Mollie O’Callaghan sets a world record at the swimming world championships and wins the gold medal #Mollie #OCallaghan #sets #world #record #swimming #world #championships #wins #gold #medal

FUKUOKA, Japan (AP) — Australian swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan set a world record in in the women’s 200-meter freestyle on Wednesday, winning the gold medal at the world championships.

The 19-year-old O’Callaghan beat teammate Ariarne Titmus, overtaking the race favorite in the final 20 meters.

O’Callaghan’s winning time was 1 minute, 52.85 seconds. She bettered the previous mark set in 2009 by Federica Pellegrini of Italy.

Mollie O’Callaghan of Australia has set a world record in the 200-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships.

Gold medalist Kaylee McKeown of Australia pose during ceremonies at the women's 100m backstroke finals at the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Swimming officials have given World Aquatics president Husain al-Musallam an eight-year mandate to lead them.

Katie Ledecky of United States reacts after the women's 1500m freestyle finals at the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Katie Ledecky has won the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle with ease at the swimming world championships on a day that saw fellow American Ryan Murphy triumph in the men’s 100 backstroke.

FILE - Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas looks on as she celebrates senior day with her teammates during a swim meet, on Jan. 8, 2022, in Philadelphia. In March 2022, American swimmer Lia Thomas won the women's 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA championships in Atlanta, becoming the first transgender woman to claim a national title in swimming.(AP Photo/Chris Szagola, File)

The governing body of swimming says it will set up an “open category” that will include transgender competitors.

Titmus, who won the 400 free in world-record time on Sunday, settled for silver in 1:53.01 after leading for most of the race. Summer McIntosh of Canada earned bronze in 1:53.65 after coming in fourth in the 400.

In the men’s 800 freestyle, Ahmed Hafnaoui of Tunisia won gold.

Lukas Martens of Germany held the early lead before Hafnaoui went in front at 350 meters. Hafnaoui and Sam Short of Australia then battled back and forth the rest of the way with the Tunisian pulling away in the final 25 meters.

Hafnaoui’s winning time was 7:37:00, with Short taking silver in 7:37.76. Bobby Finke of the United States, the Olympic champion and last year’s world titlist, took bronze in 7:38.67.

Leon Marchand of France added the men’s 200 butterfly gold to the one he won in the 400 medley on the opening day of the worlds when he broke Michael Phelps’ long-standing world mark. The 21-year-old Frenchman assumed the lead at 80 meters and powered home the rest of the way, winning in 1:52.43.

Krzysztof Chmielewski of Poland captured the silver in 1:53.62, while Tomoru Honda gave host Japan its second bronze medal of the worlds in 1:53.66.

Kristof Milak of Hungary, the current world-record holder in the 200 butterfly and gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, is not competing at this year’s championships.

Qin Haiyang of China won his second gold of the worlds in the men’s 50-meter breaststroke to go with the one he earned in the 100 breaststroke on Monday. Qin led from wire-to-wire to prevail in 26.29 seconds.

Nic Fink of the United States took silver in 26.59, with Sun Jiajun of China getting bronze in 26.79.

China was also victorious in the 4×100 mixed medley relay behind a strong leg from Qin, taking the gold in 3:38.57. Australia got silver in 3:39.03, with the United States rounded out the podium with bronze in 3:40.19.

The top three finishers in the relay automatically qualified for next year’s Paris Olympics.

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#Mollie #OCallaghan #sets #world #record #swimming #world #championships #wins #gold #medal

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