Mollie O’Callaghan Stalking World Record in 200 Freestyle at World Cup Stop in Westmont
Australian Mollie O’Callaghan is no stranger to world-record status, both in relay duty and on an individual basis. The last time she set a solo world record, O’Callaghan captured the gold medal in the 200-meter freestyle at the 2023 World Championships. In Fukuoka, O’Callaghan ripped a performance of 1:52.85, an effort that stood as the global standard for just under a year.
This weekend, O’Callaghan should threaten the short-course world record in the 200 freestyle.
As the World Cup series opened last weekend in Carmel (Ind.), O’Callaghan captured first place in the 200 free, and established an Australian record. Behind a time of 1:50.77, O’Callaghan wasn’t far off the world record of 1:50.31, set at the 2021 World Short Course Championships by Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey.
The 21-year-old O’Callaghan, despite her youth, has put together a sterling career for the Dolphins, highlighted by a title in the 200 freestyle at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. She’s already an eight-time Olympic medalists and she has won 17 medals at the World Championships, including a pair of titles each in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle. Her latest triumph in the 200 freestyle was secured last summer in Singapore.
O’Callaghan has long been known for her closing speed and the ability to reel in her competitors during the back half of races. But in her World Cup win last weekend, O’Callaghan posted a wire-to-wire victory and became the No. 3 performer in history in the short-course version of the 200 freestyle. Only Haughey and Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom (1:50.43) have been faster.
While O’Callaghan’s best time sits .46 off Haughey’s world record, that half-second deficit could be narrowed when the World Cup shifts to the Chicago suburb of Westmont from Friday through Sunday. At last year’s World Cup, many of the athletes showed improved speed as the series moved on, and a drop from O’Callaghan wouldn’t be a surprise.
O’Callaghan was under world-record at the 50-meter mark in Carmel, going 26.05 to the 26.20 of Haughey. Where Haughey enjoyed a distinct advantage was the middle of the race, as her split for that portion of the race was 55.83, compared to the 56.71 of O’Callaghan. Coming home, the Aussie was unsurprisingly faster, with her split of 28.01 quicker than the 28.29 of Haughey.
The World Cup has already witnessed one world record this year, thanks to Gretchen Walsh in the 50 butterfly. There’s no doubt that Mollie O’Callaghan could package a world mark of her own.
