Mollie O’Callaghan, Kaylee McKeown submit new world information at swimming World Cup

Australian swimming megastars Mollie O’Callaghan and Kaylee McKeown each shattered quick course world information in the course of the second leg of the World Cup in Westmont, Illinois, kicking off the nation’s post-Ariarne Titmus period in type.

O’Callaghan, the reigning 200m Olympic champion, posted a blistering 1:49.77 within the occasion to beat compatriot Lani Pallister to gold. The 21-year-old from St Peter’s Western broke Siobhán Haughey’s mark of 1:50.31, set on the quick course world championships in 2021, with a dominant swim from begin to end.

Twenty-four hours later, McKeown prevailed over long-time rival Regan Smith within the 200m backstroke last. Both swimmers touched the wall in occasions that have been faster than the earlier world document, held by Smith, nevertheless it was McKeown who took the gold medal, stopping the clock in 1:57.87.

O’Callaghan and McKeown’s world document swims earned them bonus cheques of US$10,000 (AU$15,300).

Earlier within the meet, Smith prevailed over McKeown within the 100m distance, breaking her personal world document with a swim of 54.02s. Meanwhile, O’Callaghan accomplished the medal set in Westmont, claiming bronze within the 50m freestyle and silver within the 100m freestyle, behind American Kate Douglass.

Last week, Titmus, Australia’s four-time Olympic champion, surprised the swimming world by saying her retirement from the game at age 25.

Titmus, who famously rose to world prominence on the Tokyo Games in 2021 the place she triumphed over Katie Ledecky in an epic girls’s 400-meter race, had taken the total season off following final yr’s Olympics in Paris and was anticipated to make her return to the pool within the coming months. However, on Thursday morning, she took to Instagram to substantiate she would not be representing Australia within the pool.

“I’ve made the decision to retire from competitive swimming,” Titmus mentioned. “A tough one. A really tough one, but one that I’m really happy with. I love swimming, but I guess I’ve taken this time away from the sport and realised some things in my life are just a bit more important to me now than swimming.”