O’Callaghan Ties Thorpe Record in Australia’s Relay Gold Win

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Australia has secured gold in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore, with Mollie O’Callaghan anchoring the team to a record-setting victory on Thursday night.

O’Callaghan’s final leg secured not only the team’s triumph over the United States and China but also marked a personal milestone, her 11th long-course world championship gold medal, tying her with swimming legend Ian Thorpe for the most by an Australian.

The winning team, composed of Lani Pallister, Jamie Perkins, Brittany Castelluzzo, and O’Callaghan, delivered a powerful performance, clocking 7:39.35. The U.S. finished in second with 7:40.01, while China took bronze in 7:42.99.

Key to the win was Castelluzzo’s third leg. Entering the water with Australia in second place, she closed a full body-length gap to overtake the American swimmer in the final 50 metres. That handover gave O’Callaghan a narrow lead of 0.39 seconds heading into the anchor leg.

O’Callaghan faced off against decorated American swimmer Katie Ledecky. Despite having already swum two events earlier in the day, the 21-year-old Queenslander held off Ledecky to seal the victory.

The achievement is even more significant considering the absence of Ariarne Titmus and Brianna Throssell, two of Australia’s most experienced relay swimmers. Both featured in previous championship teams, with Throssell retiring after the Paris 2024 Olympics and Titmus taking a 12-month break.

Commentating for the Nine Network, Titmus expressed pride in the team’s effort. “Two women in that race had never swum in a senior relay final, and yet Australia is still on top of the world,” she said.

O’Callaghan now has three gold medals from the current championships  in the 4x100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, and 4x200m freestyle  with more events yet to come.

Speaking after the race, she described the moment as “everything to me.”

Her performance underscores Australia’s continued strength in international swimming and sets a promising tone for future Olympic campaigns.