Mollie O’Callaghan, the Olympic champion, continued her solid campaign at the Swimming World Championships on Tuesday, securing a place in the semi-finals of the 200m freestyle. The 21-year-old Australian made light work of her heat, clocking a time of 1:57.04, which was the third-fastest of the session.
O’Callaghan, a five-time Olympic gold medallist, was upstaged by New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather, who set the fastest time of the day at 1:56.54. Erin Gemmell of the United States followed closely behind with a time of 1:56.74.
The Australian swimmer, once the world record holder in the event, is widely considered the red-hot favourite for the gold medal. However, the pressures of living up to expectations after her Olympic success in Paris have weighed heavily on her.
Speaking candidly about the challenges she’s faced post-Olympics, O’Callaghan admitted the transition had been difficult. “I don’t think there’s been anything as hard as this, coming here and trying to race and defend my Olympic status,” she shared during the Australian trials in June.
Despite her struggles with the expectations, O’Callaghan has bounced back strongly. She declined interviews after her heat in Singapore, preferring to focus on her performance, which had already helped Australia claim gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay earlier in the competition.
O’Callaghan’s gold medal prospects in the 100m freestyle also remain high, and she will be aiming to add to her nine world titles during the week. At last year’s Paris Olympics, O’Callaghan handled immense pressure, particularly after Ariarne Titmus broke her 200m freestyle world record. She rose to the occasion, edging Titmus for gold and also contributing to Australia’s gold medals in the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays. Titmus, however, is on a season-long break and is not competing in Singapore.
In other events on Tuesday morning, Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen, the defending world champion and Paris Olympics gold medallist, advanced to the final of the men’s 800m freestyle as the eighth-fastest qualifier in 7:46.36. Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaouadi set the quickest time of 7:41.58, with Germany’s Lukas Maertens, who won the 400m freestyle in Singapore, also qualifying with a 7:45.54.
In the 50m breaststroke, China’s Qin Haiyang, who reclaimed his 100m title on Monday, comfortably qualified for the semi-finals with a time of 26.98sec. Italy’s Simone Cerasuolo was the fastest in the heats with 26.42sec.
Looking ahead, five finals were scheduled for later on Tuesday, with Katie Ledecky of the United States widely considered the favourite for the 1500m freestyle. Ledecky, 28, is seeking her 22nd career world title, a remarkable feat that would further cement her legacy as one of swimming’s all-time greats.