Top 4 Women At Aussie Trials Deliver Sub-WR Add-Up In 200 Free Final

2021 SWIMMING AUSTRALIA OLYMPIC TRIALS

• Saturday, June 12th – Thursday, June 17th
• South Australia Aquatic & Leisure Centre, Adelaide, Australia
• Sole Olympic-Qualifying Opportunity
• 2021 Swimming Australia Olympic Nomination Criteria
• Meet Site
• Final Start List
• Live results
• Qualifying Criteria
• Day 3 Finals Live Stream (Amazon Prime required)

All hope seems to be lost for the survival of the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay this summer at the Olympic Games. In 2019, the Australian women lowered the mark to a 7:41.50 to win World Championships gold and now, 2 years later, we are seeing telltale signs that they can be expected to swim ever faster when they take to the event in Tokyo.

For proof of just how quick the Australian women could swim at the Olympics this summer, we can take a look at how fast the top 4 women at Trials swam compared to how fast the top 4 at the 2021 Australian Nationals in April, as well as how fast they swam on the world record-breaking relay in 2019.

Time Comparisons:

In 2019, Ariarne Titmus opened the world record-breaking relay up with a 1:54.27 Australian record split and was followed by Madi Wilson (1:56.73) and Brianna Throssell (1:55.60) for the second and third splits, leaving Emma McKeon to throw down a 1:54.90 anchor leg.

A few months ago, we provided an update on the Australian women’s depth in the 200 freestyle based on results from the 2021 Australian Swimming Championships where Titmus and McKeon both cracked 1:56 while Wilson established a 1:56.26.

Top 8 Women’s 200 Freestyles at 2021 Australian Nationals

1. Ariarne Titmus – 1:55.43
2. Emma McKeon – 1:55.79
3. Madi Wilson – 1:56.26
4. Brianna Throssell – 1:57.29
5. Leah Neale – 1:57.35
6. Mollie O’Callaghan – 1:57.65
7. Kaylee McKeown – 1:57.76
8. Kiah Melverton – 1:58.38

Now that they are racing at the 2021 Olympic Trials, the women have stepped up their game even more.

Ariarne Titmus led the pack with a 1:53.09 to shave more than a second off her 1:54.27 Australian record and got within 0.11 seconds of Federica Pellegrini‘s 2009 world record. After her, Emma McKeon was a blistering 1:54.74 for the silver medal making her and Titmus the likely duo to swim the event individually in Tokyo. Behind them, 4 more women got under the Olympic qualifying time of 1:56.82 which will give the nation a lot of names to work with for their Olympic relay lineup.

Top 8 Women’s 200 Freestyles at 2021 Australian Nationals

1. Ariarne Titmus – 1:53.09
2. Emma McKeon – 1:54.74
3. Madi Wilson – 1:55.68
4. Leah Neale – 1:56.08
5. Meg Harris – 1:56.29
6. Mollie O’Callaghan – 1:56.29
7. Tamsin Cook – 1:56.96 (B final)
8. Kiah Melverton – 1:57.25
9. Brianna Thorssell – 1:57.66

While the add-up from 2021 Nationals still trailed their world record mark, the top 4 swims from Aussie women at Trials in the form of Titmus, McKeon, Wilson, and Neale add up to a 7:39.59 which is nearly 2 seconds under the 2019 World Record. Factoring in the likelihood that they will be, on average, faster at the Olympics than they were at Trials and the added benefit of 3 relay takeovers, the Aussie women on track for an absolutely lethal performance in Tokyo.