2024 AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC TRIALS
Day 3 of the 2024 Australian Olympic Swimming Trials kick off Wednesday morning. The meet has been a tale of two groups. The bona fide superstars, like Mollie O’Callaghan, have been having a collective huge meet, while with rare exceptions, the rest of the field, including the nearly-theres, have struggled to get over the hurdle and make noise.
Wednesday’s races will be loaded with stars. That includes the women’s 200 free, where the defending Olympic Champion Ariarne Titmus will square off with the World Record holder Mollie O’Callaghan.
Both swimmers have thrown down electric times earlier in the meet. Titmus was .06 seconds away from her World Record in the 400 free in 3:55.44 while O’Callaghan threw down one of the fastest 100 backs in history in 57.88, which is not even an event she is likely to swim at the Olympic Games.
There is likewise some meat at the back-end of that peloton, with 12-or-so swimmers fighting for six spots in the women’s 800 free relay.
The men’s 800 free heats will not feature the 2023 Worlds silver medalist Sam Short, the event’s main headliner, as only the early heats of the events will be raced in prelims.
The men’s 50 free will be another burner, with Cam McEvoy, the surprise return-to-form 2023 World Champion, looking to secure his spot at a 4th-straight Olympics. Isaac Cooper, who missed the Australian Olympic standard in the 100 back on Tuesday, will battle with Kyle Chalmers and Thomas Nowakowski for the 2nd spot. Cooper’s training has been hyper-focused on sprinting, so this will be his moment to shine.
The men’s 200 fly will be the place to scratch-and-claw: Bowen Gough is the top seed in 1:56.01, but someone will need to find a 1:54.97 to earn an Olympic nomination. It’s not unusual for Australia to have a few empty events at the Olympic Games, often covered for by the incredible brightness of their top stars, and the men’s 200 stroke races have been a place of weakness for the program at past Trials meets as well.
Women’s 200 Freestyle – Heats
- World Record – 1:52.85, Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 2023
- Australian Record – 1:52.85, Mollie O’Callaghan, 2023
- Oceanic Record – 1:52.85, Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 2023
- Commonwealth Record – 1:52.85, Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 2023
- Swim Australia OQT – 1:56.49
Men’s 800 Freestyle — Early Heats
- World Record – 7:32.11, Zhang Lin (CHN), 2009
- Australian Record – 7:37.76, Sam Short, 2023
- Oceanic Record – 7:37.76, Sam Short (AUS), 2023
- Commonwealth Record – 7:37.76, Sam Short (AUS), 2023
- Swim Australia OQT – 7:45.80
Men’s 50 Freestyle — Heats
- World Record — 20.91, Cesar Cielo (BRA), 2009
- Australian Record – 21.06, Cameron McEvoy (AUS), 2023
- Oceanic Record – 21.06, Cameron McEvoy (AUS), 2023
- Commonwealth Record – 21.06, Cameron McEvoy (AUS), 2023
- Swim Australia OQT – 21.88
Men’s 200 Butterfly — Heats
- World Record — 1:50.34, Kristof Milak (HUN), 2022
- Australian Record — 1:54.46, Nick D’Arcy, 2009
- Oceanic Record – 1:54.15, Moss Burmester, 2009
- Commonwealth Record — 1:52.96, Chad Le Clos, 2012
- Swim Australia OQT — 1:54.97
