A fascinating Aussie duel is set to light up the Paris pool on Tuesday morning AEST as Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan battle it out for Olympic 200m freestyle glory.
The Queenslanders are not only the fastest two women ever to race in the event but they also share the same coach in Dean Boxall, setting the stage for an intriguing battle of tactics and mind games.
“This is unprecedented. We’ve never seen before the fastest and second fastest swimmer in history in that event training in the same squad. It’s never been done,” Australian swimming great James Magnussen said on the Matty & The Missile podcast on Monday.
Titmus, who has already claimed 400m freestyle gold at these Games, is the world record holder and defending Olympic champion in the 200m. However O’Callagan, 20, was the first to break Federica Pellegrini’s long-standing world record when she beat Titmus to gold at last year’s world championships.
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Magnusses chats Dean Boxall influence | 01:35
Bookmakers have the pair neck-and-neck and well ahead of the rest of the field and the enormity of the moment has Magnussen salivating at how Boxall, and the two swimmers, will approach things.
“Dean needs to turn to Mollie and say, ‘here’s your game plan tonight to beat Ariane’. And then he needs to turn to Ariane and say, ‘Ariane, here’s your game plan to beat Mollie’.
“I’m not sure how it works. It’s never happened in my career, but it’s fascinating.
“It’s fascinating. Who’s his favourite? I don’t know. Surely he can’t have a favourite…”
Magnussen believes Titmus has already landed an early blow in the battle by pushing harder in the semi-finals to secure her favoured lane four.
And he said the mind games before the final could be pivotal, believing Titmus should treat O’Callaghan just like she would her arch rival, Katie Ledecky, as she chases a fourth career Olympic gold.
“If I was Ariarne, I’d stare her down. I’d get in her head because I want to win at all costs,” Magnussen said.
“But in saying that, I’ve never raced one of my best friends in the Olympic final in front of the world’s media, right? But if I was Ariarne, I’d be trying to get in Mollie’s head.
“I’m not sure what their relationship is. They must be close friends. They spend six hours a day together every day of the week, every day of the year. So they must be close friends. So that’s what just makes it all the more intriguing.”
Magnussen, though, warned O’Callaghan risked a backlash if she tried to employ a similar approach.
“I’d say Ariarne’s the one where you’d say ‘don’t poke the bear’. Don’t stir Ariarne. Don’t give Ariarne motivation because she’s that person that will rise to the challenge,” Magnussen said.
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“This will be Mollie’s first individual Olympic final, which is very important in the scheme of things. Because she hasn’t swum on that level before. She’s swum at Olympic Games. She’s swum heats. She’s swum relays. But there’s something different about an individual Olympic final.
“When you stand out there and all the pressure’s on you, the focus is on you, it’s a different kind of intensity. Ariarne’s done it last night. She knows exactly what’s coming. Mollie’s sitting there tonight thinking, ‘what’s that going to feel like?’
“How much pressure am I under? How will this change my life? Ariarne has no questions in her head. She goes, I’ve done it, I’ve done it before. I’m going to do it again tomorrow night.”
Before the much-anticipated match race (5.41am Tuesday AEST), Australian Max Giuliani will contest the men’s 200m freestyle event, with Romanian teenage sensation David Popovici the raging favourite.
Australian superstar Kaylee McKeown will commence her title defence in the 100m backstroke heats on Monday night AEST while 400m silver medallist Elijah Winnington and Sam Short return to the water for the 800m freestyle.
Jenna Forrester and Ella Ramsay will contest the women’s 400m medley heats with the top eight going straight through to the final.
DAY 3 SWIMMING SCHEDULE & AUSTRALIANS IN ACTION (all times AEST)
HEATS
7pm Women’s 400m individual medley heats: Jenna Forrester, Ella Ramsay
7.13pm Women’s 100m backstroke heats: Kaylee McKeown, Iona Anderson
7.28pm Men’s 800m freestyle heats: Sam Short, Elijah Winnington
FINALS
4.30am Women’s 400m individual medley final
4.40am Men’s 200m freestyle final: Maximillian Giuliani
4.57am Women’s 100m backstroke semi-finals
5.19am Men’s 100m backstroke final
5.25am Women’s 100m breaststroke final
5.41am Women’s 200m freestyle final: Ariarne Titmus, Mollie O’Callaghan
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Source Agencies
