Mollie O’Callaghan has produced a stunning swim to come from behind and win the gold medal in the women’s 100m freestyle at the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
Starting from the fifth lane, O’Callaghan left her final sprint until there were 20m left and raced past Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey to touch the wall at 52:16.
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Fellow Aussie and Olympic queen Emma McKeon ultimately finished fifth with a time of 52:83.
It was McKeon who looked like she would be in contention at the 50m mark when she was in third place.
But she slowly fell away in the chasing pack as O’Callaghan, who was seventh at the halfway mark, turned on the afterburners and fired past her rivals to finish first.
The 19-year-old finished ahead of Haughey, who earned Hong Kong’s first medal at the World Swimming Championships, by 0.33 seconds while Dutch star Marrit Steenbergen claimed bronze.
O’Callaghan’s victory continues her dream run in Fukuoka having won gold and set a new world record in the women’s 200m freestyle on Wednesday when she also beat fellow Aussie superstar Ariarne Titmus.
It also makes her the first woman in history to complete the gold medal double in the 100m and 200m freestyle events, cementing her status as a serious contender for the Paris Olympics next year.
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OCallaghan shocks world champs with WR! | 00:41
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Unfortunately for Abbey Harkin, she could not emulate O’Callaghan’s heroics in the women’s 200m breaststroke final after she finished 7th, as South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker took home the gold medal.
Other Aussies competing for a gold medal include Zac Stubblety-Cook and Bradley Woodward, who are in the final for the men’s 200m breaststroke and backstroke.
Also gunning for gold is the Australian men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team consisting of Kai James Taylor, Kyle Chalmers, Alexander Graham and Thomas Neill.
SCHEDULE + AUSSIES IN ACTION (ALL TIMES AEST)
9:49pm: Women’s 200m breaststroke final (Abbey Harkin)
9:59pm: Men’s 200m backstroke final (Bradley Woodward)
10:24pm: Men’s 200m breaststroke final (Zac Stubblety-Cook)
10:40pm: Men’s 4x200m freestyle relay final (Australia)
Follow all the action from the World Swimming Championships in our LIVE BLOG below!
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