2023 WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- July 23 to 30, 2023
- Fukuoka, Japan
- Marine Messe Fukuoka
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Entry Book
- Live Results (Omega)
- Day 1 Finals Live Recap
On the heels of the eye-popping men’s 400m freestyle final, the women’s edition of the event was also one for the history books.
With the top 3 swiftest performers in history taking to the pool, we knew it would take a groundbreaking swim to wind up on top.
Australian Ariarne Titmus silenced the doubters who said her reign in this 400m free was done, taking back her World Record en route to gold this evening in Fukuoka.
The 22-year-old Olympic champion punched a time of 3:55.38 to become the first-ever woman to delve under the 3:56 threshold in this event.
The previous WR mark stood at the 3:56.08 Canadian teen phenom Summer McIntosh ripped at the Canadian World Championship Trials just this past March. McIntosh took the WR from Titmus who previously held the standard at the 3:56.40 set at the 2022 Australian Swimming Championships.
That was one year after Titmus became the Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo, scoring a time there of 3:56.69.
Tonight, American Katie Ledecky roared back from being well behind at the 250m mark to secure silver in 3:58.73 while New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather joined the sub-4:00 club with a big-time personal best of 3:59.59 to also land on the podium.
For her part, 16-year-old McIntosh found herself off the podium, clocking 3:59.94 for 4th place.
Comparing the splits between Titmus and McIntosh, the Aussie had a lot more in the tank on the final 100m, dipping well under the 1:00 barrier while the Candian’s former WR saw the teen hit 1:00.24 into the touch.
| Ariarne Titmus‘ New WR | Summer McIntosh‘s Previous WR | Ariarne Titmus‘ Former WR |
| 56.92 | 56.46 | 57.13 |
| 1:00.02 | 59.45 | 59.86 |
| 59.96 | 59.93 | 1:00.38 |
| 58.48 | 1:00.24 | 59.03 |
| 3:55.38 | 3:56.08 | 3:56.40 |
Titmus is entered in the 200m free and 800m free events here and will also race on her nation’s 4x200m freestyle relay.
Titmus is without a doubt a gamer. To me, of the three she’s the most ice cold killer mentality. But the 16 year old kid from Canada is more talented, and hopefully she learns that on the world stage there’s no messing around. Can’t wait for Paris! Go Canada go!
On Wikipedia it says 1972 women’s 4×100 free relay WR was a 3:55.19
51 years later one woman is less than .2 away from that time over the same distance 🤯
Titmus’ touch was not the best.
Had she just glided she may have been able to lower the WR further.
Her hand was almost at the wall when she took an extra stroke.
Or am I misreading that touch?
Ledecky was,
Titmus is and
McIntosh will be
If the WR exchanges hands a few times over the next year or so we will have a rivalry we haven’t seen in may years… Thorpe wrangling the 200m free WR from Hackett and PVH, Phelps wrestling the 100m fly WR from Crocker and Cavic, even further back like Dawn Fraser getting back the 100m free WR from multiple swimmers.
Could set up something exciting.
Or, this could be a Ledecky situation where the WR is just held for a while.
I highly recommend rereading this comment section:
https://staging.swimswam.com/titmus-says-shes-ready-to-go-in-womens-400free-in-fukuoka/
It’s guaranteed to incite a few hearty chuckles.
I don’t think I would ever say this, but I don’t think Ledecky is an overwhelming favorite anymore for the 800
You’re crazy if you think that and no one has ever been close to what she did at the trial and two second from her world record and she probably gonna get even better this week.
And also Ledecky slowest time this year with 8:14 is even faster than what Titmus did at the trial and this is her best events and it would be the biggest upset if someone other than Ledecky win this.
Ledecky will win 800, but I remember that you kept upping Ledecky in 400 and underestimated Titmus.
If I remember correctly most people predicted her to win bronze and and yet she proves everyone wrong and I feel less excited about the race cause most people were confident about the same prediction.
I said I overwhelming. I didn’t say she’d lose.
She is still the absolute favorite in 800 free.
Titmus can slug it out against MOC in 200 free.
I said overwhelming. I think she will still win, but I don’t say it which as much confidence anymore. I think Titmus goes under 8:10
That means she probably gonna go PB by around four second which I’m not sure if that’s gonna happen .
And just like magic, the Summer trolls have disappeared…
This is the one reason I’m bummed I forgot to fill out a Pick ‘Em, I was fairly down on Summer this…summer.