the Olympic podium has become clearer. She is the only athlete other than Titmus and O'Callaghan to have run faster than 1:54, and she has run shorter than that mark twice, once in Fukuoka and once in Tokyo, when she won Olympic silver and took the Japanese record in 1:53.92.
Siobhan Hoagy (Photo: Jack Spitzer)
Hoagy came close to breaking his personal best earlier this season, competing in top form on the World Cup tour with a time of 52.02 in the 100m freestyle and 1:54.08 in the 200m freestyle, just 0.16 seconds off his personal best.
She has competed in many races this season, including the World Cup, the 2024 World Championships (where she won her first world title in 1:54.89), and the Mare Nostrum Tour. Hoagy is used to a busy schedule during the season, In Mare Nostrum she spoke “I was trying to do something different” at each stop, she said of her strategy in competing in both the 100 and 200 freestyle.
On paper she is over a second behind the two Australians but with a lead of almost half a second she is in a bit of no man's land. Yang JunshuanShe is a strong contender for the podium but will face challenges if she wants to get much higher than a bronze medal. “Non-time-based goals” Hauge is still trying to figure out what race strategy works best for him, and in Paris he's looking to combine both that and his time.
Tokyo Olympic finalists return
Yang Junxuan and Barbora Simanova The only Tokyo finalist to compete in the Paris Games. Tokyo bronze medalist Penny Oleksiak Failed to qualify, won Rio Katie Ledecky Pellegrini withdrew. Maddie Wilson I am expecting a child.
Yang JunxuanCourtesy of Fabio Chetti
Yang finished fourth in Tokyo with a time of 1:55.01, 0.31 seconds behind Oleksiak. At the 2022 World Championships, he powered through a crowded field to break the 1:55 mark and win the gold medal in 1:54.92. Now 22 years old, Yang continues to improve. At the China Championships in April, he improved his personal best to 1:54.37, the fourth-fastest time of this season's competitors.
Simanova is now stepping up a gear. The 24-year-old three-time Olympian clocked 1 minute 55.12 seconds at the AP Race London in May, beating her personal best at the Tokyo Olympics. About a month later, Simanova improved her personal best to 1 minute 55.37 seconds, winning gold at the 2024 European Championships. This is the second-fastest time of her career.
Haugie is far from her personal best, but Jan is starting to get it in the rear-view mirror. Jan is in a similar position to Haugie, with enough distance to close the gap on the next runner up (Haugie) but still 0.75 seconds off Simanova's personal best.
1:55 seconds
Simanova leads a group of five swimmers in Paris who have recorded a time of 1 minute, 55 seconds this season. Mary Sophie Harvey (1:55.44), Erica Fairweather (1:55.45), Li Bingjie (1:55.73), and Claire Weinstein (1:55.86).
In less than a year, Harvey has developed into one of Canada's best 200 freestyle swimmers. In November, she ran a lifetime best of 1:57.70, then repeated it a week later at the U.S. Open. Since then, she's improved her personal best four times, improving to 1:55.44 for second place at the Canadian Olympic Trials in May, a 2.26-second improvement in roughly six months. Harvey is clearly in good shape, and could be a danger in Paris if she continues on this trajectory.
Erica Fairweather, Courtesy of Marcus Chen Photography
Erica Fairweather She, too, has had a breakout year, with the bulk of her success coming in the 400m freestyle, where she broke four minutes for the first time in 2023, overtaking McIntosh to win bronze, before winning New Zealand's first world championship title in Doha, where she broke four minutes again, clocking a lifetime best of 3:59.44.
The 400m freestyle is her speciality, but she has also had success in the 200m freestyle. In Doha she won the silver medal in 1:55.77. Her lifetime best is 1:55.44, missing out by 0.01 seconds at the New Zealand national championships. Fairweather placed 16th in the event in Tokyo and 11th in Fukuoka, but if she's in good form she should be able to make the final.
Speaking of falling, Li Bingjie will compete in the 200 freestyle in Paris. Li is better known for her 400/800/1500 freestyle prowess. However, she led China to gold in the 4×200 relay in Tokyo and won a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships. Now she will try her hand at an individual event. She may withdraw from this race to prioritize the 1500 freestyle preliminaries the day after the final, but if she swims it, things could get interesting. In December, she ran 1:55.73, approaching her personal best for the 2023 China Spring Championships. This placed her ninth on the entry list before withdrawals, improving her chances of making the final.
Claire Weinstein At the U.S. Trials, she placed second behind Ledecky in a time of 1:55.86, and bounced back from a struggling 400m freestyle to earn her first Olympic spot at age 17. Her personal best is 1:55.26, and she is competing in the 2023 U.S. Championships. She has competed in two World Championships, finishing 10th and 12th, respectively. If she can use those two experiences to her advantage and perform well in her rounds, she could advance to her first senior international individual final.
Ledecky scratched. Paige Madden Decline, Erin Gemmell Gemmell will be the second athlete to represent the United States in the event. He placed fourth at the US Trials in 1:56.35, but has a best time of 1:55.97 at the 2023 World Championships. In 2023, he will need a 1:56.49 to make the final, which is a tenth faster than the cut line for Tokyo. With some big names out of the running, the cut line could be more stable, giving Gemmell a chance to make the final.
verdict
This will be a tight gold medal battle between the current and former world record holders Titmuss and O'Callaghan, with Howie likely to be the bronze medal favourite. Australia is at the top of their game in this race, but the podium is relatively easy to beat.
Absence of key players such as MacIntosh, Ledecky and Oleksiak Freya Anderson, and Marit Steenbergen Let's give other swimmers a chance to step up and make it to the Olympic finals. In addition to the swimmers who are repeating 1:55 times, Nicolette Padar Maria de Oliveira da Silva Costa and Amy CannyAll of them have improved their personal best times this season to 1 minute 56 seconds and are aiming to do even better.
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Dark Horse: Minna Abraham (Hungary) — A little further down the entry list is Hungary Mina AbrahamLike everyone else in her event, she has already set a personal best this season. Since breaking 1:58 for the first time at the US Open, she has beaten that mark three times. At Euro 2024 she set a personal best of 1:57.22 and nearly equalled it a week later with a time of 1:57.52. Abraham spent last year at the University of Southern California in the US, where she impressed in her first season in yards. Now back in the metres and fully adapted, she could grab the final lane if she keeps improving her times.
